November 2025 | Prana

In yoga it is often said that what is more subtle is more powerful. Pranayama is a more powerful practice than asana. Meditation is more powerful than pranayama. The subtle is, however, more difficult to discuss or explain. Prana is such a subtle concept. We feel prana through our practice, food, interactions with others, through the sun, a gentle breeze, through insight, loving touch.

When we visit a temple or look at a sculpture there are many ways that we are receiving prana in that environment. Fresh flowers, the sound of a bell, mantras chanted, incense, and the collective intention of the devotees all contribute to a heightened experience of energy. However, the murti (devotional image of a deity) is communicating prana as well.

Through a ceremony called Prana Pratishtha, a murti is consecrated with a Hindu temple. Prana, meaning “life force” and Pratishtha meaning “to be established”. Following the Vedic scriptures, mantras are recited and the deity is invited to reside in the murti. The ceremony is thought to infuse life into the temple.

We can see a difference between a beautiful statue residing in a museum and one that is being actively worshipped. The energy is different. That difference itself could be said to be prana. However, prana is often the most important consideration for a sculptor and there are particular ways used by the artists to convey prana in their work. In fact, a vital concept in Indian sculpture is prana or “inner breath”. It is generally conveyed as a subtle outward swelling or pressure of the body of the figure, often the belly swells slightly to show prana. This is very common with Buddhist and Jain sculptures. The figures are smooth and the skin appears soft and other-worldly in appearance. We don’t see muscles or bones. Sometimes the ornamentation or even the depiction of the folds in the fabric are intended to suggest energy radiating outward. Indian arts focused more on suggesting radiating energy and an idealisation of the human form, as in Greek and Roman sculpture. And, of course, mudras and the posture of the sculpture suggest prana and divine nature.

Next time you are in a temple, or a museum, take a close look. The murtis are intended to inspire us and to reflect back to us our own divine potential.

In this issue of Sivananda Yoga Sandesha we look at prana in a different way and how we experience prana symbolically, as part of our devotional experience. We read Swami Sivananda’s words on idol worship, explore the pranic qualities of food, and how to prepare a ‘high prana’ vegetable broth, discover the power of Adi Shakti, and explore the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha. We also focus on practice: advice on how to keep it up and changing our inner voice from “failure” to “not yet”.

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and take time to reflect on your practice. As usual, please feel free to reach out to us with your thoughts and feedback at: [email protected]

Buddha, Ahichchhatra, Uttar Pradesh,
Photo: Kevin Standage

Buddha, 2^nd Century AD,
Photo: Kevin Standage

Indra, Ellora Caves,
Photo: India That Was

Snapshots of Kanya Pooja, held during the ninth day of Navaratri, prepubescent girls are honoured as reincarnations of Durga, and Ayudha Pooja, or ‘worship of tools’ at Neyyar Dam Ashram, where vehicles are also blessed as instruments of our work. Also, a yoga retreat for Kamaraj International School students from Chidambaram at our Gudur Ashram.

For a Bhakta or a sage, there is no such thing as Jada or insentient matter. Everything is Vasudeva or Chaitanya-vasudevah sarvam iti. The devotee beholds actually the Lord in the idol. Narsi Mehta was put to test by a Raja. The Raja said: “O Narsi, if you are a sincere devotee of Lord Krishna, if as you say the idol is Lord Krishna Himself, let this idol move.” According to the prayer of Narsi Mehta, the idol moved. The sacred Bull Nandi before Siva’s idol took the food offered by Tulasidas. The Murti played with Mira Bai. It was full of life and Chaitanya for her.

How sublime is Hindu philosophy and Hindu mode of worship! It does not stop or end with worship of idol alone. The Sadhaka is taken step by step to higher stages of devotion and Samadhi or communion through the worship of the idol. Though he worships the idol, he has to keep before his mental eye the all-pervading Lord. He has to feel His Presence in His heart and all objects. The ways and roles of worship, Puja-Vidhi and the secrets of worship that are described in the Hindu scriptures are scientifically accurate and highly rational. It is only ignorant people who have not studied the scriptures, who have not associated with the devotees and great souls vilify worship of idols or Murtis.

Many English educated persons do not attach any importance to Prasad when they get it from the Mahatma. This is a serious mistake. Prasad is a great purifier. As they are brought up in the Western style of living, they have imbibed the spirit of Westerners and forgotten the spirit of the true children of Indian Rishis of yore. Live for a week in Brindavan or Ayodhya or Benares or Pandarpur. You will realise the glory and the miraculous effects of Prasad. Many incurable diseases are cured. Many sincere devotional aspirants get wonderful spiritual experiences from mere Prasad alone. Prasad is a panacea. Prasad is a spiritual elixir. Prasad is the Grace of the Lord. Prasad is a cure-all and an ideal ‘pick-me-up’. Prasad is an embodiment of Sakti. Prasad is Divinity in manifestation.

