Immortality is not the promise of living forever. It is a practice, an art of expanding your relationship with time. So that each moment becomes richer, more meaningful, and more fully lived.
Ishan Shivanand
The story behind the book
For the first 20 years of his life, Ishan Shivanand lived in a monastery, immersed in teachings and austere practices passed from master to disciple across generations.
The young boy grew up far away from urban life, in an environment which was unlike his peers’ in every way. Yet he is the most prepared to live fully in the chaos of the modern world.
The Practice of Immortality is a personal journey through discipline, doubt, and discovery. The meditations at the close of every chapter are drawn from his own lived experience.
Praise for The Practice of Immortality
Heartfelt, grounded, and intentionally reflective.
Gold Book Award Review
It provides our youth with lasting knowledge and facilitates their access to traditional practices.
IAS Officer, Ministry of Communications, Govt of India
The Practice of Immortality is a wonderful, impressive, and inspiring book.
Padma Shree Awardee
A profound guide to cultivating presence, calm, and meaning.
Stanford Executive Program
Why this book is needed now
Ancient wisdom for a world in overdrive
We live with machines built to hold our attention. Increasingly capable AI learns exactly what keeps us engaged, and our focus is being harvested. The meditation practices in The Practice of Immortality are a way to reclaim attention, steady the mind, and return to the present.
“True immortality is not about endless physical life, but about discovering the eternal, changeless awareness that exists beyond time itself…”From the book
Read some pages of the book
The Practice
of Immortality
Chapter Nine
Becoming Superhuman
मोहावरणात्सिद्धिः
Supernatural powers are a veil drawn by delusion.
Earlier, I described the way in which we are born. Before birth, we are one with God. Then we are removed from that wondrous place, and we awaken on this Earth, crying in our desolation.
95
A monk in Rajasthan once told me a different version of this story. “During the process of birth, the child is violently taken from the tranquility of the mother’s womb and plunged into this world — a place of immense confusion and chaos. The baby instinctively seeks solace in the mother’s embrace, finding calmness once again. Thus, the child surrenders to the mother, resting in a state of peace.”
96
“It is our very nature to surrender. And in surrender we find peace,” the monk told me. “A spiritual seeker is simply a person who is very cautious and watchful when choosing where to surrender.”
I have always held these words close. Unconscious surrender may be a way of giving up, whereas conscious surrender embodies the way of the warrior.
97
When my father finally ushered me into the room, he looked at me intently. Son,
he said, I want you to begin practicing these bija mantras and sounds.
By this point in my life, I had undergone a change. I accepted Babaji’s guidance as readily as a flower accepts light and rain from the heavens. In this acceptance, the flower begins to bloom.
98
As the mantras continued to pour from my lips, I felt something like an earthquake from the energies they generated. A vibration passed through my body, like a thousand needles — but through the whole body.
It comes in waves, so at first you think it is just the result of sitting for so long. But then it becomes a pulse, and you realize this is something you have never experienced before.
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That pulse became a spasm; my spine began to rotate like a conical pendulum. Then my guru touched his thumb to my forehead, and it was like an electrical current flowing into me.
Each time my spine rotated, I rotated through the universe and back. In each rotation I saw a thousand worlds, a thousand lifetimes — not experiencing them, only witnessing.
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· · ·
The chapter continues.
Samadhi
Meditation Practice
Sit comfortably, relax your body, and close your eyes. Focus on your breath, gently inhaling and exhaling. Let your body relax and accept whatever sensations arise. Notice how your breath changes with awareness, and simply observe.
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Recognition
A USA Today National Bestseller
& Amazon Number One Bestseller
Published by Penguin Random House and Hachette.
Winner of the 2026 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal. An award that has previously honored His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Brené Brown, and Eckhart Tolle.
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Frequently asked questions
What is The Practice of Immortality?
