Stories are not merely stories.

Packed inside an entertaining tale is both a direct message and an indirect one that requires reflection, self-inquiry, and churning. Here is one such legend from long, long, long ago known as amrita manthana (the churning of the nectar of the ocean) from the Ramayana:

In the quest for immortality, everlasting bliss, and freedom from old age, suffering, and disease, both the demons (daityas, sons of Diti) and gods (devas, sons of Aditi) started the churning of the milky ocean—the kshirsagar. (*Diti and Aditi were two sisters. Diti means the limited one and Aditi means the boundless one.) Using Vasuki (Shiva’s divine serpent—the treasure keeper) as the churning rope and Mt. Mandara as the churning rod, the arduous process of the churning of the milky ocean began with enthusiasm on both sides and continued for thousands of years. The daityas on one side and devas on the other all sought for SOMA — the divine nectar, the cosmic plasma, the nectar of immortality and eternal bliss. After several thousands of years, the amrit-manthana—the churning, milky ocean—gave birth to the most poisonous poison—one that could wipe away all of creation—the Halāhala (हलाहल) To prevent mass dissolution, the gods sought help from Shiva, prayed unto him, begged him, and requested him to consume the Halāhala as the first gift offering from the ocean. Once Shiva drank the poison and held it in this throat (Shiva is also known as Neelakantha—the one with the blue throat of poison) the churning continued and the ocean produced many treasures and invaluable gifts, like the precious stones, the celestial seven-headed flying horse, the physician of the Gods/the deity of Ayurveda, Dhanwantari, the magical jewel, Kaushtabha, and finally, the amrita pot: SOMA.

The demons and devas fought to obtain agency over the precious nectar, Soma. With the intention to prevent the demons from becoming imperishable and immortal, Vishnu, disguised as Mohini (a beautiful enchantress), took on the role of distributing the SOMA and skillfully only fed it to the devas/gods…

The story, of course, continues, but our point of the story ends here. Let us decode what happened and why, as a sincere Yoga practitioner should know about it:

• The desire for immortality and freedom from suffering, death, etc. at some point rises in each one of us and there begins the real churning—the search for the ultimate elixir. Not to be sought anywhere outside, but in the ocean of the own heart (the kshirsagar).
• The churning must be done to release the elixir of consciousness and realization— the SOMA. Both forces of good and bad, right and left, heat and cold, ida (lunar) and pingala (solar), must come together in union for this manthana.
• This duality of polar opposites ida and pingala symbolizes devas and daityas. The divine serpent rope Vasuki (the treasure keeper, the treasures being the 7 centers of consciousness held alongside the central axis) is the kundalini shakti moving with the force of prana through duality.
• Mt. Mandara is nothing but the central rod, the spine. It is this subtle level of churning, the serpentlike kundalini (the coiled one) using the opposing movement— anuloma viloma, with the prana by the opposing pulls: ida and pingala, around the spine (the midline, the sushumna) that first leads to the birthing and awareness of all negative impulses, mental-emotional toxins, vasanas, samskaras—which is the ultimate Halahal.
• Detoxes are not easy, not pleasant—they require courage and discernment. Without the release of toxins there is no amrita, no freedom, no liberation. We must offer it to fire of insight, discernment, and consciousness—the Shiva within us. This churning then continues to offer gifts like:
• birthing of many jewels of deeper insight: Kaustubha कौस्तुभ
• realization of the responsibility of everyday Self-Care, healing, and health: Dhanvantari धन्वन्तरि
• the divine force of dharma (the celestial horse: Uccaiḥśrava उच्चैःश्रवा
• ultimately SOMA सोम—the state of Yoga, the ultimate bliss, the ultimate discernment of what is real, eternal and imperishable—the Soul versus unreal, temporary, and destructible—the body, mind and breath.

The whole practice of Anuloma Viloma is this conscious churning of the ocean of consciousness within. Are you extracting SOMA? Are you taking responsibility for everyday care? Are you living Ayurveda? Are you riding the horse of Dharma? Are you holding on to the crest jewel of insight? Are you carefully holding the Halahala (poison of giving in to the impulses) and not letting it poison the mind, emotions and breath?

SOMA is not unattainable, it is, in fact, accessible to each sincere seeker of peace. To this eternal quest of health, peace, and bliss I offer my book, SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care. It is available now for pre-order. Do not miss your claim of SOMA and live your life with these 100 promises of insight, self-care, and bliss.