In this profound wisdom session, Dylan sits with Dr Krishna Raju to explore how fear consciousness disrupts health, and how prāṇa, pulse awareness, and subtle Ayurvedic sciences restore balance at the deepest level.
Rather than approaching disease as something external to fight, this conversation returns to a core Ayurvedic truth: health and illness arise first in consciousness. Through stories, clinical insights, and lineage-based knowledge, Dr Raju explains how fear weakens prāṇa, how confidence and understanding support healing, and why Ayurveda prioritises early imbalance long before disease manifests.
This episode weaves together classical Ayurvedic philosophy, pulse wisdom, marma science, and lived experience from generations of Vaidyas, offering a rare glimpse into healing that begins within.
ABOUT OUR GUEST: VAIDYA A.V. 'KRISHNA' RAJU
Vaidya Krishna Raju is the Director and Head Physician of The Raju Family clinic in Hyderabad, India, where thousands of patients travel from across the world for expert Ayurvedic care, ranging from preventative health to complex and chronic conditions often considered “incurable.”
Renowned for his refined mastery of pulse diagnosis, Dr Raju brings decades of clinical experience and a deep, practical command of classical Ayurveda. He is a specialist in Pañcakarma (Ayurvedic detoxification and rejuvenation), and is widely respected for his encyclopaedic recall of Ayurvedic knowledge and its precise application in real-world cases. In 2022, he received the Health Conclave Award in recognition of his service in successfully treating countless patients across Telangana during the 2020–2022 COVID pandemic.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
Table of Contents
Fear as a Root Cause of Disease
- Fear is described as one of the most destabilising forces in human health, capable of weakening immunity, digestion, and mental resilience.
- Dr Krishna Raju explains that fear amplifies disease by embedding itself in the mind first, often long before physical symptoms appear.
- When people believe an illness is “big,” incurable, or dangerous, that belief itself can accelerate degeneration.
- Confidence, reassurance, and a felt sense of safety can dramatically shift healing outcomes, sometimes more powerfully than interventions alone.
- Modern health crises were referenced as examples of how collective fear can spread faster than disease itself.
Doshas, Consciousness & the Inner Churning
- Vāta, Pitta, and Kapha are described not only as biological forces, but as expressions of consciousness in motion.
- Vāta governs movement and creativity, Pitta governs transformation, and Kapha governs stability and maintenance.
- Health arises when these forces churn together in balance, similar to the mythic churning of the Ocean of Milk.
- Imbalance is not caused by one doṣa alone, but by the loss of harmony between opposing forces.
- Disease is framed as a process, not a failure, revealing where balance has been lost and consciousness needs to be restored.
Prana as the Foundation of Healing
- Prāṇa is described as life itself, the animating intelligence behind all physiological and psychological function.
- True healing is said to occur when prāṇa is strong, evenly distributed, and unobstructed.
- The body is described as having its own “inner pharmacy,” activated when prāṇa flows correctly.
- Practices such as rest, breath regulation, meditation, and awareness naturally increase prāṇic availability.
- Rather than forcing healing, Ayurveda emphasises restoring conditions in which prāṇa can do the work itself.
Pulse Awareness as a Healing Practice
- Pulse awareness is presented not only as a diagnostic tool, but as a direct method of calming the nervous system.
- Simply feeling one’s own pulse with a settled intention can reduce anxiety, pain, and agitation.
- Awareness placed on the pulse is said to guide prāṇa naturally toward areas that need support.
- Searching for disease while feeling the pulse is discouraged; instead, practitioners are taught to “search for health.”
- Pulse awareness before and after meditation was highlighted as a powerful way to stabilise the mind and body.
Agni, Ama & the Six Stages of Disease
- Strong agni (digestive and metabolic fire) is described as the cornerstone of health.
- When agni is weak, undigested material (ama) accumulates and becomes toxic within the system.
- Dr Krishna Raju outlines the six stages of disease progression, beginning long before symptoms appear.
- Ayurveda’s strength lies in identifying imbalance in the earliest stages, before disease becomes fixed.
- Many chronic conditions are seen as preventable when agni is protected and ama is addressed early.
Marma Therapy and the Power of Touch
- Marma points are described as vital junctions of prāṇa within the body.
- Touch is recognised as the most powerful of the senses, capable of influencing health instantly.
- Marma therapy works by releasing energetic blockages and restoring prāṇic flow.
- Because of its potency, marma knowledge has traditionally been guarded and taught carefully.
- Even gentle awareness or indirect stimulation of marma points can produce profound calming and healing effects.
Sound, Mantra & Subtle Prāṇic Healing
- Sound is described as the most subtle carrier of prāṇa, working directly at the level of vibration.
- Mantra operates not through breath alone, but through resonance within settled awareness.
- Healing sound practices were discussed as particularly effective when the body is deeply at rest.
- Subtle sound therapies were linked to deeper systems, including the endocrine and reproductive systems.
- Intention (saṅkalpa) was emphasised as a key factor in how sound-based healing unfolds.
Seasonal Intelligence & Ritual Reset
- Ayurveda recognises seasonal transitions as critical moments for maintaining health.
- Navarātri and other ritual periods were described as built-in opportunities for physiological and psychological reset.
- During seasonal shifts, agni naturally weakens and requires lighter food, rest, and routine.
- Simple practices such as oil massage, cleansing, fasting, and meditation help re-establish balance.
- Even brief, intentional resets can prevent deeper imbalance from accumulating over the year.
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