Devotees of Lord Krishna should feel that every form is the form of Lord Krishna. They should not change this Bhava or mental attitude, even if a murderer appears before them to kill them. If they are established in this Bhava, the nature of the murderer will be changed, or some other man will kill the murderer. If the Bhava changes, they should cultivate it again and again.

Feel His Presence always. Recognise His presence everywhere. Carry His presence wherever you walk. Remember Him always. Live in Him. You need not read many books. You need not roam about in search of Gurus. You need not stand on your head for 12 years. You need not do Aswini Mudra to open the Kundalini. I have given you the essence of all Sadhanas. It is the gist of all Vedas. Practise it. Believe me. It is very easy. It will surely give you Moksha. I assure you.

Before any scripture was written, before even silence learned to speak, before the pulse of creation came into being, there was Her: Adi Shakti. Not a goddess confined to stone or rituals, but the very breath of existence: Shakti, the first tremor in the void. We often speak of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva as if they stand alone, the Creator, the Preserver, the Destroyer. Yet even the Tridev are incomplete without Her. Brahma may design the cosmos, but without Shakti, creation never takes form. Vishnu may sustain worlds, but without Shakti, life cannot continue. Shiva, pure consciousness, remains motionless and unexpressed until Her energy stirs Him into dance. She is the spark in Shiva’s trident, the balance in Vishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra, the fire in Brahma’s kamandalu. Every divine weapon draws power from Her. Every mantra finds voice through Her.

India has always honoured this truth. We worship Devi as a warrior, a daughter, a wife, a mother. Not just a single archetype, but a spectrum of strength. During Navratri, each night celebrates one of Her forms: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri.

Beyond these, the Ten Mahavidyas and Sixty-Four Yoginis demonstrate how limitless the feminine divine truly is. Yet, in the same society, we sometimes fail to honour the women who embody Her every day. A woman builds her world, holds it together, and rises again after every storm. She is powerful beyond measure but is conditioned to believe she must always rely on fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. Why? To honour Devi is not simply to light lamps or sing hymns. It is to recognize that women are already creators, preservers, and transformers of reality itself.

Adi Shakti is not distant. She is the fire in every comeback, the calm in every healing, and the voice that refuses silence. The cosmos may be vast, but its center has always been Shakti, and She lives within every woman and man. When I once stood before a painting of Devi blessing the Tridev at the Rajarajeshwari Temple in Neyyar Dam Ashram, I understood something deeply: power is not granted to women. It originates from them. May every woman remember: the universe does not move without her. She is not seeking power; she is power.

Do you know that much of our physiology and psychology is deeply impacted by the energy of the foods that we consume?

While we have a huge focus on nutrition in foods, and most people try to align the body’s requirements with nutritional requirements (which is absolutely required), there is a missing piece of the puzzle that is deeply understood in Ayurveda and considered more important than fulfilling nutritional requirements. It’s aligning the diet according to the energy that you feel and experience and choosing foods that bring about opposite energy to get the physiology and psychology in balance.

Energy of Different Tastes and How Tastes Impact Our Health and How We Feel:
According to Ayurveda, each food has a specific taste and carries the energy of a particular type. Each food we consume breaks down into its essence (understood as ‘Rasa’ in Ayurveda) during digestion in the stomach and reveals its energetic properties. Based on the energy generated by the foods we consume, we either bring balance or create imbalances within ourselves. You may be eating foods with great nutrition, but the choice of food may still not be serving you energetically or deeply impacting your consciousness.

The experience of different tastes initiates a series of complex shifts that impact our body-mind unit holistically. Each taste (coming from each food that we consume) creates the following impact in our body and mind:

• Rasa (taste from a single food or a combination of tastes from different foods), the essence of food gets released in the digestive system after the digestion process.
• Each taste impacts the dosha and may aggravate, deplete or bring balance to vata, pitta, kapha dosha, causing the beginning of physical and emotional manifestations of body-mind conditions
• Each taste carries its Virya, or temperature, like cooling or heating, exerting a specific impact on our internal organs
• Once each taste gets digested, Vipaka (or post-digestive effect) influences how the individual cells are nourished and how the elimination of waste matter happens
• Prabhava, or the impact of a particular taste, shows its impact thereafter, which is a deeper aspect of the energy of foods impacting our physiology and psychology. For example, ghee is cooling in nature but has an energetic effect that ignites the digestive fire.
• Gunas get impacted based on the food choices we make. Different tastes stimulate either rajasic, sattvic or tamasic qualities in our mind.
• Each taste is associated with a particular organ or tissue, boosting the emotion associated with each organ. For example, alcohol energy adversely impacts the liver and an imbalanced liver leads to anger and rage in a person.
  Six Tastes in Ayurveda and Their Energetics:

Sweet Taste (Madhura) – Sweet taste is known for its deeply nourishing, moistening and strengthening properties. Warming and awakening, its effects on our physiology include nourishing the body tissues, building strength and immunity, and providing energy. At the psychological level, sweet taste promotes a sense of comfort, satisfaction and love.

