Uncover irest
Choosing to sign up and commit to a training could be a difficult decision. Which is why we’ve gathered stories from our own teachers who've gone through iRest Yoga Nidra training themselves, to share their journeys and help you make your decision.
What is iRest?
In short, iRest is a simple and accessible form of meditation designed for modern day living. Dr. Richard Miller, a spiritual teacher, author, yogic scholar, researcher and clinical psychologist, who combined traditional yogic practice with Western psychology and neuroscience. It is practiced and taught by thousands of people worldwide in a wide range of settings, including health centers, schools, community centers, yoga studios, correctional facilities and military hospitals.
Relaxing, being your own therapist and saying “hello” to the monster in your mind - Hilary Brown
(transcription from a message)
When I was getting ready to invite the iRest folks before I really knew James, I was familiar with yoga Nidra, just like most of us have had a few yoga Nidras. And mostly I didn't really like it. Because the yoga Nidras I have gone to were... To me unaccessible, to my mind when I was relaxing, there was somebody using... I didn't know the words, the language didn't translate for me, at the time, even though I knew the language, because I've been around a long time, like Sankalpa: "Look at your Sankalpa". These words they would use was too distant for me, then it would kind of put a barrier for me to really go deeper. So when I met James and I did his intro weekend, I was so pleasantly surprised to have somebody having translated that work into a more kind of Western language, to my language, English, specifically. But actually just in the idea of not putting the barrier at the Sanskrit. But more than that, my background in psychology and my interest in the mind and the emotions and how we get stuck and how we get out of being stuck.
For me, like a light bulb went off. When we talked about there's all these things and theory and all these ways of meeting, kind of meeting your mind meeting your shadow. We all have, we talked about the shadow and psychology. And in iRest they really make you meet your mind and your negative thoughts and your judgments and you meet... Instead of trying to push them down, you just let them come up, like in a dream like a monster. Instead of running from the monster, you go: "Hello, monster" and you have a conversation almost with it, you have this, you have a relationship with it. And that was so interesting to see how this yoga has been offering... I don't know why but the light bulb went off. And this is the place, this is sort of like the embedded work in yoga where psychology, with depth psychology, where you meet your shadow where you meet your uglier side, your judgments, the thoughts that we're all trying to pretend aren't there. And you say hello. And you sit with them. All meditation points to that anyway, but this was so specific and that you kind of lifted them up and out. And in a way you felt for the somatic experience and through your own internal dreamscape and the techniques of letting that happen.
That was very helpful, I find it very helpful, because it means we have tools in yoga, really direct tools into practice. And you have to get down there and practice, to listen and to experience and to meet those parts of ourselves in a respectful but you know, quite intense way, like you would if you were in a good therapy office, your own therapy office. So I really appreciate that part of it. And that's the dyad part. It's part of the yoga Nidra, of course, you end up learning to do this for yourself. So there's a couple things in the IRest where there is the actual relaxation, when you relax, but then this other part of this learning the dyads learning this dialogue, how to guide that in others and of course, in yourself. Have those conversations, and let it be free again, let those judgements flow. So that was my experience. I really thought it was cool. So if you're interested in yoga Nidra, you can come and learn that with us at yoga moves we have beautiful opportunities to offer that here at yoga moves and it's really cool. So hope you come on.
Coming Home to Your True Self - Marjolein van der Velden
Already for a long time triggered by the deep calming effect of Yoga Nidra, I came to study iRest Yoga Nidra with James Reeves and became a certified iRest teacher in 2020. “After decades of practising and studying yoga I learned in this process what it really means to listen to the body. On a deeper level.” To me that is so valuable that I am happy to share this with others. It is a great tool if you want to take a next step on the path of psychological, physical and spiritual healing,
As our mind is simply too small to understand the ‘Absolute’, it is hard to describe in words. Perhaps for me ‘coming home to who I really am’ is the best way to try to describe what Yoga Nidra is about. It can help release stress, increase resiliency and improve relationships. It helps to soothe issues such as insomnia, anxiety, fear and depression.
iRest Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a profound practice of deep relaxation and meditation, based on ancient teachings. iRest yoga Nidra as we teach it at Yoga Moves is an evidence based transformative practice developed by Richard Miller. Learn more about iRest.
