This is a very practical book that brings together western science with
eastern philosophy and religion. Its purpose is to challenge our
understanding of the aging process.
Chopra begins by probing common assumptions about the world. Many
believe we live in purely material world where time is absolute,
consciousness is a biochemical side-effect and we are the inevitable
victims of aging sickness and death.
In place of this world view Chopra adopts a new perspective where the
physical world we experience is a response to the observer, the mind and
body are intimately intertwined, our linear experience of time is an
illusion, and aging sickness and death are part of the scenery, not part
of our essential being.
Each section of the book examines different aspects of aging in the
context of these old assumptions and new perspective. However, you do
not have to just take the author’s word for it because there are also
practical exercises and tools to experience the shifts in perspective
Chopra is describing.
One of the key elements of the book is the link between aging and
awareness. Chopra examines the link between getting old and our state of
consciousness. There are various biological indicators of aging, for
instance our fingers shorten. An interesting example of the research
relating in this book is the immersion of elderly subjects in a 1950’s
environment, the environment of their youth. It was found that several
of the biological indicators of aging were reversed, including the
lengthening of their fingers!
Another study demonstrated that life satisfaction is statistically
correlated with how old or young you will die. These pieces of evidence
point to the fact that our physical age and biological age operate
independently.
In the section ‘The Science of Longevity’, the book examines a range of
people that have lived to over 100 years old. It draws practical and
applicable lessons from their examples of the factors that have
supported their extended lives, including things like diet and exercise.
Chopra bring the book together by returning to the common assumptions
and new perspective offered at the start of the book. The journey the book
takes is from an external view of aging based on the common assumptions
to an explanation of aging as an internal process rooted in the new
perspective.
'Ageless Body, Timeless Mind' is an exciting book that
will open up the doors of possibility for your life. A slight
disappointment is that the genetic research is not entirely cutting
edge. Our understandings have advanced significantly since the book was
first published. However, the philosophy, fascinating scientific studies
and practical tools all make this a book well worth reading.
