Life Lessons Love Lessons: A Guru's Daughter Discovers Knowledge Is Only Half the Journey

by Kamini Desai

One would think a beautiful young woman, daughter to a world renowned yoga master, would have all the wisdom she needs. But instead, she believes she can find what she is looking for in love and romance. This is the wise, profoundly authentic, and uplifting story of her journey through major romantic relationships that finally lead her back to her roots-and eventually to the seed of the truest relationship-with herself. Artfully weaving in the wisdom of her youth with real-life understanding, this book maps the pitfalls and pinnacles of external love as a gateway to internal fulfillment. "Riveting and elevating story and teachings...sheds light on being in a relationship without losing oneself." Barbara Billstrand, Therapist "In her book, Life Lessons, Love Lessons, Kamini Desai shows how difficult lessons of personal relationships can inspire us to grow past limited concepts of ourselves and others. Every step we take in this regard helps free us to discover a deeper level of our own Being." Michael A. Singer, author of The Untethered Soul "This book is about the empowerment that happens when one finds real happiness begins within one's own heart, mind, and soul...returns the seeker to the source of love-oneself. empowering for women of all ages." Rajashree Choudhury, Bikram Yoga Over the past twenty years Kamini Desai, Ph.D. has created an exciting and versatile body of teachings which uniquely combines western psychology and eastern philosophy into practical knowledge relevant to the challenges of modern life. For additional information on training and resources visit: www.kaminidesai.com.

230 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2010

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

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...Artfully weaving in the wisdom of her youth with real-life understanding, this book maps the pitfalls and pinnacles of external love as a gateway to internal fulfillment..." I really enjoyed this book and found it quite relevant. I love how she draws parallels between "working your edge" in a yoga pose and "working your edge" in a relationship. On page 79 she states, "...A primary purpose of a yoga pose is learning to stay relaxed and open amidst the mental and emotional stress that results from trying to achieve or measure up to the pose. We do not necessarily become more skilled at the poses, but more skilled at maintaining internal steadiness amidst the pressures the pose exerts..." she goes on to say, "In relationships, we are put in a psychic pose. Like the physical pose, we are learning to stay relaxed and open, but now in the midst of daily situations that would normally cause us to react and close down our heart to the experience....If we are working beyond our edge in a yoga pose, we back off to a place where the intensity is manageable - a place where we can maintain steadiness of mind without going into tolerance or force. In the same way, if we find ourselves over our edge in life's psychic pose, we need to find ways to come back into a zone where the challenge is still present, but we can still manage to work with it skillfully..." This is a GOOD book. Very helpful to me personally.

[Halle]

reading it a second time. Lots of nuggets of wisdom in this read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally get it....

Finally. After spending literally had my life searching for happiness and believing it had to be in being married to someone else, I have just recently discovered that wasn’t true. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time, reading and researching books, looking for a way to understand what I have discovered, but still not finding anything that could help me comprehend what was in my head. Having trouble sleeping for many years, I started looking into yoga nidra and I bought her book “Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep”. I then looked at her other books and decided to read this. Reading through her relationship experiences, it was like reading about my own past. Her second relationship was exactly like my last marriage. Her explanation of “yin and yang” completely opened my eyes and offered me several, huge “aha” moments. A lot of other books might do this as well, but she goes on to explain what she got from all of the things she learned about herself AND how she incorporated it into her life. Finally. After years of struggling on my part...just, finally.

[Steph Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kamini's lessons on life, love, and relationships from the viewpoint of choosing to love yourself and be true to who you are first and foremost truly resonated with me. It feels like my life choices have had similar experiences. Understanding some of her life lessons will help me prepare for my Yoga Nidra training from her.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh...let me tell you about some of my boyfriends and how I have to love myself first. Or something. Yawn. If her father wasn’t so well-known, not sure it would have even been published. An extra star for trying.

[Alicia Valentyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kamini was my Yoga and Yoga Nidra teacher trainer. Magical and beautifully written Story.

[Sandy Shaposky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kamini was my teacher for Yoga Nidra training so I got to know her on a personal level. I really appreciated the honesty with which she shared her story. It couldn't have always been easy. But it's quite a story and she is a very talented teacher.

[Peri's Yoga · Rating 5 out of 5]

You get the inside scoop of Kamini's life growing up as the little princess of a famous yoga guru in the U.S. A wonderful open book of her love life and her road to becoming 'herself'.