BOOK REVIEW
The Practice of Immortality: A Monk’s Guide to Discovering Your Unlimited Potential for Health, Happiness, and Positivity
There are books you read to gather information. There are books you read to find inspiration. And then, once in a while, you stumble upon a book that reads back to you. Reading such a book feels like a sadhana in itself, especially because every chapter ends with a suggested meditative practice. This is a clear indication of the focus and emphasis on Sadhana by the author.
Dr. Ishan Shivanand’s The Practice of Immortality is not the story or the work of an academic or a scholar from an premier institute in India or abroad. It is not the voice of someone who read Indian texts in translation while sipping green tea at Cambridge. This is the story of a real-life monk—meticulously prepared, groomed, trained, and shaped from childhood by his father Avdhoot Shivanand Ji, to carry the light of Sanatana Dharma into a modern world of noise and numbness. A monk who has been nurtured by the Aravallis and Himalayas, matured in ashrams, forests, gaushalas and sacred rivers—and who has now stepped into boardrooms, universities, and hospital corridors with equal ease. I have watched this evolution from close quarters over the last 10 years. I have to say this young monk has squeezed every drop of juice from every second of every hour of every day of the last 10 years – working relentlessly in the pursuit of his goal of helping good people become better all over the world (this is not an exaggeration).
This is not the polished storytelling of a Hemingway or a Naipaul. This is the raw, earthy, visceral, deeply human autobiography of someone who has actually walked the path. Someone who has bled on it. Who has stumbled, fallen, risen, and walked again. A monk who was not crafted through marketing, but through the sheer dent of his tapasya and sadhana. In a day and age when most of the 1.4 billion Indians continue to be colonized in their minds, Ishan is like a breath of fresh air with the tejas, ojas and varchas of a true “son of the soil” yogi who is comfortable in any attire, in any setting (rural, urban, corporate, medical – you name it) and in any country. He has inspired and animated the spiritual imagination of people of all age groups and from all walks of life from all continents (www.ishanshivanand.com). His childhood was spent in various parts of India including Alwar, Lucknow and other places – rural, moutainous, desert areas in a true gurukula – where his own father was his guru. He grew up as just another student amongst many and went through rigorous sadhana of various dimensions over many years. This monastery was his school, college and university. And often the gentle, noble, humble and divine cows of his ashram were his companions.
And you feel that in every page.
A Book that Breathes and Talks
The book is structured in short, powerful chapters—each with poetic titles like “Drinking the Poison of Ego,” “The Balloon Tied to Your Toe,” and “From Destruction, a Seed Grows.” Each chapter begins with a Sanskrit shloka or an Indic quote—deeply anchoring the wisdom in Bharatiya tradition. And each chapter ends with a practice—a small meditation, a breathwork suggestion, or a contemplation. Between the quote and the meditation is a story that captures Ishan’s spiritual encounters and growth.
In that sense, this is not a book for your bookshelf. It’s a book for your meditation room.
The chapters don’t follow a fixed doctrine or formula. They unfold like petals—gently but unmistakably guiding you inward. First comes the story—rich, lived, emotional. Then the insight—never didactic, always discovered. Finally, the practice—an invitation to apply it.
This is not information. This is transformation.
This Is Not That…
Let me be clear. This is not the story of a billionaire who gave up his Lamborghini for 10 days of silence. This is not the memoir of a Western-trained coach who dabbled in Vedanta and now offers “tantric abundance coaching.” This is not about building a following on Instagram with moody pictures of prayer beads and waterfalls.
This is not borrowed wisdom. This is embodied truth.
This is the lived journey of a monk who was born into a lineage of yogis. Who trained under a Siddha. Who was taught by saints and sadhus. Who learned from the rising sun and ripening mangoes. Who spent years in solitude and then stepped out into a chaotic world filled with ignorace, delusion and suffering—not to enoy it, but to serve it.
He has spoken at Ivy League universities, top hospitals, and Fortune 500 companies—but he never forgets that his roots lie in Bharat, in dharma, in seva. His social media following didn’t come from hype—it came from the healing that he has brought into the lives of millions.
The Balloon Tied to Your Toe
Let me pause here and speak of one chapter that hit me particularly hard—Chapter 10: The Balloon Tied to Your Toe. It begins with a parable:
“There was once a man who had to sleep in a dormitory with 100 strangers. Afraid he would lose himself in the crowd, a monk offered a solution: tie a balloon to your toe. In the morning, find the person with the balloon, and that’s you.”
But during the night, a mischievous monk moves the balloon.
And the next morning, the man wakes up, sees the balloon on someone else’s toe, and begins to cry, “That’s me!”
