Yoga Nidra Lib/E: The Art of Transformational Sleep

by Kamini Desai

Yoga Nidra is the master key to to initiating shifts in conscious sleep states where change happens outside of doing. In Yoga Nidra you enter a state of non-doing in which transformation happens from beyond the mind rather than through the mind. In this highly regenerative meditative state you can restore and rejuvenate your body, heal and recover from illness and re-wire your brain for greater mental and emotional balance and resiliency. This comprehensive guidebook explores the core of Yogic philosophy and modern applications of Yoga Nidra backed by scientific research - affirming what Yogis have known for thousands of years. You will receive instruction on the practice of Yoga Nidra and the use of intention. You will discover how unconscious thinking patterns and resulting biochemical states contribute to ill health, stress, insomnia, depression, anxiety, bad habits, trauma and addictions and most importantly, how to neutralize them with the Six Tools of Yoga Nidra.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Health, Meditation, Self Help, Psychology, Philosophy

Audio CD

Published February 28, 2019

About the author

Kamini Desai, PhD, is the founder and Director of I AM Education and former Education Director and curriculum developer of one of the premier schools of Yoga Nidra in the West, the Amrit Yoga Institute. Considered an expert in the inner sciences of Yoga Nidra, Relaxation and Artful Living, she is author of the acclaimed book, Life Lessons Love Lessons, and is a frequent guest speaker and teacher at various institutions for higher learning throughout the United States and Europe. Kamini’s corporate clients have included: Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, Sony, Kellogg’s, KEDS, Mars Confectionary, and KPN Telecom in addition to the Netherlands Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Finance. Her guided Yoga Nidra experiences have been used in various United States government facilities. Trained at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Kamini also earned university degrees in Anthropology and Psychology, and is daughter of one of the original masters who brought Yoga to the West. Kamini served as Director of Wellness at Yarrow, an executive retreat center in Michigan, and was on faculty of the Foxhollow Leadership Center, Lenox, Massachusetts. She is one of three Founding Directors of the International University of Yoga and Ayurveda with Vijay K. Jain, MD, and Shekhar Annambhotla, MD. Kamini is a member the Editorial Board of the Light on Ayurveda Journal, associated with the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. In 2012, she was awarded the title of Yogeshwari (a woman of yogic mastery) for her keen ability to bring ancient illumination to the genuine challenges of the human experience. She was featured on the cover of Natural Awakenings (2015) in celebration of National Yoga Month, in Dutch Cosmopolitan, Fit and Healthy Magazine, and has published numerous articles and videos in the United States and Europe. For more information visit: www.kaminidesai.com, www.amrityoga.org.

Reviews

[Reading Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was...all right. I can see some of the critiques here--it spends a lot of time praising things that are sometimes tangential to Yoga Nidra, and insisting that they obviously apply to Yoga Nidra...without actually connecting the dots.

It isn't QUITE as info-mercially as I'd feared, reading reviews? I expected something much more common in the New Age community--the hard sell repeatedly to 'you must buy my stuff' and upselling (like, you know, that Dispenza dude? Maybe compared to him everyone else seems tolerable). I don't think they're quite as bad as some felt--yes, there was an anecdote where a woman found some relief from her scoliosis, as a previous reviewer commented, but the book does not say she woke up with a magically straight spine and comfort and health forever. Just that there was one moment of shift with a physical condition. Do I believe it? MMMMAYBE.

Some of the science they bring IS compelling as to the overall health benefits of meditation, progressive relaxation, and the like. And the connection among the yogic sheaths anatomy is interesting (as a yoga teacher, at least).

Where the book lacks, really, is the how to. It promises but then offers one measly semi-script. After 200 plus pages telling us to get these benefits you have to do this stuff exactly right...it'd be nice to have the exactly right stages a bit more spelled out?

As someone who is used to picking out the silly from the true in yoga and scientific studies, I think that she does present a great deal of stuff with merit. But if you're getting this book to practice Nidra...oof, you're gonna be disappointed!

[Rachel Wrubel · Rating 2 out of 5]

My problem with this book is the mixture of science with pseudoscience and no clear demarcation between the two. Desai writes as if everything is equally factual. I practice Yoga Nidra daily and do think it’s a powerful practice, but not for many of the reasons she states here. It’s a shame. I think more scientific inquiries need to be made into the practice so that it can be used as an additional treatment for mental disorders, but this is not the way.

[Erik Steevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a phenomenal book this is!!! I have read many books about meditation & yoga and this book is fantastic. Yoga Nidra is so well and understandable explained that you cannot stay passive and you want to try it out. It's only at the very end of the book that you can find an explanation of the practice. Anyhow i found an audiobook with 2 practices on it which can make more sense to you to begin with.
It is called: "Yoga Nidra 61 Point Guided Experience by Kamini Desai". I bought in the iTunes store and i can really recommend it!!!
And to end this post i can only say: " It really works"

[Sam L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about how this book was written. So informative, comprehensive, and approachable.

[Delaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough discussion of Yoga Nidra, but would have benefited from tighter editing and higher production values.

