Regarding householder mystics . . .
Typical is the housewife Manibhadra, who, having received [special, “whispered” teachings from her guru], meditated while her Hindu husband and the other members of her family were sleeping. Only years later did her tantric [practice] become known, when she became fully-realized and herself became a siddha [i.e., a person of a supremely realized state]. This tradition of the householder yogi became important . . . as many laypeople were able to practice and attain realization in the midst of an ordinary life in the world.
Reginald Ray
from Secret of the Vajra World; The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet
Storms Pass by Elli Sorens