Eventually, the Goddess Yoga Nidra (Devi) left from the eyes of Vishnu upon being extolled by Brahma. Vishnu woke up from the deep meditative slumber to the chants sung by Brahma.

Hint: Yes, you read it right. Yoga Nidra is the name of a Goddess in the text called Devi Mahatmayam (a part of Markandeya Purana). It is not just a practice of relaxation but a way to awaken to the Goddess within. She blesses us with her auspicious glance and vision when we stay awake and aware (takes a lot of practice, however it is doable) during deep sleep.

Well, let’s begin again with “Once upon a time…”! It is the right way to begin a story. Once upon a time, long back enough to say—when time was timeless and space was not defined by directions and degrees. Vishnu, the Divinity that sustains and preserves all, was sleeping upon a thousand-hooded snake called Shesha. The body of the serpent held Vishnu effortlessly over the waves of the cosmic ocean.

Hint: Shesha means “that which remains when all is taken away.” Here, it symbolizes the cosmic Kundalini force (one of the meanings of Kundalini is “that which is coiled like the serpent”) in repose, a time before time and space. Also known as Adishesha, the primordial force of creation or Ananta, the endless one.

Bramha, the Divinity of creation was resting peacefully upon the lotus rising from the navel of Vishnu, contemplating the creation of the cosmos.

Hint: The navel is the first seat of prana from which the we receive nourishment/prana from the mother’s womb. It is the seat of Brahma, the fire force in the body.

The two demons born out of Vishnu ears, one named Madhu and the other, Kaitabha, started to charge toward Brahma. Singing the famous verses known as Ratri Suktam, Brahma extolled and requests the Goddess known as Yoga Nidra to leave Vishnu’s eyes so that he can save Brahma from Madhu and Kaitabha.

Vishnu woke when the Goddess Yoga Nidra/tamas left his eyes. Having fought the battle with Madhu and Kaitabha, eventually winning over the demons, he praised the Goddess to awaken the shakti within him.

This and so much more is to the practice, origin, and philosophy of Yoga Nidra. It is not merely guided relaxation, rest, or the name of a technique. Keep studying, stay curious. The study of Yoga is a vast ocean, dive deep to rise with a pearl of realization.

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