Yoga Nidra, iRest, and Nondual Awakening

Transcript, including graphical montage, summary, questions explored, and key takeaways

Summary
This conversation explores Yoga Nidra and iRest as practical pathways for healing trauma, meeting thoughts and emotions, and developing steadier presence. It also looks at nondual awakening, the illusion of ego, and how meditation can mature into a lived way of being.

Questions This Interview Explores

• How can Yoga Nidra help people meet trauma, fear, and old conditioning without trying to force change?
• What does it mean to deconstruct the ego without trying to destroy it?
• How do waking in, waking up, waking down, and waking out show up in real meditation practice?
• How can meditation move from a seated practice into a 24/7 way of living, relating, and acting?

Richard C. Miller, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar, and spiritual teacher who, for the past 46 years has devoted his life to integrating western psychology and neuroscience with the ancient nondual wisdom teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism, and Buddhism. Richard is the founding president of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, founding editor of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology.

Author of

• iRest Meditation: Restorative Practices for Health, Healing and Well Being
• iRest Yoga Nidra Immersion – An 8-Week Intensive to Accelerate Mind-Body Healing & Spiritual Awakening
• Yoga Nidra: The Art of Deep Relaxation

Richard also serves as a research consultant studying the meditation protocol he’s developed (Integrative Restoration ~ iRest Meditation), a modern adaptation of an ancient yogic form of meditation, researching its efficacy on health, healing, and well-being with diverse populations that include active-duty soldiers, veterans, women rescued from human trafficking, youth and college students, seniors, the homeless, and the incarcerated, with issues such as sleep disorders, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, chemical dependency, and anxiety, as well as research on iRest’s efficacy for enhancing resiliency, well-being, and compassion. Richard leads international training and meditation retreats on the integration of enlightened living into daily life.

For information visit irest.org.

Interview recorded 7/16/2016

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:05:40 – The Illusion of Destroying the Ego
• 00:11:22 – The Terrifying Search for Self
• 00:16:59 – The Liberation of Thoughts
• 00:22:30 – The Four Phases of Waking Up
• 00:28:30 – The Constant Evolution of the Human Experience
• 00:34:17 – Rediscovering Your Inner Compass
• 00:40:05 – From Line on Stone to Line on Air
• 00:46:20 – Discovering Wholeness Through Yoga Nidra
• 00:52:09 – Nourishing the Feeling of Being
• 00:57:43 – Penetrating the Five Koshas
• 01:03:37 – Relief from Fear and Obstacles
• 01:07:54 – The Wonderment of Doubt
• 01:12:11 – The Availability of Insight and Creativity in Meditation
• 01:16:23 – Psychology of the Battlefield
• 01:20:38 – Awakening of self-awareness and the sense of being
• 01:25:10 – Falling in Love with Everything You Meet
• 01:29:26 – Awakening and the Potential for Transformation
• 01:33:59 – Redeeming the Potential for Growth
• 01:38:14 – Setting Boundaries and Containment
• 01:42:53 – Letting Go of Mental Thoughts
• 01:47:14 – Working with Opposites and Taking Perspective
• 01:52:01 – Acting in Harmony with the Universe
• 01:56:34 – Developing Inner Peace and Equanimity
• 02:01:28 – The Paradox of Boundaried and Unboundaried Presence
• 02:05:55 – Embracing Our Humanness
• 02:10:24 – The Mystery of Existence, Relaxing and Letting Be
• 02:15:14 – Backsliding and the Pain of Old Conditioning
• 02:19:42 – Immersing in Being and Setting Intentions
• 02:24:27 – Going beyond structures and teachings in meditation practice

Save