Nidra means sleep. So it is the sleep of the yogi. A guided meditation in which we bring ourselves in a hypnagogic state. A state we all know. It is the moment just before we fall asleep. When we are between wakefulness and sleep. In Yoga Nidra we try to lengthen that state for the period of our meditation. Usually around 30 minutes. This hypnagogic state is a good state to find ourselves in, as it can help awake us to who we really are. To reconnect with the qualities of our true nature: love, compassion, equanimity and joy.
Everybody can do it. There is no way you can do it wrong. You don’t need any knowledge or a special physical condition.
Sankalpa
We work with a Sankalpa. An intention born out of our deepest Self. The mind loves to know where it is going, so we allow it to join us, give it something to rest in and give it direction. To reduce the constant bla, bla, bla, bla that is going on in our minds. We all have this place within ourselves where we feel okay, at ease, comfortable. Where we feel connected, a sense of belonging perhaps. Our own unique inner resource of well-being, of pure being. From this place we allow an intention to arise within ourselves. An intention for our practice. Perhaps to work with a certain theme that is present for you at that moment. Or just to have a rest. Without striving or needing to achieve anything. An intention for this life that comes from the calling of our heart, from our being.
What is it you want from life? Or what is life asking of you? Questions as invitations. Not to think about an answer. A little seed we plant in ourselves and we observe how it develops as we nourish it with love and tenderness without touching it. Staying open to the question.
Welcoming
As we allow the body to rest, we stay awake and alert. Giving up the thinking mind and making space for feeling. Observing, welcoming and engaging all aspects of our being. Meeting and greeting them with openness, curiosity and without judgement.
Acknowledging all our content, just as it is. Starting with the most gross form, the physical body, and then moving through more subtle layers (koshas), such as the breath, feelings, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, joy and awareness. Not to change, alter or fix anything, but because all these coming and going sensations, thoughts and emotions are messengers (kanchukas) that can help us to bring us back to our essential nature. They can help us to realise what it is that takes us away from being our true selves. What distracts us from Being.
Awareness
We take the Sankalpa with us as we welcome and explore the different layers of our being (koshas) in our practice. We become aware of all the ‘comings and goings’ in the different layers of our being.
Where do all these objects come from? And what is it that is witnessing them? Who is the witness? The distinction between what is seen and the seer? We can never be the seer, we can only be the seeing.
Underneath all these comings and goings there is an underlying stillness. An underlying essence. Something that is always there, unchanging, stable. Whole, complete. Pure awareness, never changing. All the comings and goings leave Awareness untouched. Our home ground of being. Essential nature. A deeper knowing. Pure witnessing. Bliss. Inner stillness ….. All words trying to describe what can’t be described but that we all know and what connects us all. Inter connective wholeness. Whatever resonates with you.
Integration
Toward the end of the practice we bring ourselves back into a more wakeful state. We want to integrate our practice into the world and take it with us as best as we can in our daily lives.
We remember, we forget. All the time. We want to practice to keep coming back to who we really are. Keep coming back home to ourselves. To become this underlying stillness. From there we can act out into the world. It is a healing process that takes time. Allow yourself to do this with self-love, self-compassion.
Level 1 teacher training
I can highly recommend joining James Reeves for the Level 1 teacher training that will be offered at Yoga Moves this October. Even if you don’t have the desire or ambition to become a teacher, it is a great step for your own process.
In this training you learn about the 10 steps of the practice of iRest Yoga Nidra, how you can use them for your own growth and how you can teach them. I can only say that for me it has been one of the best gifts I ever gave to myself.
Learn more about Marjolein and check her class schedule and workshops.