[Jennifer Ingley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I became interested in Yoga Nidra as a possible tool to help combat insomnia. But the book is actually a primer for achieving a meditative state which, along with a yoga practice, can bring awareness to the entire person, in body, mind and soul. The author relates many stories and experiences of her father Amrit Desai, during his career as a yoga master. She adds a dimension of scientific method to his teachings, without diluting or taking away the spiritual impact his messages impart. The first part of the book may be considered background to help understand and more fully participate in the actual practice of yoga nidra. As I read in small chapters from time to time, I found that I needed to go back and re-read some things, having gotten distracted from my original aim to find out how to "do" yoga nidra. When I got to the end I had many questions about the actual practice of yoga nidra. I was able to find on YouTube many videos of guided meditation for yoga nidra from Amrit Desai himself and many of his followers and one from Kamini Desai, and they really are transforming.

[J. Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my night table for over a year. I've had every intention of reading it cover to cover but am finding that this just isn't that kind of book. This will continue to stay on my bedside table as reference, a meditation, a practice. It is too much to take in at once. I am instead approaching it like a book of prayers, reading a bit at a time, referring back. This fits hand in glove with my Buddhist practice-- but while the Buddhist teachings focus on training the mind to be calm, this addresses the mind and body and carrying meditation into the dream world. I will be "currently reading" in perpetuity.

[Joe Newell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very large and long book. It is very detailed. I listened to it free from Audible, to learn what I could about Yoga Nidra.

The sheer amount of information about YN is almost overwhelming. And often, the Author just sort of throws it in with regular meditation when citing the results from test and research. And I also think it's fair to say that much of what comprises this book is at the opinion level, rather than the verified researched level. Still, many things in life are hard to quantify. "We can't see the air, but we know it's there"...

Anyway, if you want to learn some things about Yoga Nidra, from an absolute authority, this is a good book for it.

[Susan Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Dr. Desai

Dr. Desai’s passion for her life’s purpose and work shines through from start to finish. As I read the book, I took copious notes and did a 100 days of Yoga Nidra Practice using her app. I am on #70. She has provided answers to questions I have had for over 30 years on my spiritual journey. And she has caused others to pop up! I am very grateful to her for the time, energy, and courage it took to write both this book and her first one, and I plan to sign up for training in 2022.

[Saleem Javaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to bookend all books on being free. After reading it, I knew I had arrived. No more searching, no more looking for light, in the light.

This is not a book. This is a story of awakening to one's best, most vibrant, most glittering version of the Devine. Thence we came from, there we reside forever as immutable Devine entity.

[LivingArtisan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kamini Desai did not write this, the information in it is copied from other yoga nidra books.

In addition, it's mostly a sales pitch for their programs and contains very little 'How-to'.

It also makes unfounded medical claims and presents a false-hope narrative which does nothing for people who need genuine solutions.

This book is an absolute waste of time and money.

[Debdutta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought it was okay. While I was reading it I felt I didn’t need to learn about the whole “yogic” science behind this practice, so I kept waiting for the applied section to come. And then when it came I was underwhelmed by it, as I had already searched up and practised with some great guided Yoga Nidras on YouTube by Rod Stryker and Rolf Sovik

[Ela Manga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply informative, well researched and full of wisdom.

This book is essential for our times, relevant for anyone who is interested in healing at the deepest level. Also helpful for wellbeing practitioners. Beautiful blend of ancient wisdom and modern science.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually take so long to read books but this one needed to be taken slowly and integrated. There are so many highlights in my copy and I will be coming back to this again and again. It has deepened my personal practice and enriched my teaching.

[Allie Jo Arendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prime book in my Yoga library. Enthralling. Will review again and again and again...

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, comprehensive description of the structure, origin, and benefits of the practice.

[Nicole McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! Absolutely loved!! Dr. Desai does an excellent job of explaining how this ancient practice of Yoga Nidra is essential for modern living.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed fine, but overwhelmingly theoretical in approach and I really needed practical exercises at this time.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been an excellent guide to deepening my yoga nidra practice. I'll return to some sections as it's practically a reference book.

[Sonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost didn't finish, but at least at the end, I understood all the reasons for the various parts of a yoga nidra practice.

[Jenn Reck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is detailed in the why but not the how. It was well researched and I appreciated it for what it was.

[Deidra D · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. Probably could have been written as an essay, not a whole book.

[Peri's Yoga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this my go to text book on yoga Nidra and meditation.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an audiobook I listened to during my driving trips in Oct, Nov, and Dec to various modality workshops.
My intention was to learn about the basis of yoga nidra to decide if it was a practice I wanted to learn then include in my self refinement work. This book is an excellent resource from a reputable practioner w ancestral links to the work.

[Sian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I resonated well with the abundance of information it shares. It was insightful, inspiring and gives a clear explanation of the spiritual and scientific side, to create understanding of why and how Yoga Nidra is supportive to our health and wellbeing.

There is a plethora of information within this book. I have already began my journey of Yoga Nidra and I’m looking forward to reaping the benefits.