The Ravana Inside
- Sep 30, 2025
- 3 min read
Downing the grace of the earth generous, I bow in gratitude
At each thud of the feet.
I besought Her consent to dance.
A grand dance of my own dissolution and its journey.
So, my breath waltzes with the heartbeat
And Grace tenderly robs me off gravity.
Hey Shambho! I dance with ache too, in glee
In the womb of the only dancer known to me.
The Ramayana is not just a story of Gods, kingdoms and battles. It is a map of the entire human nervous system. Rama- the witness consciousness represents clarity and Dharma. Sita- the soul force and Shakti represents the essence of innocence and creation. Lakshmana stands for unwavering love, faith and loyalty. Hanuman- the somatic bridge is the breath- body devotion that connects the fragmented self back to wholeness. And what about Ravana- the demon king? He is symbolic of unchecked ego, desire, pride and the fragmentation of the self. His essence lies within the folds of our psyche and the knots of our fascia. We all celebrate Dussera. We all burn the effigy of Ravana. It is a part of our culture and tradition. But what about the Ravana inside us all? To cleanse and burn him inside us does not mean the annihilation of desire, anger or ego. It means a transmutation of these qualities that prevent us from living in the present. When our fragmented parts bow down to the whole self, Lanka becomes Ayodhya and the war inside can find peace.
The ten heads of Ravana are our own fractured inner voices that leave our nervous systems scattered, restless and exhausted. Each head is a nervous system pattern, a somatic knot that pulls us away from stillness. They are-
Lust- A dopamine driven craving. A restless seeking of external highs.
Anger- Clenched jaws and teeth. Tight fists. Heat in the liver.
Greed- Insatiability. The belly that never feels enough.
Pride- Stiff chest and spine. The refusal to bend.
Envy- Restless eyes. Tight solar plexus. Hard stare.
Delusion- Racing thoughts. Disassociation from the body.
Fear- Shallow breath. Collapsed posture.
Attachment- Shoulders lifted upto ears. Unwillingness to let go.
Ego- Armoured chest. Resistance to vulnerability.
Shame- The head that hides. Unable to see eye to eye.
Together these ten voices form our inner Lanka. A fortified nervous system always bracing against life. When hijacked by trauma, the Rama within must cross the ocean of the nervous system to reclaim Sita- our inner force that was abducted by unprocessed pain- Ravana.
To cleanse the Ravana inside us some of these Somatic exercises can be done-
Naming the emotions- This anger in my jaw. This pride in my chest. This fear in my gut. Naming disarms the fragmentation.
Bend the spine or practice of the yogic posture of forward bending- Humility dissolves pride. Somatically bowing forward with gentle prostrations tells the body it’s safe to soften.
Ground the Fire- Placing hands on the belly and right side underneath the ribs. Deep breathing. Box Breathing.
Unfreeze – Close your eyes and check what part of the body does not wish to move. Allow the freeze survival response to take over. And watch the exit as calmly as the takeover. Don’t resist.
In Ramayana, Ravana is not defeated by brute strength but by precision, clarity and righteousness. When we see clearly- this anger is not mine, this pride is not my truth, this craving is just a repetitive pattern, this fear is false... the ten heads begin to fall off. Awareness cuts through the tangles that bind our minds and bodies.
Cleansing the Ravana inside us is to let the epic play- not in books or movies, but in the living landscape of our human chassis. To let the survival responses burn away until what is left has changed into something that is alive and vibrant. The epic Ramayana is not a distant concept. Everyone of its characters are living entities in our bodies. So, what are we choosing for ourselves? Are we choosing to be mere spectators, watching the body of Ravana burn this Dussera or are we embracing the participation of the burning and dissolution of the Ravana living inside us?