The story is deceptively simple. But the commentary that follows is razor-sharp
“Ego is the man with the balloon on his toe. Because we have not answered the question, ‘Who am I?’, we cling to the fallacy that the balloon must be me.”
And what are these balloons? Our degrees. Our titles. Our jobs. Our family names. Our beauty. Our achievements. Our religion. Our social media bios. Our projections.
“Instant gratification and the approval of others can be the enemy of immortality,” he writes.
Through this chapter, Ishan lays bare the traps of identity. He shows how even spirituality becomes corrupted when used to inflate the ego. And then, softly, lovingly, he guides us back to the path: not by shaming the ego, but by unmasking it.
The chapter is a masterclass in deconstructing identity. It doesn’t shame the ego. It reveals it. And then gently, but firmly, shows us how to outgrow it
Each chapter is built like a meditation in three parts:
A sutra—a thread of insight from the “Siva Sutras”, “Bhagvad Gita” or from his Guru’s Teachings
A story—usually from the author’s own lived experience
A practice—what he calls samadhi, not as a lofty goal, but as a lived experience of stillness
This rhythm—thread, story, stillness—becomes the book’s real power. You don’t rush through it. You breathe through it.
The path of Shiv Yog
Not the yoga you think you know.
Let me be clear: this is not the yoga of contorted poses and influencer aesthetics.
This is yoga as it was meant to be—therapeutic, integrative, and transformative.
Ishan Shivanand’s lineage-based teachings emphasize Kriyas, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, Seva and Sankirtana (meditative chanting and singing) — not as abstract ideas but as daily disciplines for navigating the chaos of modern life. This is Yoga of realizing your true nature – eternal, expansive, infitinite. The way to become one with the source of creation itself. Discovering your true identity and acting out of that knowledge. A lineage that carries the wisdom of Dattatreya, Parashuram, Gorakhnath, Matsyendranath, Adi Shankara, Agastya Mahamuni, Lopamudra, Acharya Abhinavagupta, Vasishta Maharishi and Rishi Markandeya.
But what stands out is how non-performative it all feels. You’re not being asked to become someone new. You’re simply asked to stop pretending to be someone you’re not.
The mirror and the window
There’s a beautiful moment in the introduction where Dr. Shivanand shares a lesson from his guru: A piece of glass can either be a mirror or a window. A mirror shows you only yourself. A window shows you the world. Most of us are stuck looking into mirrors, looping within our small selves. This book, if you let it, helps turn that mirror into a window—through which you glimpse your own vastness.
The focus on Anubhava
What makes this book powerful is that it is not theoretical. It’s lived. Each sentence breathes the air of ancient shrines and global cities alike. From meditating in the holiest of sthalas to taking dips in sacred rivers across the world, to serving in some of the most remote and forgotten corners of the planet—Dr. Ishan’s life is a testimony to what mastery of mind, body, and spirit actually looks like.
And yet, the language remains humble. Approachable. Personal. For instance:
“Even the greediest child learns to wait just one more day for perfection.”
— On waiting under a mango tree, and learning the rhythm of ripening
Or this moment of spiritual memory:
“Now I understood why my father was wearing white… In my culture, white is the color worn at the time of death.”
— A meditation not on fear, but surrender
This book is deeply devotional too—offering glimpses into the author’s love for Mahadev, his worship of Lalithamba, his surrender to his Guru, and his unwavering dedication to Rashtra, Vishwa, and Dharma.
And at the heart of it all, what truly shines is the emphasis on sadhana. Dr. Ishan is not a philosopher with opinions—he is a practitioner with direct experience. The practices he shares aren’t borrowed or imagined; they come from decades of training, austerity, and inner realization.
A note of caution: Readers seeking a quick “how-to” guide might find the book too poetic or slow. There are no lists, no hacks. But to see that as a weakness is to misunderstand the nature of this work. Its strength is its pace—each word asking you to pause, reflect, and breathe.
Snippets and Small Stories from the book
1. The Mango Tree Meditation
In one chapter, a young Ishan and other children visit an ancient mango tree every day in the summer, eagerly checking to see if the fruit has ripened. They learn to wait—not because someone teaches them to—but because nature does. It’s a simple but profound lesson in divine timing.
“We all learned to wait just one more day. Even the greediest child did.”
2. The Crow That Woke Him Up
One day, Ishan is sitting at his desk, lost in daydreams of the time he received shaktipat. Suddenly, a crow appears and screeches at him—waking him from his trance like Kakkbhushundi, the divine bird-sage of Indian lore. He looks down and finds scriptures his father left for him. The message is clear: it’s time to move from dreaming to doing.
“The crow, like Kakkbhushundi himself, had come to wake me up
3. Meditation on Death
In Chapter 5, his father walks into the meditation hall dressed in white. He announces that they will meditate on the final journey—death. It’s not a moment of sorrow, but of immense peace and spiritual insight.
