Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science: Dr. Ishan Shivanand on Meditation, Mental Health & Integrative Healing (Ep. 17)

Can ancient meditation practices reduce anxiety, insomnia, and depression — and can science prove it? In this episode of The Beyond Impact Podcast, Colin Egglesfield sits down with Dr. Ishan Shivanand, globally acclaimed mental health researcher, professor, bestselling author, and founder of Yoga of Immortals. Raised in an Indian ashram and trained in one of the oldest yogic lineages, Dr. Ishan bridges ancient Eastern wisdom with modern clinical research. During the COVID era, his team expanded a planned small-scale study into a 10,000-participant trial that demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and insomnia within just 4–8 weeks of consistent practice. In this conversation, Colin and Dr. Ishan explore the science behind breathwork, mantra-based meditation, visualization techniques, and why stress itself isn’t the enemy — but our relationship to it may be. They also discuss the role of faith in mental health, the difference between institutional religion and spiritual practice, and why the future of medicine may lie in integrative healthcare that combines pharmaceutical care with meditation-based resilience training. Dr. Ishan even guides Colin through a live meditation practice that listeners can follow. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • How ancient yogic techniques are being validated through clinical trials • Why mindfulness alone may not work for trauma or PTSD • The incremental process of mastering breath, thoughts, and emotions • How meditation changes your relationship to stress • The connection between faith, community, and mental health • Why meditation is a survival skill — not a hobby Learn more about Dr. Ishan Shivanand: Book: The Practice of Immortality Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishan.shivanand/ Follow Colin Egglesfield: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinegglesfield Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondimpact.mastery Website: https://colinegglesfield.com