Deepak Chopra on how B.C. can lead the way in mindful innovation

Few regions embody the paradox of modern life quite like British Columbia. Innovation and ambition thrive in business and tech, while wellness and sustainability shape our cultural identity. Between boardrooms and yoga studios, the province is uniquely positioned to reconcile the calm of its surroundings with the relentless demands of a connected world.

Few voices speak to his tension with as much authority as Dr. Deepak Chopra, the physician, author and global leader in integrative medicine. Chopra is blunt about what he sees as the central issue: “In the attention economy, human beings have become the product.” In his view, the rise of social media has reshaped how people value themselves, driving comparison, validation, and a troubling rise in anxiety and depression–particularly among young people. “We sacrifice ourselves for our selfies”, he states, something that rings true in B.C., where our wellness culture can at times feel performative.

 

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But Chopra stops short of condemning technology outright, which is a theme he is exploring in his latest works. “Social media can amplify wisdom, build meaningful communities, and spread practices that improve mental health”, he says, glancing down in his Meta Ray Ban glasses. “We need to find ways to turn inward, to disconnect from the constant barrage of information and reconnect with ourselves.” In short, the danger lies in allowing these platforms to hijack our inner selves.

That reminder resonates strongly in B.C., where conversations around wellness and sustainability have become a part of the cultural fabric. When asked about his favourite place in Canada, he quickly spoke of his love of our province’s capital. “In Victoria, the combination of the ocean, mountains, and forests creates an environment where you can actually feel stillness. It’s a place that reminds you to slow down and breathe”, he reflects. For him, the city embodies the balance he urges others to cultivate: an awareness that beauty and regeneration are always close at hand, if we only allow ourselves to notice.

In practical terms, Chopra’s prescription is deceptively simple. He champions what he calls a “return to the basics”: meditation, mindful breathing, movement, and solitude. These practices aren’t about escaping modern life, but about reclaiming the clarity needed to meet it on our own terms. “Cultivating stillness doesn’t mean rejecting technology”, he explains. “It means not allowing it to control who you are.”

 

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For B.C.’s business community where innovation and ambition often go hand in hand with constant connectivity, Chopra’s message feels timely. The province is uniquely positioned to lead in rethinking how people live and work by leveraging technological progress while also grounding it in a deep respect for place.

“Technology will keep evolving, but our humanity depends on how we choose to engage with it,” he says. In the end, his vision is less about withdrawal than recalibration. And nowhere, perhaps, is that lesson clearer than on the West Coast itself – a region that offers both the distractions of the digital age and the landscape that can help us rise above them.