“Now I understood why he was dressed in white. In our culture, white is worn at the time of death.”
The honesty here is rare. Most spiritual books skip the fall. Ishan shares it—fully. Both his mistakes and his triumphs. His victories and his failures on the spiritual path. And that makes it more relatable.
A Structure that Mirrors the Inner Journey
The structure of the book is not linear—it is cyclical, like sadhana itself. It begins in purity, moves through complexity, confronts shadows, and returns to light.
Each chapter is like an upāsana. You sit with it. You breathe it. You reflect. You don’t read this book. You walk it.
This is your intro to spirituality
What makes The Practice of Immortality extraordinary is its utter lack of pretense. It’s not trying to be smart. It’s trying to be true.
Dr. Ishan Shivanand gives you practices. Not theory, but therapy. You start where you are.
“Jab Jago Tab Savera” as his guru often says.
In Conclusion
We have for years consumed translated, often distorted ideas, concepts, methods and practices that were shipped out, packaged and shipped back to us. Now, with this book, we have the opportunity to hear the true story of an authentic Indian monk.
This is not just the story of a monk. It is the journey that each one of us can take, must take. It is a journey that you can use to inspire your son or daughter or any young person that you know and want to help.
Read the book, practice the meditations.
Shubhamastu! Shubhavagali!
ॐ सर्वेषां स्वस्तिर्भवतु ।
सर्वेषां शान्तिर्भवतु ।
सर्वेषां पूर्णंभवतु ।
सर्वेषां मङ्गलंभवतु ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Om Sarveshaam Svastir-Bhavatu |
Sarveshaam Shaantir-Bhavatu |
Sarveshaam Puurnnam-Bhavatu |
Sarveshaam Manggalam-Bhavatu |
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||
This comprehensive review of the book “The Practice of Immortality” is inspiring. Thank you Vinay Ji for curating it with the moments that genuinely inspired you.
Buy the book here: https://sanathani.com/products/the-practice-of-immortality-a-monk-s-guide-to-discovering-your-unlimited-potential-for-health-happiness-and-positivity
What an amazing and apt review of the book The Practice of Immortality by Ishan Shivanand. This review honours and does complete justice to the book which is more than a book, a transmission. I’m sure it’ll inspire many more to read the book.
Love u hu kavu chu mara guru ne ishanbhayi ne mari life ma chang thaya te hu battavi shakati nathi lakavu to ganu che pan 2010 aabu ni yatra thi attiyarbshuthi ni har time mari shathe mara guru pashe che Ishan Bhayia Thanks ne love u bus aaj mara man thi nikale che Mane face k computer.English aavadatu nathi pan bas mari life ma mara baji khoob pram karu chu chamatakar ni toline vehati che har pal mate Thanks baji love Aaj mari man mathi nikale chene eys mathi aashu bus modi ubare marriage 39 ne thaya ne boy aapiyo marriage pachishiyog nahi karavo pati na mujab j karavu te vaghat thayu k babaji baa shu thayu pan babaji mari shathe jode hoy Tevu j lage che ne guru krupa babaji Thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 2025Trishati Kari pachi pati dur nokari mate mokaliya hu Shanti thi foram ne badha bindash Kari shaking koi pan shajogo ma me mari shadhana na nathi chodi pehala durga shapshati have Trishati have mara hasband ma chang aaviyo che temana dekhata shivyog Kari shaku chu love 💕💖💕💖😘💕💖😘 💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖 love u baji Ishan Bhayia mare koi bhai nahi hai Bhayia aap Bhayia or sab kush Bhayia mare mom papa 3 sister sab shivyog haiare boy bhai aap Trishati karata hai par vo bolta hai papa kab shiyogi hoye ge bus mera Adhyatmik bahot chang hai muje sach me shiv she milane vale babaji hai me mera sasur ki aab seva bhai karti vo dil she babji krupa she mari koi bhi sari bat babaji ki krupa she mare beta or Ishan bhaiya ka beta same year l9ve u Thanks babaji bus dhyan rakhna mere parivar ka jo shivyog nahi hai vo bhai ban jay Thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Love you or muje etana Emil likhva ne ke liye muje to lagata hai aaj Monday bus aapki sari bate lekhu love ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ u Thanks 🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Ommmmm ommmm
Ita great gift to sadhaks
Jitna book reading karte hai utna hi peaceful aur nye nye anubhav ho rhe h
Bahut hi energetic book h
Thank you baba ji
Bhaiya ji
Nmh shivay 🙏🥰
This book is is so amazing 😍😍😍😍
Namah shivaya
It’s not just a book
But it’s a wisdom of sanatana’s
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