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BEST PRACTICES Beyond meditating, Chopra says these habits and practices can help you to feel more calm. LAUGHTER: “Watch funny movies. I watch _Candid Camera_ and Charlie Chaplin. Laughter

is good medicine. When you laugh, even the tears of laughter are different from the tears of sadness, chemically speaking. They have immunomodulators in them.” MASSAGE: “You can even do a

self-massage. Warm a little sesame oil and rub your hands, your fingers, your face, all the way down to your toes. Doing this stimulates neuropeptides, like serotonin and dopamine. So

massage is actually very powerful in alleviating stress.” EXERCISE: “Aim to walk between 5,000 to 10,000 steps briskly, without overexerting (you should be able to breathe through the nose

when you walk). That alleviates stress because of the hormones that are secreted.” YOGA POSTURES: “For elderly people, I prescribe restorative yoga, which includes things like Child pose or

side twists.” SLEEP: “If you wake up in the morning fresh, your day is going to be different." EXPRESSING EMOTIONS: “Some people find that a good crying break is a good way to relieve

stress. Don't try to suppress your sadness. Don't suppress your anger. All emotions are bodily sensations. And all you have to do is feel the body without actually trying to

manipulate it.” VISUALIZATION: “Visualize something that evokes the experience of joy, expansion, love, wonder. This is my favorite: I create a complex visual in my imagination of a picnic

with friends, family and loved ones, listening to Vivaldi, watching a waterfall, with a lot of mist and children playing and a circus clown. For me, it immediately evokes a very good

sensation in the body.” INTIMACY: “In mature, loving relationships, sex is a very good way to release stress."