Foods with natural sweet taste include grains, figs, pumpkin, peaches, carrots, pears, bananas, apples, mangoes, dairy products, berries, ghee, honey and jaggery. While sweet taste helps lower the impact of vata and pitta dosha, the excess of sweet taste may lead to Kapha dosha (the imbalance caused by excess in the body). In excess, it may cause congestion, weight gain, fat build-up, fatigue, cold, cough, loss of appetite, laziness and heaviness.

Sour Taste (Amla) – Sour taste is known for its hot, light, and moist nature. This taste stimulates the tissues and digestive processes. Its effects on our physiology include increasing salivation, improving appetite, enhancing the secretion of digestive juices and aiding absorption of nutrients. It also contains antispasmodic and antiflatulent properties. At the psychological level, sweet taste energises and sharpens the mind, but if imbalanced, it may cause irritability.

Foods with natural sour taste include citrus fruits like lemons and oranges, tomatoes, vinegar, fermented foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut and pickles, cheese, fruits like kiwi, unripe mango and green grapes. While a sour taste helps reduce the impact of vata dosha, excess sourness may lead to pitta and kapha imbalance. In excess it may cause heartburn, acidity, skin conditions, inflammation, indigestion and burning sensations.

Salty Taste (Lavana) – Sour taste is known for its heavy, heating, softening and moistening nature. Its effects on our physiology include maintaining electrolyte balance, enhancing the taste of food, lubricating tissues, supporting digestion, aiding mineral absorption, alkalizing blood pH, retaining water in tissues, and softening tissues and lubricating joints. At the psychological level, salt taste is grounding as it anchors restless Vata energy. Salt taste also acts as a laxative and supports the elimination of waste.

Foods with natural sweet taste include rock salt, sea salt, seaweed, tamari, table salt, and sesame salt. While a salty taste helps reduce the impact of vata dosha, excess salty taste may increase pitta and kapha dosha. In excess, it may cause water retention, high blood pressure, inflammation, blood thickening, narrowing of blood vessels, wrinkles, hair loss, ulcers, and hyperacidity.

Pungent Taste (Katu) – Pungent taste is known for its heating, light, drying and stimulating properties. Its effects on our physiology include improved digestion and metabolism, reduced nasal congestion, improved circulation, enhanced detoxification, and the clearing of stagnation. At the psychological level, pungent taste energises the body and mind, and, in an imbalanced state, it can lead to anger, violence, aggression, and irritability.

Foods with a natural pungent taste include spices such as ginger, black pepper, chillies, radishes, onions, garlic, and mustard seeds. While pungent taste helps lower the impact of decreasing kapha dosha, the excess of pungent foods increases pitta and vata dosha imbalance. In excess, it may cause irritation, inflammation, excessive thirst, a dry state of tissues, depleted reproductive fluids, and restlessness.

Bitter (Tikta) – Bitter taste is known for its detoxifying, cooling and clarifying properties. At the physiological level, it helps reduce inflammation, cleanses the body of toxins, helps balance blood sugar levels, improves the secretion of digestive juices, helps cleanse the liver, relieves gas, and scrapes fat and toxins. At the psychological level, bitter taste sharpens the mind, but too much bitter food can make a person boring as it promotes detachment from temptation.

Foods with a natural bitter taste include leafy greens like kale, herbs like neem, aloe, and turmeric, coffee, dark chocolate, dandelion root and leaves, fenugreek, and bitter melon. While bitter taste helps lower the impact of reducing pitta and kapha dosha, the excess of bitter taste may lead to increased vata dosha imbalance. In excess, it may cause depletion and dryness, roughness, weight loss and anxiety.

Astringent Taste (Kashaya) – Astringent taste is known for its cooling and drying properties. Its effects on our physiology include absorbing excess moisture from the body, tightening tissues, aiding wound healing, improving skin health, reducing inflammation, and decongesting. At the psychological level, astringent taste promotes feelings of grounding.

