iRest®

What is iRest ®?

iRest ® is a way of meeting life. It is "a proven-effective approach to using yoga nidra meditation and deep relaxation techniques to overcome trauma." - Richard Miller, Ph.D., founder of iRest®. Its full name is Integrative Restoration Yoga Nidra Meditation. It is a multi-faceted self-management approach well-suited for trauma survivors and chronic pain patients to manage their condition and improve quality of life. Veterans Affairs studies have found clinically significant improvements (<20%) in symptoms with iRest participants vs. control groups who received standard care alone (Nassif et al.). iRest ® helps participants regain a measure of subjective control, achieve symptom relief, and regain feelings of self-efficacy (Stankovick, 2011).

It is a practice for deepening mindfulness and resilience. It is a process of inquiry, listening, being with ourselves and life in a connected, rich, welcoming, grounded way. It is a connection of the outer with the inner. 

Yoga nidra is to have an embodied sense of interconnectedness with all that's within you and all of life throughout changing states of consciousness. It is a comprehensive path of meditation, but it is not a guided meditation. It is to pause and be aware, to be curious-- what's beneath this? It is a journey through the subtleties of our essential nature; beyond description and words. It is the essence of wholeness. Through iRest, you learn to experience yourself as a unique individual who is, at the same time, interconnected and not separate from the wholeness of life. 

This can be offered as a seven week series that can be useful for individuals, healthcare workers, first responders, and people who are currently or have been in the military. It can also be offered as a one-time workshop or on an as-needed basis.

Its core principles include:

• Learn to be welcoming
• Stop judging yourself
• Know that everything is a messenger
• Accept what is
• Know that you’re always doing your best
• Understand the law of awareness
• Discover your non-separate wholeness

What people are saying:

• "iRest profoundly changed my life." - T.L., cancer survivor
• "Instead of feeling like something's wrong with me, iRest helps me feel like something's right with me." - Iraq War veteran
• "This was some of the most profound work I'd ever do." - iRest participant
• "The more I practiced, the more I experienced my life changing for the better. I truly believe that iRest saved my life. It gave me the hope and strength I needed to reconnect to myself and the world again." - U.S. Marine

How much do iRest® Sessions Cost?

Cost will vary depending on need, location, and duration.

How can I schedule?

Call/text 740-586-4181 or email me at traumasensitiveyogaproject@gmail.com to schedule!

Where are sessions held?

Serenity Roots Yoga & Wellness Center, 8950 Lavelle Rd. Athens, OH, 45701

Or, online through Zoom. If an online session is needed, schedule as normal and call/text 740-586-4181 or email traumasensitiveyogaproject@gmail.com to let me know it is an online session.

I can also travel locally with no additional pay, or out of town with pay, if needed.

Disclaimer:

iRest® is not intended to replace one-on-one treatment with a licensed mental health professional. I am not a clinician and I am unable to diagnose or treat anyone's mental health condition.

For more information about iRest® (including the research behind it), please visit: https://www.irest.org/.