Video details
Yogis are always alert
The ordinary mind oscillates between states of distraction and unconsciousness. In waking, one is physically present but mentally absent, with thoughts scattered far away. One is here, yet not truly here. Even in sleep, the inner world remains active with dreams and unresolved work. There is waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The yogi transcends these ordinary states. Yoga Nidrā is not unconscious sleep but a state of profound, alert rest. Like a horse sleeping while standing on one leg, the yogi rests the body while consciousness remains fully awake and aware within. This is the fourth state, a balance of deep rest and total awareness, where one is asleep to the world yet awake to the true Self.
"In that, for it is said, yoga sādhanā... How the yogīs, so yogī is not sleeping, and if they are sleeping, but they are awakened."
"Know that yoga is the balance between sleep and wakefulness."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
