Table Of ContentYOGA NIDRA
THE ART OF TRANSFORMATIONAL SLEEP
Restore your health, reshape your life
and change your destiny.
by Kamini desai, Phd
inspired by the Teachings of Yogi amrit desai
© 2017, Kamini Desai, PhD, All Rights Reserved ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
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recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission of the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect
to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has
been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for
damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
First Lotus Press Edition 2017
ISBN: 978-1-6086-9213-2
Library of Congress Number: 2016441639
Published by:
P.O. Box 325
Twin Lakes, WI 53181 USA
800-824-6396 (toll free order phone) 262-889-8561 (office phone) 262-889-
2461 (office fax) www.lotuspress.com (website)
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Yoga Nidra: The Art of Non-Doing
SECTION ONE: Understanding The Ancient Secrets of Yoga Nidra
Chapter One
Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep
Chapter Two
Yoga Nidra: The Secret Door to Freedom
The First Tool of Yoga Nidra: Realization
Chapter Three
The Descent Into Identification
Chapter Four
Yoga Nidra and Brainwaves
Understanding the Sleep that Awakens Your True Nature
Chapter Five
Koshas: Mapping Embodiment from Formless to Form
Chapter Six
The Second Tool of Yoga Nidra: Integration
Chapter Seven
The Structure of a Yoga Nidra
Chapter Eight
Karma
Chapter Nine
Creating the Space to See
The Third Tool of Yoga Nidra: Dis-identification
Chapter Ten
Rewriting Samskaras
The Fourth Tool of Yoga Nidra: Intention
Chapter Eleven
Using Your Intention in Daily Life
SECTION TWO: Applying The Ancient Secrets of Yoga Nidra
Chapter Twelve
The Fifth Tool of Yoga Nidra: Relaxation
Chapter Thirteen
The Sixth Tool of Yoga Nidra: Restoration
What is Yoga Nidra Doing for Me?
Chapter Fourteen
Effects of Yoga Nidra and Other Meditation Techniques
Chapter Fifteen
Yoga Nidra for Health
Chapter Sixteen
Yoga Nidra for Depression and Anxiety
Chapter Seventeen
Yoga Nidra for Insomnia and Sleep Deprivation
Chapter Eighteen
Yoga Nidra for Habits and Addictions
Chapter Nineteen
Yoga Nidra for Trauma and PTSD
SECTION THREE: Practicing The Ancient Secrets of Yoga Nidra
Chapter Twenty
How to Practice Yoga Nidra
About the Author
This book is dedicated to my beloved father and mother, whose love I have
come to cherish deeply… my deepest gratitude for all I have learned from you
both.
Your teachings have contributed to the lives of thousands of people the world
over… and live on through this book.
It is my hope to make such a contribution to humanity.
Acknowledgements
I am amazed by the groundswell of support I received that has allowed this book
to come to fruition. Thank you, first and foremost, to SuzAnn Gunter for your
meticulous, loyal and unwavering support to get this book edited and ready for
print. To Lynn Matthews, an outstanding teacher in her own right, who
dedicated her valuable time to helping edit this book just because she believes in
the value of this method and its healing potential. To Diane and Fred Covan
who, out of appreciation for the work, volunteered to help make the book great.
To Eric Walrabenstein for your friendship and the keen insights that helped hone
these teachings. To the Amrit Yoga Institute and all the teaching staff who carry
the essence and teachings of the Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra so beautifully. To
my assistant Hamsa, who takes care of me in so many ways.
Finally, to my husband Skuli and my new family, my team, who have brought
me more joy and fulfillment than I could ever have imagined.
