WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "Who am I?" health and spirituality guru Deepak Chopra urged several dozen Capitol Hill staffers to ask themselves.

"What do I want?" he continued, as the group sat silently, breathing slowly, legs apart, with their hands on their knees. "What is my purpose, what is my calling, what am I grateful for?"

Chopra, a physician, best-selling author and business school professor, led his first congressional meditation session Thursday at the invitation of New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel and Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who believe meditation could help solve many of the world's social problems.

Chopra urged admirers gathered in a House Budget Committee hearing room to "rewire" the "reptilian brain" that controls their fight-or-flight response by activating other parts of their brain that reduce stress and trigger happiness and inner peace.

"In every cell is the pulsing of life," he told the group, after asking them to become aware of their hearts beating in their fingertips.

Chopra said he'd like to convince Congress the government could save money by by using meditation to increase the safety and social well being of communities, and that he hopes to draw National Institutes of Health interest in research that shows the benefits of meditation and a healthy lifestyle.

Ryan said he's excited that institutions such as Ohio State University and the Cleveland Clinic are promoting a "mindfulness"-based stress reduction program, and the technique could be used to help students and veterans reduce stress. He urged the staffers who participated in the session to share it with their bosses.

"Hopefully we can live in an era that is more like the Renaissance, and less like the Dark Ages," said Ryan, who haswritten his own book about mindfulness. "That's the plan."

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Zen Congressman Tim Ryan hosts Deepak Chopra on Capitol Hill