Deepak Chopra Meditation Simulation
"My son is very interested in technology and the experience aspect of it. We discuss technology all the time. I’m a big fan of how technology can shift consciousness. I have also been focused on the idea of shifting people’s experience of life through deeper mediation or visualization or experiences in nature or through music. And when they have a life altering experience, their biology changes. When VR came around I thought it was a perfect way to amplify and make more powerful what I have been doing for the last thirty years."
"There are many kinds of meditation. There are meditations that require silence. VR would not be an appropriate technology for that. Then there are contemplative methodologies, there are insight meditations, meditations that allow you to be mindful of sensory stimulus, and for those VR would be extremely helpful. It could help you focus on particular stimulus and on the nature of the experience."
"I think the biggest application for VR in the future will be for healing. I think that even in less than five years you will go to a really good medical center and a physician might prescribe a VR session instead of pharmaceuticals."
-Deepak Chopra
"In the beginning I was just thinking how this was going to help my father communicate some of the things he has been talking about for years because it will be able to add an experiential or interactive element to what has otherwise been him lecturing or writing."
"I’m always thrilled by new technology and the great thing about VR is that its a new form of storytelling. And VR is challenging storytellers to tell stories in a non traditional and non liner way. I think what differentiates this is that with my father, he doesn't just lead you through a meditation, which a lot of people can do, but he can explain what meditation is very well. And not just from a spiritual perspective but from scientific perspective."
"It’s about broadening the audience. Because I know younger people are asking the questions that he answers brilliantly. But new generations need it in a different way. It doesn’t need to be “new age.” I think my dad really loves being challenged and being pushed and loves new technologies."
-Gotham Chopra, Director
"We believe there are inherent therapeutic possibilities with VR and that’s what this experience is pioneering. The idea that simulations might be used to create a better outcome for people. And really, who better to be our guide in this than Deepak Chopra.”
-Anthony Batt, Producer and Wevr Co-Founder
“In the beginning we didn’t really know how we were going to go about it. But at some point it became very clear that Deepak’s voice is really powerful and he knows how to induce a certain emotional state of well being."
"We also started thinking about it visually in reference to color therapy and sensory depravation and the sensoriums from the sixties. The question of what makes an image powerful enough to create a near religious experience – cathedrals and how the vastness of space and refracted light can provoke a sense of awe. So we created this very lyrical and impressionistic sequence that follows what Deepak is saying in his narration.”
-Luis Blackaller, Producer
"What’s really interesting is that this is an entirely new form that we are going to be able to continue to build on. It’s an opportunity to see how virtual reality can impact overall wellness. A project like this at this particular stage of VR’s development is as much about learning and finding out what works as anything. And it’s also inspiring. Hopefully people will see this and it will give them ideas that will push the medium forward. “
-Jamie Byrne, Producer
