05/09/2026
Sharing to honour Nirlipta Tuli - I didn’t get chance to learn from him directly but his nidra work has informed my own nidras greatly and I often have shared my go to sleep nidra. His yantra art also adorns my living room wall, much to the chagrin of Gaz who spent ages a couple of years ago trying to get them aligned. So I share these words from Norman Blair by way of thanks to a teacher I never got to meet, but has helped me greatly both as a teacher and an occasional (formerly chronic) insomniac.
On Monday 27 July, I went to the funeral and celebration of Nirlipta Tuli. He died on 18 July after having been unwell for many years.
Nirlipta was an amazing man. A highly talented teacher who (alongside his wife and teaching partner, Uma Dinsmore-Tuli) influenced, informed and inspired countless people over the years. His speciality was Yoga Nidra. He was also a visionary artist (painting many beautiful yantras), a family man (he and Uma were together for more than 30 years and they have three children) and a brave human being.
Nirlipta and Uma definitely walked the talk. They challenged abusive teachers (at times at considerable personal and financial cost to themselves). They were not afraid to put their heads above the parapet. They spoke out against the genocide in Gaza. They spoke up for human rights and human dignity against the forces of power (corporations, patriarchy, capitalism). Uma continues to speak up and challenge power.
Teachers are people with a particular position of responsibility. Some teachers fail to connect the dots. Some teachers look down rather than up (such as blaming migrants instead of billionaires). Some teachers disappear into rabbit holes. This was definitely not true for Nirlipta (nor Uma). Nirlipta had a courageous heart. He was grounded, insightful, kind. A wonderful example to all of us.
Many are the ways we perceive death. For Nirlipta, it was a returning to the source. For novelist Terry Pratchett, “just think of it as leaving early to avoid the rush”. For me, death is the clarion call for us to wake up. Life being short and death being certain (ignoring the nonsense spouted by some tech overlords).
What are we going to do with this precious existence? Keep quiet and hope for the best and prioritise income stream? Or be inspired by someone like Nirlipta? Speaking up. Being active. Clearly seeing. Engaging as fully as is possible in this life. Knowing that the con is capitalism. Knowing that democracy is controlled and restricted. Knowing that there is much more to life than crumbs from the tables of the wealthy elite. Knowing that tolerance, kindness and decency are more powerful forces than toxic divisions. Knowing that awareness, community and practice are pathways towards liberation. Knowing that nothing exists independently and that everything connects.
A fund has been set up to support his family – for more details, email [email protected]
At the celebrations and inspired by Uma’s words, I wrote this poem.
I am a sea of knowledge;
A bend in the river;
A sparkle in a child’e eye;
The bark on a tree.
I am microbes in the soil,
A green leafy vegetable,
Stardust and sunshine,
Moonshine and mountains.
I am everything and nothing.
