Deepak Chopra and Kate Moss are here to help you live longer (and much better)
Inside the luxurious Thailand longevity retreat that’s servicing the one per cent.
I’m standing on the steps of a beautiful open-air pagoda overlooking the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, with nine other guests, one of whom is Kate Moss. We walk silently one by one to the end of a wide, floating pier where Deepak Chopra is waiting for us on a bamboo chair. When my turn comes, I sit down beside the guru as he ties a white string around my wrist and whispers something soothing about setting my intentions. His voice sounds like manuka honey.
This opening ceremony marks the start of Chopra’s first five-day Life & Soul Longevity program in partnership with RAKxa, the ultra-high-end, state-of-the-art health centre and spa retreat, the cost of which is an eye-watering $32,000 all-inclusive. Its central focus is increasing one’s lifespan via the latest scientific breakthroughs in medical testing and associated treatments, alongside spiritual meditation sessions and lectures.
The next morning I report to the resort’s VitalLife centre for my first appointment with a doctor, who reviews my medical records and takes my blood. Next comes a fitness assessment with a physio, after which it’s time for Chopra’s first talk on longevity.
The very sprightly 77-year-old became a phenomenon in ’90s America after moving there in 1970 from his native India, where he studied medicine. For several years Chopra worked as a resident in various hospitals, specialising in internal medicine and endocrinology. An encounter with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1985 ignited his growing interest in the Transcendental Meditation movement and the professional duality he has long espoused – of integrating traditional and alternative medicine – took hold.
Chopra has since written more than 90 books. One of his earliest – Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old, published in 1993 – was trumpeted by Oprah Winfrey and sold 400,000 copies in its first week. He became a health guru and an adviser to A-listers such as Elizabeth Taylor and Madonna. He and Winfrey continue working together to this day.
“There are 10 principles to reverse ageing,” he begins. “The first is to reframe the mind through meditation and timeless awareness, followed by deep sleep and nutrition, which must include a maximum diversity of plant-based foods and the taking of supplements such as quercetin, fisetin, NADs, vitamin D3, an over-the-counter multivitamin and ayurvedic supplements.”
Chopra includes the importance of exercise (nothing too rigorous – the sort that promotes a body/mind connection such as yoga, tai chi or ballet); of nurturing an emotional awareness and therefore a more compassionate and empathetic mind; plus undergoing periodic detoxes to rest both body and soul. His penultimate point stresses the need to let go of negative feelings and how accepting the ups and downs of life will make us happier. In other words, go with the flow.
A lot of what he says feels obvious – all his points are part of today’s trends in general health. But it’s worth remembering he was promoting them decades before they became fashionable. Plus his delivery helps: he’s captivating and humorous, often at his own expense, admitting that he was once a furious smoker and drinker. His wife, Rita, turns to me later at dinner and says, “He thinks he’s the special one, what with his talks and meeting famous people, but let me tell you who does everything, who brought up the children …”.
Interspersed with Chopra’s talks are my treatments – at least six daily – after my medical evaluation. The doctor picked up that I have carpal tunnel syndrome and, rather than being told to wear a splint as I am usually advised back at home, I am given exercises and two sessions of ultrasound. The constant pins and needles and muscle spasms in my left arm have since virtually disappeared.
Indeed, the variety of options available at RAKxa, of which there are outposts in Tuscany and Aspen, is vast and includes hormone and micronutrient testing, IV vitamin drips, sessions in hyperbaric and cryotherapy chambers, as well as a variety of ayurvedic and traditional massages and Dr. Levy facials. Plus you can get your hair done or have Botox and fillers, too, if you so desire. The staff’s attention to detail and knowledge is particularly impressive. Every therapist I see is fully briefed on my medical history and any physical sensitivities I have after previous operations.
The days progress with treatments scheduled every hour, on the hour. There are also more Chopra talks, such as one on “quantum healing”, or integrating ayurveda with quantum mechanics. Chopra rationalises this as the ability of one mode of consciousness (the mind) to spontaneously correct the mistakes in another mode of consciousness (the body). His detractors in the medical community decry this as “pseudoscience”. It does feel like a stretch, but who knows, no one believed him back in the day either. We now understand the extent to which stress management and good sleep – something Chopra has talked about for years – have an impact on our mental and physical health.
On my last day I sit down with Chopra for a one-on-one discussion. He’s wearing Issey Miyake, Tom Ford diamanté-studded glasses and Prada trainers. I’m interested in his views on the global deterioration of mental health. What is his approach to tackling it? “Join a social support program,” he says. “Don’t waste money on too much analysis. The medication doesn’t work either after a while, it becomes a placebo.” As someone who has suffered from similar issues, I agree on both points and consider joining his online initiative, Never Alone, which uses AI to help people struggling with their mental health, connecting them with in-person counsellors and providing useful resources.
His various enterprises – including his website chopra.com, which sells tinctures and retreats, as well as providing certification for future yoga or meditation practitioners, plus all the conferences he hosts and the books he has published – mean he has to be as rich as Croesus. What has his money given him? “I’ve never saved money,” he says, not really answering my question. “My only passion is mental wellbeing. We have the resources and creativity to solve all the world’s problems, but we are not doing it because everything is about fear and money. All leaders are gangsters driven by power, cronyism and corruption.”
That aside, what are his tips for a better life? “There’s only one,” he answers. “Take it easy … disengage from drama.”
We head out for his final talk, this time alongside Moss, who is his friend. Chopra talks about her wellness brand, Cosmoss, and lights one of its branded incense sticks. The supermodel gets up shyly and asks us to hand her the Cosmoss Love Letters booklet placed on our seats. She flicks through it, tears one out at random and hands it to me. “Be delicate, be vulnerable, be sensitive,” she says, looking into my eyes. “Be true to yourself – that is your superpower.”
The week is done, and rather than running into Bangkok for a The Hangover Part II-style alcohol fest, I attend a monk ceremony in the pagoda. I’m in bed by 8pm, the sound of birds sending me off into a happier and more restful sleep.
Life & Soul Longevity Retreat with Deepak Chopra, rakxawellness.com
This story is from the August issue of WISH.
