Congressman Tim Ryan: The Mindful Nation
Congressman Tim Ryan: And so, we want to rally support around the country to help.
Dr. Deepak Chopra: And once again, how can people ?
Congressman Tim Ryan: Timryanforcongress.com
Dr. Deepak Chopra: They can sign the petition.
Congressman Tim Ryan: They can sign the petition there. Also, the more people we get pushing it, the more opportunity we have to pass it. But, we’re also doing two interesting things: Last year, I started a quiet time caucus. In Washington, we have a caucus for everything—from rock and roll, to Azerbaijan, you know—and everything in between. So, I said the heck with it, I’m going to start a quiet time caucus.
Dr. Deepak Chopra: What’s the reaction from your fellow congressmen and senators?
Congressman Tim Ryan: You know, most of them still don’t know exactly what it is or what I’m trying to do. But, there are a lot of other people who quietly come up and say to me, “Hey, I’m really stressed out. Can you show me that stuff you’re doing?”
So, they know a little bit about it. Their wife may do yoga, or their daughter, or someone they know may have some connection to this sort of mind-body medicine.
Dr. Deepak Chopra: Do you think you might get some pushback from all the special interest groups and lobbyists?
Congressman Tim Ryan: Sure, of course. Well, that’s half the fun.
Dr. Deepak Chopra: You know, we did a little project at our center, where we took people who had never practiced meditation and we put them through a week of meditation. It wasn’t mindfulness, although it included elements of that.