Foreword
The year was 1972. It was near the beginning of my career as a clinical
psychologist and I was working at a hospital-based clinic. The patient was
thirteen years old and pregnant for the second time while her maternal
grandmother raised her two year-old child. Her mother was a heroin addict; she
did not know her own father. She was depressed, anxious and the only thing she
looked forward to was the birth of this child. I believed my job was to get her to
stop having babies while still a child herself. But she wanted this baby so
somebody would love her and it would make her important. She had insight. She
knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. This was the first time I
clearly saw the limits of psychological insight. Mere insight would not change
this girl’s lifestyle. Nor has it been enough for thousands of patients who have
followed.
Last year, in a social setting, I met a 45-year-old Iraq War veteran. He said he
was suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD). He reported that he was being treated as an outpatient at a VA
Hospital and was taking fifteen different, powerful psychiatric medications to
control his numerous symptoms. He was also receiving counseling. I
subsequently learned that he committed suicide and joined the ranks of the 23
US Veterans who kill themselves each day.
Different assumptions have underscored the major approaches to psychotherapy,
personal change and growth. Psychoanalysis and its many off-shoots are based
on the assumption that once the historical antecedents are learned, the patient
will understand why they are the way they are and will be relieved of their
troubling symptoms. This is referred to as “insight.” Behavior Therapy and its
derivations assume that changing behavior patterns through learning will result
in alleviation of maladaptive behaviors. Cognitive Therapy is based on the belief
that by identifying and changing negative, self-defeating thoughts, one will
become symptom-free. These and most other psychotherapeutic techniques
either ignore or give nodding recognition to the importance of physiological
processes in the individual. On the other hand, Yoga Nidra directly addresses,
focuses on, and changes habitual physiological reactive patterns. This results in
actual change, healing, growth and freedom without the need to go into the story.
In my forty-five years of clinical work with every type of psychological or
psychiatric problem at the front-lines of mental health struggles, I have
encountered psychotics, schizophrenics, bi-polars, the depressed, traumatized,
addicted, neurotic and the “worried well.” I have treated children, adolescents,
adults and the mature in individual, couples, family and group settings. I have
forensically evaluated those accused of murder, white collar and street crime.
Although I am not a psychiatrist and do not prescribe psychiatric medication, I
have observed their ample use in treatment throughout my career. I have studied
various approaches to psychotherapy and human change, ranging from classical
Freudian Psychoanalysis to Past-lives Regression Therapy, and everything in
between. For at least the past thirty years, I have been impressed with the value
of meditation and body-oriented approaches to therapy including massage, yoga
and tai chi.
Then, last summer, my wife kidnapped and dragged me to an ashram hidden
deep in the Ocala National Forest in Florida to learn Yoga Nidra meditation
from a renowned master and his daughter. I was blown away.
The benefits of meditation are well-documented in a wealth of respected
scientific literature. I have urged many of my patients to develop a meditation
practice and often teach them deep breathing exercises, especially for treating
symptoms of anxiety. While a serious and effective meditation practice is
difficult to develop and maintain, Yoga Nidra is as easy as – but much more
effective than – the breathing techniques I formerly taught. Yogi Amrit Desai
perfected the ancient technique of Yoga Nidra to its current level of
sophistication. His daughter went on to receive a Doctorate in Psychology and
created a ground-breaking curriculum based on his teachings. In this book she
integrates her traditional academic learning with Yoga Nidra for a useful guide
to the modern applications of this ancient practice.
Traditional meditation requires considerable effort to “empty the mind.” Many
individuals believe they are incapable of meditation or sitting still. Quieting the
mind in that way is difficult because it is antithetical to the actual normal
functioning of the brain which is always seeking answers, solving problems, and
protecting us from the outside world. Yoga Nidra meditation is easy because it is
based on something that the body already knows how to do: go to sleep.
Through an ancient and well-designed process, the mind is guided through
stages of sleep while the recipient is awake and fully conscious. The process
results in the same brain wave changes that occur during deep sleep, although
you are aware and awake. It can create the deepest level of meditation achieved
by well-practiced Yogis. In this state, various beneficial changes occur. The
consequences of stress are reversed. Blood pressure and cortisol levels drop.
