iRest mindfulness meditation for relaxation, better sleep and a calm mind

iRest mindfulness meditation courses

iRest meditation is a mindfulness-based practice. It provides you with tools to help you relax deeply, release stress, increase resiliency and improve your interpersonal relationships.

Meditation can also support you to resolve health issues like anxiety, insomnia, PTSD and depression.

Each week you dive deeper into self-inquiry to integrate challenging memories, emotions and beliefs and to return to the okness within you.

You will receive a weekly meditation recording to practice with.

iRest meditation courses in Lismore

New course dates will be announced shortly

" The calm feeling stayed with me for so long after the meditation class and you know, even though i have been smashed at work and home over the last month or so, i think i really do have a new sense of stability which perhaps has given me the foundation to be more open and just roll with what comes and know it's all ok.

That safe feeling you had me hold together with the other things that come along. wow. just one meditation class with you and this can happen? wow. And you know, every time i ‘reset’ my shoulders in bed to unwind for sleep I think of you kindly and masterfully ‘resetting’ my shoulders. this means i get to have a happy bubble most nights as i sink into sleep.

Thank you, Sam!”

-Clare, Armidale

"Yoga Nidra was a pleasant surprise for me. It is a body-based meditation that affected me (positively) more than I'd expected.

Being a part of Sam Voolstra’s IRest Yoga Nidra program is a here-and-now experience which is enjoyable, satisfying and, well, makes your life better.

– Ess Sorrensen, Larnook

"iRest has become a special time in my week, a timeless time, that I share with a group of friends. We speak about our life and experiences with the meditation practice, both before and after the session. This turns out to be an intimate sharing in a protected space.

It is very valuable in that we all understand that we are not alone, that we all battle the same sort of difficulties in our life journeys – even more, that we in fact do share our existence.

Yoga Nidra helps me to develop a range of practical tools for my daily life: managing emotions, difficult situations, anxieties, sleepless nights, conflict, aggression, old trauma…

I very much recommend Yoga Nidra and Sam is a wonderful teacher. She guides us beautifully and she generously yet humbly shares her knowledge and experience.

– Patricia Schmid, Larnook

What is iRest mindfulness meditation?

iRest is a simple mindfulness-based meditation practice, based on the ancient tradition of Yoga Nidra and adapted to suit the conditions of modern life.

iRest meditation empowers you to integrate challenging memories, emotions and beliefs and to return to your complete and harmonious wholeness of being.

iRest is simple to learn and easy to practice by anyone, regardless of physical ability or experience with meditation. You can choose to lay down or sit during the guided meditations. Once practiced regularly, iRest becomes a set of tools for life.

Mindfulness meditation is known to nourish qualities such as joy, gratitude and loving kindness toward yourself and others.

Who can benefit from iRest mindfulness meditation?

Research shows that iRest can help you releases negative emotions and thought patterns and calm your nervous system.

iRest has been shown to be effective in scientific trials for conditions including chronic pain, sleep problems, depression and anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

What happens during an iRest mindfulness meditation course?

Each meditation class starts with a short explanation and some gentle movement.

You are then welcome to make yourself comfortable with cushions and blankets, either laying down or sitting. I will then offer you guidance through the practice.

An iRest guided meditation class is a journey of approximately 35 minutes. The first part of the journey is forwards coming home to your body in this moment, in a safe way.

As your body and mind start to settle, you are invited to set an intention for your practice and check in with your heart.

Your Inner Resource

Next you are invited to explore your Inner Resource, the innate okness within.

A rotation of your attention to the sensations in different parts of your body and a focus on your breath can bring a relaxation response that balances your nervous system. It also possibly changes your brain waves from Beta to Alpha, a slower restorative brain wave activity.

Welcoming it all

In this non-reactive state you learn to welcome, but not identify with, emotions or beliefs. This can build resiliency and new neuropathways to deal with strong emotions and beliefs in a different way. When a certain emotion or feeling gets overwhelming, you have your Inner Resource to fall back on.

Spacious stillness

After fully welcoming the body sensations and the activities of the mind, there can be a profound stillness. You are here and you are not here. You are in deep sleep and still there is something that is awake.

It is like the movie of your mind has stopped and you now see the screen it was projected on. It have been described as a spaciousness that is timeless and without lacking but full of possibility.

Rested and balanced

The group class ends with Q&A and suggestions for a home practice. You can also receive a recording via email.

The meditation classes will be held in the friendly and welcoming space of the Apollo Hall.

The meditation classes are trauma sensitive and participants can combine iRest with other treatments for PTSD, anxiety and depression.