SLEEP SUNDAY – LET’S TALK ABOUT SLEEP AND YOGA FOR INSOMNIA, BOOK REVIEW…

Yoga for Insomnia, 7 Steps to a better Sleep with Yoga and Meditation is a book written by Kayla Korin, a Yoga therapist and writer who has been committed to helping people with chronic health conditions to feel better with Yoga. Kayla sent me this book to read and write a review on it.

I enjoyed Kayla’s book very much. She writes in great details about feeling tired from lack of sleep as she was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when she was young. She tried everything in the book to help her sleep and then while working at an environmental health clinic, the Doctor she was working with suggested she should try a mindfulness course. The course included mindfulness and yoga and after a few months Kayla was able to sleep much better.

Even with a busy lifestyle she found yoga helped her to sleep well and decided to write this book in a step by step format so that what Kayla learnt from studying yoga, meditation and psychology could help others along the way.

There is a full chapter in all you need to know about sleep, good sleep, bad sleep, REM sleep and your heart rate. “The goal of yoga or meditation” she says, “isn’t to stay relaxed all the time, but to be able to switch between the systems if needed.”

Yoga and how it works is described well and how it can work to help you sleep. Creating a healthy sleep environment is discussed well as Kayla has travelled far and wide and understands how jet lag affects your sleep and writes about mental relaxation and darkness in your bedroom. Plus diet and creating a routine which is essential for a good nights sleep.

Kayla talks about meditation for better sleep. Mindfulness is explained very well and the goal setting is very achievable. She writes further on breathing techniques for a better sleep which is something my local pain team want to teach me.

There is a great chapter on yoga positions shown in detail with pictures to help you to try different positions to help you sleep.They are simple to do as I could manage a number of them but do check with your Doctor first before you try them out.

The final part of the book is all about building a lifestyle for a better sleep which is explained fully. I really liked this book and have it next to my bed to refer to if I’m struggling with my sleep. The book is available from Amazon.