How Yoga Works
The Hindu myth of The Churning of the Ocean of Milk (Samudra Manthan) was written in the Vishnu Purana, a text rooted in ancient teachings from the first millennium BCE. It tells the story of working with demons and metabolizing poison in a yogic story that goes something like this.
Once upon a time, the gods, known as devas, were cursed by a great Sage and lost their strength. So, the demons, called asuras, took control of the universe. The devas sought help from Lord Vishnu who advised them to churn the Ocean of Milk, in order to bring a hidden Amrita, a nectar of immortality, up from its opaque depths.
To retrieve this nectar, the weakened devas had to agree to team up with strong asuras and work together. They used a mountain as a churning rod and the giant serpent Vasuki as a rope. The gods grabbed his tail while the demons caught his head, and together they began to churn.
If you’ve ever churned ordinary milk into butter you know the transformation process is not easy. So this mythic process is big; it’s laborious and tumultuous. But it begins to produce treasures including jewels, and even the beautiful goddess of abundance Lakshmi. The devas and asuras churn back and forth for 1000 years, and as they progress, with each churn the ocean begins to release not just gifts but also plenty of undesirable substances, including fearsome beings and poisonous fumes.
The poison, known as Halahala, was so potent that it threatened to engulf the entire universe. In a moment of desperation, the devas called to Lord Shiva, the supreme deity. In a display of bravery, he consumed the poison to save the world, holding it in his throat, which turned blue—hence his name, Neelkanth. This act of sacrifice saved the cosmos. The devas went on to finally obtain the Amrita, and a lesson was learned - even the most chaotic forces can contribute to a greater good.
The myth teaches the journey of yoga. The ocean symbolizes the mind, filled with desires and distractions.The asuras are our egoic desires, greed, anger, and ignorance. In yoga, confronting and overcoming these inner demons is essential for personal transformation.
The poison, of couse, is a metaphor for the negativity and toxic emotions that arise during the very difficult process of self-examination and growth. In the story, Lord Shiva (higher consciousness) consumes the poison, symbolizing the need to confront and integrate our fears and negative experiences rather than avoiding them. This act of facing one’s inner poison is crucial and expected. The themes of demons and poison in this myth highlight the importance of accepting the darker aspects of ourselves, working with them to achieve wholeness and Unity.
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