The Practice of Immortality is a book by Ishan Shivanand, published by Penguin Random House and Hachette in 2025. Part memoir, part practical guide, and part spiritual exploration, it distils meditation practices from a monastic yogic tradition into tools for health, happiness, focus, and inner calm. Each chapter closes with a guided meditation drawn from the author's own lived experience.
Who wrote The Practice of Immortality?
The Practice of Immortality was written by Ishan Shivanand, an academic, philanthropist, and founder of Compassion Unites, a cross-sector mental health alliance.
Shivanand is a shaivite scholar, who spent the first 20 years of his life in a monastery, immersed in teachings and practices that have been passed from master to disciple across generations.
His breath-work and meditation practices have been studied in peer-reviewed journals including Frontiers in Psychiatry and the Journal of Urology.
What does "the practice of immortality" mean?
In the book, immortality is not about living forever. Ishan Shivanand defines it as a practice, "an art of expanding your relationship with time," so that each moment becomes richer and more fully lived. The title points to discovering an eternal, changeless awareness that exists beyond time itself, rather than extending physical life.
Is The Practice of Immortality a bestseller?
Yes. The Practice of Immortality is a USA Today national bestseller and an Amazon #1 bestseller, and was named to USA Today's Top 100 bestselling titles of 2025. It holds a 4.95 rating on Goodreads and 5.0 ratings across Amazon US, UK, and India, from several thousand reader reviews.
What awards has The Practice of Immortality won?
The Practice of Immortality won the 2026 Nautilus Book Gold Award, which has previously honored the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Brene Brown, and Eckhart Tolle. It has also won the Literary Titan Book Award and The BookFest Gold Award, alongside its USA Today and Amazon bestseller rankings.
Who published The Practice of Immortality?
The Practice of Immortality was published by Penguin Random House and Hachette Book Group in 2025. It launched at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi in August 2025 and was featured at the Sharjah International Book Fair the same year.
How is The Practice of Immortality different from other meditation books?
Unlike most meditation books, which are either purely spiritual or purely scientific, The Practice of Immortality bridges both. Ishan Shivanand combines a monastic lineage of 21 generations of yogis with meditation methods validated in peer-reviewed clinical studies, and frames meditation as a way to reclaim attention in an age of AI and constant digital distraction.
It's a memoir, a spiritual exploration, and a practical guide to living a fulfilled life.
Is The Practice of Immortality a religious book?
The Practice of Immortality is a spiritual exploration rather than a religious text. It draws on an ancient monastic yogic tradition but is written for readers of any faith or background who want better mental health, focus, and wellbeing, presenting meditation and mindset as a practical, evidence-informed tool for modern life.
Where can I buy The Practice of Immortality?
The Practice of Immortality is available in print and audiobook formats through major retailers, including Amazon in the US, UK, India, and Canada. Bulk and institutional orders can also be arranged. Purchase links for all formats are provided on this page.
Is there an audiobook of Ishan Shivanand's The Practice of Immortality?
Yes. The Practice of Immortality is available as an audiobook narrated by the author, Ishan Shivanand, in his own voice. A preview is available through Google Play Books, and the full audiobook can be purchased alongside the print and ebook editions.
What languages is The Practice of Immortality available in?
The Practice of Immortality was originally published in English and is available in six additional languages: Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, and Marathi.
Who should read The Practice of Immortality?
The Practice of Immortality is written for anyone seeking greater focus, calm, and meaning in a fast-paced, digitally saturated world. It suits readers interested in biographical reading, meditation, mindfulness, and mental resilience.
What will I learn from The Practice of Immortality?
Readers are transported into a world which very few experience: a remote monastery without clocks, where time and the seasons are felt through the changes in nature.
Readers learn guided meditation practices for reclaiming attention, steadying the mind, and returning to the present. Drawn from Ishan Shivanand's two decades of monastic training and his clinical research, each chapter ends with a meditation designed to build mental resilience and a richer relationship with everyday moments.
The Practice of Immortality invites readers into the lived experiences that shaped Ishan Shivanand’s understanding of health, happiness, purpose, and the limitless potential of the human spirit.
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