Puranas mention the churning of the celestial ocean by the devs and asurs to obtain the Divine nectar or amrit. It was agreed that the fruit of churning will be shared by the two sides. Mount Meru became the churning rod and Naag Vasuki offered itself to become the churning rope which was pulled alternately by the devs and asurs. Lord Vishnu in his Kurma avatar provided support to the Meru. As a result of the churning various gems and siddhis came out of the ocean, also came out the venom, Halalal…before obtaining the Amrit. Lord Shiv then drank the vish and held it in his throat, distributing the siddhis and vibhutis to all.

The above mentioned incident, also describes the awakening of the Kundalini shakti in the pranamaya kosha of the human body…through practice of yog and sanatan kriya, under the sanidhya of a Guru, who is the reflection of Adi Guru Shiv, in a physical form. The sushumna becomes the churning rod, the twin nadis of ida and pingala represent the opposing forces of cold and hot, moon and sun that perform the churning. Kundalini that lies coiled at the base of sushumna assumes the role of Naag Vasuki. As the churning happens, immense heat is released, which opens the various blockages in the body and melts the kundalini energy making it rise through the sushumna, granting the being siddhis associated with each center. While the heat unclogs the body and activates the shakti of the kundalini, if generated in an uncontrolled manner in the absence of Guru, its intensity leads to destruction of the body which is unable to bear the heat. A guru assumes the role of neelkanth, taking in the destructive aspects (poison) of the heat of yog, granting the sadhak various siddhis up the ladder of evolution.

Sanatan Kriya details the practice of Nadi Shodhnam, where prana from breath powers the ida and pingala nadis, which together perform the churning to generate immense heat in the body. As this heat spreads to various parts of the body, it opens up the blockages in the path of experience of higher energies, awakens kundalini and opens doorways to supernatural experiences.

For Nadi Shodhnam Pranayam, close your eyes and sit in Vajrasan. Paying reverence to the Guru and to Lord Ganesh, we begin the pranayama. Gently place the thumb of your right hand on the right nostril, the ring finger touches the left nostril, and the middle finger rests on the agya chakra, at the center of the forehead. The left hand may be placed on the left knee.

Shut the left nostril with the ring finger and inhale from the right nostril. Exhale from the left nostril by pressing the thumb against the right nostril and simultaneously releasing the ring finger from the left nostril. Next inhale from the left nostril and exhale from the right using the thumb and index finger. Inhale to the count of four and exhale to the count of eight. This completes one cycle. Repeat this cycle seven times. With every breath, try to make the breath deeper and slower. You may increase the count of cycles gradually as you progress into the practice.

A word of caution. Immense heat is generated in the body with the practice of nadi shodhnam pranayama. The pranayama must be attempted only under the supervision of your guru, and is always followed by the Sanatan kriya. The practice must be done in a well-ventilated and clean environment on an empty stomach. If you are performing the pranayama in a room, open the doors/windows and avoid sitting under the direct blast of the fan/air-conditioner/cooler while performing the pranayama.