Foods with natural astringent taste include lentils, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cranberries, pomegranates, bananas, chickpeas, okra, turmeric, lotus seed, alfalfa sprouts and most raw vegetables. While astringent taste helps lower the impact of pitta and kapha dosha, the excess of astringent taste may lead to an increase in vata dosha imbalance. In excess, it may cause dryness, constipation, stagnation in blood circulation, insomnia, anxiety and nervousness.

Failure. It’s a word we all know too well, and one we try our best to avoid. Whether it’s the sting of a bad grade, the frustration of career setbacks, or personal goals that remain just out of reach, failure has a way of making us feel small, like we’ve reached the end of something. But what if we could change how we look at failure? What if, instead of seeing it as a permanent verdict, we saw it as part of the process—a step toward success that just hasn’t come yet?

This shift in perspective is something I’ve recently learned to embrace, and I’ll admit, it’s been a game changer.
As someone who practices yoga, I’ve spent years trying to perfect every pose, often more focused on the outcome than the process. Like many of us, I wanted the picture-perfect version of success: the flawless headstand, the flawless flow, the kind of image that gets shared on Instagram. But through my practice, I realised something important: the real value isn’t in the perfect pose. It’s in the messy, frustrating journey—the moments when you fall short and get back up. It’s in the “not yet” that true growth happens.

A few years ago, I started trying to master the headstand. At first, I used a wall for support, just to feel safe. It was a crutch, but one that made me feel secure. Even after finishing my Teacher Training Course (TTC), I couldn’t bring myself to try it without the wall. I didn’t trust my body enough, and I didn’t believe in my own strength. There was always a mental block.

But then, in June 2024, something shifted. I realised that if I truly wanted to progress, I couldn’t keep relying on external support. I needed to trust myself. The process would be harder, but I was ready.

The truth? It wasn’t easy. I fell. A lot. I mean, more times than I care to admit. One time, I lost my balance so badly I twisted my foot, and I spent days limping around, nursing the pain. The frustration was real. I asked myself: “Why am I doing this? What’s the point?” And, for a while, I stopped trying. I skipped my headstand practice. I was exhausted and discouraged.

But then, one afternoon, something happened that completely changed my perspective. I was at the ashram, playing with a little child, when I found myself flipping through her storybook. I came across the story of King Bruce and the Spider. Though I didn’t remember every detail, the core of the story stayed with me: after losing several battles, the king retreats into the jungle, defeated. In a moment of despair, he watches a spider try—and fail—six times to build its web. But on the seventh try, the spider succeeds. The king, inspired by the spider’s persistence, finds new strength and returns to fight his battle. And, this time, he wins.

That story hit me harder than I expected. I realized that I, too, was like the spider. I had fallen. I had failed. But I wasn’t done yet. I wasn’t finished with my journey.

With that new understanding, I returned to my practice. I began to tell myself, “I CAN.” And, just a few days later, I managed to do a headstand—on my own, without the wall or anyone’s help. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt like a huge victory, not just in my body, but in my mind.

That small win reminded me of something vital: failure isn’t the end of the story. It’s just part of it. It’s the part where we learn, where we grow, where we get better. It’s in the failures, the setbacks, the moments of doubt, where we find our true strength.
Since then, I’ve made it a point to tell my students, “If you say, ‘I can’t,’ replace it with ‘I CAN—I just haven’t done it yet.’” It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly powerful. I’ve seen people go from doubting their abilities to achieving things they once thought impossible, just by shifting their mindset. There’s something incredibly liberating about knowing that failure isn’t permanent—that success is simply a matter of persistence.

This isn’t just about yoga, of course. It’s about life. Next time you find yourself facing a challenge—whether it’s a project at work, a personal goal, or something you’ve been struggling with—try telling yourself, “I CAN. I JUST HAVEN’T DONE IT YET.” Speak to yourself like you would to a friend. Be patient. Be encouraging. And most of all, keep going. The journey is where the magic happens.
Here’s a little mantra I now live by: NGU—Never Give Up. It might sound a bit cheesy, but it’s the truth. If you keep showing up, if you stay consistent, if you keep pushing, eventually you’ll succeed. The road might be long, and it might be filled with falls and failures, but success is always within reach.

After all, it’s not about avoiding failure—it’s about finding the courage to get back up, every single time.
-Apoorva
TTC Graduate

Why is it so hard to find a clear reason when it comes to the mind?

In this podcast TTC Graduate Swanand Kelkar talks about his experience, being the child of someone living with a mental illness and how his understanding of mental health has shifted over the years. From searching for neat explanations to recognising that sometimes, there isn’t a simple “why.” It’s a conversation about letting go of the need to make everything make sense, and finding peace — and even strength — in that uncertainty. Because sometimes, curiosity isn’t about answers. It’s about learning to sit with the questions.