What is iRest Yoga Nidra and how is it practised?
Are you looking for an accessible alternative to counselling that can therapeutically support you to connect with, and deepen your understanding of self?
iRest Yoga Nidra is a contemporary and evidence-based form of meditation, designed to support you to meet life’s challenges from a place of inner resourcing and wellbeing.
A form of guided self-enquiry, iRest can be practised therapeutically in a 1:1 setting, and is an alternative to counselling for anyone who is interested in self enquiry and getting to know themselves better.
What is iRest Yoga Nidra?
A simple and accessible form of meditation, the iRest Yoga Nidra practice is a modern day version of the ancient yogic practice of Yoga Nidra.
Developed by clinical psychologist, meditation teacher and researcher, Dr Richard Millar, the iRest protocols combine modern day psychology with neuroscience, to provide a range of research-backed wellbeing benefits, including greater awareness of self, your needs, and ability to meet life’s challenges.
What are the benefits of iRest Yoga Nidra?
Through clinical research, iRest has been shown to improve a range of conditions including:
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic pain
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and
Sleep issues.
How to practise iRest Yoga Nidra
There are 2 ways to practise iRest Yoga Nidra:
Through a Guided Meditation practice, either 1:1 or within a group, or
Through a 1:1 Co-meditation Dyad.
iRest Guided Meditation
In a Guided iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation session, you are guided through a 10-step therapeutic process.
The steps of the process are below, and you can see a visual image here.
Setting an intention for your practice
Identifying your heartfelt desire: what you long for more than anything else in this lifetime; connecting with what gives your life meaning and purpose
Cultivating your inner resource: a felt sense of safety, feeling relaxed. Experiencing a calm place within
Body sensing: rotating awareness through the physical body
Breath sensing: awareness of the breath
Feelings and emotions: working with these and their opposites
Cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, memories and images): working with these and their opposites
Joy and wellbeing: experiencing feelings of joy and wellbeing
Awareness: observing what is present, and your ability to be unchanging witnessing presence, that is still and peaceful
Integration: remembering and experiencing your innate sense of wholeness and peace, in your daily life.
Join me (Nicky) to be guided through a recorded 1:1 Guided iRest Meditation, here.
2. A 1:1 iRest Dyad (Co-meditation)
A Dyad (meaning two) practice is a co-meditation.
When I work with you 1:1 in an iRest dyad, I use the iRest Dyad protocol to guide you through a process of meditative self-enquiry.
This process of meditative self-enquiry offers you guidance into whatever you bring to the session. This can be an issue, a challenge, a positive experience, or the session can be organic, meaning we work with what arises in the moment, as you bring attention to what is present in your experience.
The dyad usually starts with noticing a sensation in the body. The theory behind this is that your body knows what is needed and the physical sensations in the body are your way in - to be with, and enquire into, what is needing to be tended to.
What to expect in a 1:1 iRest Dyad
For the practice, you can either sit or lie down. Your eyes can be open or closed.
We start by establishing an inner resource of feeling safe, and secure. This inner resource can then be woven into the practice, and also practised outside of the session to support you in accessing the safe haven within you.
For the iRest dyad, you can either:
bring an issue to the session, or
come with an open mind, to be guided to listen deeply to the body’s intelligence and wisdom of what is needed.
During the dyad, I guide you through a meditation where you are supported to notice and welcome whatever arises in the body. Together, we meet and greet what comes up.
Throughout the meditation journey, you’re asked to verbally share your experience. Your experience informs the path we take and allows us to journey together.
The iRest practice is therapeutic, supporting you to tend to what is present and to enquire into what is needed (or not needed). Throughout the process we weave in the inner resource where needed.
This means that as feelings, emotions or beliefs arise, we may weave in the opposite of those feelings, emotions, or beliefs, or we may externalise them, or describe them and figuratively ‘invite them in for tea’.
Listening to the body reveals insights and next steps
Throughout the iRest dyad, we continually check in with the body about what is needed, including what it wants (or does not want). Through this process insights often arise and a next forward step is revealed.
This practice takes you out of your thinking and problem solving mind, to work on a different level, where you listen deeply as you sense your way.
You will notice and work to welcome sensations in the body, with curiosity and openness for what unfolds; tending to what arises.
A helpful alternative to a problem solving approach
The iRest protocol can be really helpful in working with those life challenges that don’t respond to problem solving (such as internal challenges).
Whilst many external world challenges do respond to problem solving, our inner world often needs a different approach - one that tunes in at the body level. Often internal challenges need an approach that taps into our unconscious needs and desires - those which may have been dismissed in the busy lives we lead or by the conditions we were brought up in.
iRest cultivates the ability to step back and notice, without getting caught up in emotions, beliefs, thoughts and memories - allowing instead the answers you're looking for to come forward from your deep inner knowing.
‘What is needed, or desired, is revealed, bypassing the thinking mind’.
The iRest approach is completely contrary to the idea of ‘fixing’. There is nothing to fix. Instead, this practice comes from a place of you being completely whole, just as you are.
Through connecting with yourself in this way, you’re supported to begin to understand yourself more fully.
Does iRest continue to benefit you after a session?
Yes. iRest Yoga Nidra is a practice that can support you both during and after a session. The more you practise the iRest Yoga Nidra, the more you’ll be able to bring the benefits into your everyday life.
‘When we stop, and listen, what needs our attention reveals itself.’
1:1 iRest Support
‘Reconnect to your inner body wisdom and discover the answers to your inner challenges.’
As an iRest Yoga Nidra practitioner, my intention is to hold a space of unconditional presence for you, supporting you to feel safe to be open with yourself as a human being navigating this life. This includes welcoming all the emotions, beliefs, thoughts, memories, events and images that come with this human experience.
In doing so, my wish is that healing takes place, alongside a growing appreciation of your capacity to access all elements of your intelligence, not just the thinking mind.
If you’re interested in iRest Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation or Co-Meditation, I am currently facilitating 1:1 sessions via Zoom, or in person, in Dingley, Melbourne, Australia.
I would absolutely love to support you in your journey to deeper self connection.
Reach Out or Book a 10 Minute Chat with me to find out more.
Nicky also works with individuals and organisations, offering:
Introduction to Meditation Course; for individuals, groups, and workplaces.
One on One meditation sessions, to suit your style; great to keep meditation front of mind
Individual counselling sessions to support you with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, life transitions (eg change of life, change of career, change of relationship), grief and loss, depression, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other life stressors
Corporate wellness programs and sessions – Desk Stretches & Yoga, Qigong, breathing practices, body sensing, guided meditations, and more.
Please do reach out if you would like to find out more, and to work with Nicky.