Level III Certification Program

Integrative Restoration Institute iRest© Certification Requirements

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The requirements for Certification are set out below. Please read the descriptions and instructions carefully. If you have questions after reading this document, feel free to contact the Director of Certification, Kirsten Guest at kirsten@nondual.org.

ASSIGNMENTS

A. Learning Objectives Assessment Tool (LOAT)

Complete the LOAT as a Word document, inserting your responses directly into the document.

This document will be submitted directly to your Supervisor for review.

The LOAT is composed of short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions.

• Answers to questions in Unit 1 will generally be found in the Level I iRest Training Manual.
• Answers to questions in Unit 2 draw from lectures and discussions during Level II Training, the Level II Training Manual and from your own experiences teaching iRest.
• Questions from Unit 3 refer to the foundational teachings of iRest, as presented in both Levels I and II Trainings, and from your own study and experience. This section includes creating your own version of the Cosmological Map, as well as a one month personal tracking of the Pointer Sisters or Kañchukas. You are also asked to place yourself on the Cosmological Map both at the beginning of your study of iRest, as well as at the end of Certification. Please make a note to return to this assignment at the end of Certification.

B. Journals of Personal iRest and Teaching Sessions

Please submit Journals following the guidelines below.

It is suggested that Journals be submitted in two installments, half of the required iRest Journals towards the beginning of Certification and half will be submitted later in Certification, after you have completed the initial review session with your Supervisor.

Journals of Personal iRest Sessions

The first half of the personal journal assignment is to document 12 personal sessions of iRest that occurred following your Level II Training.

Later in the Certification process (on a time line discussed with your Supervisor); submit the second half of your personal journals assignment, comprised of an additional 13 sessions. Keep your responses to approximately ¼ page per entry.

Please choose a variety of personal practices including scheduled meditations, listening to a recorded iRest practice and self-directed practices.

Also, include spontaneous iRest that occurs as you go through your daily activities, or in relationship. Include sessions where you found new insights or understandings, or where you felt stuck, or have questions about the practice.

iRest Session Outline

1. FOCUS of the session (e.g. for relaxation, to explore a particular sheath, to explore what is arising or present in the moment, explore pure Awareness, etc.)
2. WHAT AROSE during the session? (e.g. which sheaths arose, was there a response/reaction to what arose?)
3. WHAT WAS LEARNED from the session? (was there an insight or understanding that came?)

Please refer to Examples of Personal Journals at the end of this document. You may wish to use this format for your journals.

Journals of iRest Teaching Sessions.

Document ten (10) iRest sessions that you delivered after your Level II Training, including a minimum of 2 sessions using iRest with an individual in dyad format.

The second submission of teaching journals will consist of 10 additional teaching sessions, with a minimum of 3 sessions to individuals in a dyad format.

Include a variety of teaching experiences.

These might include teaching iRest as a series of classes, or as a single class, or incorporating iRest into a hatha yoga class. Individual sessions or dyads may be in a pre-arranged private session, or a spontaneous iRest with a student, client, friend or family member.

For the group sessions that you delivered please provide the following information:

• DATE and number of weeks (if multiple week session)
• COMPOSITION OF GROUP (e.g. is this a special interest group, yoga group, general population, etc.)
• FOCUS of your delivery (the step or steps of iRest that you focussed on)
• FORMAT of the session (e.g. reading from a script, working from an outline, or unstructured flow etc.)
• WHAT WAS LEARNED from delivering the iRest session

For individual dyad sessions that you delivered please provide the following information:

• DATE and LENGTH of the session (e.g. 20 minutes etc)
• FOCUS of the session (e.g. a particular issue, pain, depression, anxiety, general relaxation etc.)
• FORMAT of the session
• WHAT WAS LEARNED from delivering this session

C. Reading Reflections

Refer to the iRest Certification Reading List, which is available at www.irest.us under “Certification”. You will be required to read Richard Miller’s book, Yoga Nidra, The Meditative Heart of Yoga and listen to his 6-CD Set, Integrative Restoration, as well as read the iRest Level I and Level II Training Manuals. There are no written reflections required for these readings.
You are required to read and submit written reflections on one book from each of the sections entitled:

1. Jean Klein
2. Kashmir Nondualism
3. Advaita
4. Patañjali
5. Sankhya

Complete Reading List

for a total of five Reading Reflections.

It is recommended that you begin with a book from Sankhya, as this lays the foundation for all other teachings.

It may be helpful to move onto Patanjali as the second reading, and from there to Advaita, as there is a natural progression in these teachings.

As Jean Klein comes from the understanding of Kashmir Nondualism, these may be read in either order.

These books have been chosen in order to help you more fully understand the philosophical roots and streams from which iRest has emerged and have the potential to provide a direct experience of non-dual presence. With this in mind, take your time with each book, giving you time to assimilate.

Rather than provide detailed reports on the contents of each book Reading Reflections are your opportunity to apply these readings to your understanding of iRest.

Please keep in mind that each of these books warrants a lifetime of study. Supervisors are not looking for your full comprehension of each book, they will be looking for the flavor or feeling that you get as you read each book.

Each book is attempting to describe in words that which is indescribable. It may be helpful to use one or more of the following questions as guidelines for your Reflections.

• How does this book relate to the iRest protocol and nondual teachings?
• Does this book give me any new insight into pure Awareness
• Does this book give me any new wording to be used in the iRest protocol?
• How does this writing impact me and my understanding of iRest?

Reading reflections are suggested to be a maximum of one page or 500 words.

The Books are available at:

Certification Required Reading

or at www.amazon.com

In addition to the required readings, you are encouraged to seek out additional readings from the section entitled ‘Appendix IV:

References & Bibliography’ of your Level I Training Manual. These additional readings will support your mastery of the iRest protocol. You are not required to submit written reflections on these supplemental readings, nor on the above-mentioned materials authored by Richard Miller.

D. Retreat Reflections

You are required to attend at least two authorized retreats, one of which must be a minimum of 30 contact hours (a four-day retreat), led by an authorized instructor.

Authorized retreats attended prior to your Level I and II Trainings may be counted towards this requirement.

Each retreat regardless of its length counts as only one retreat. Please refer to www.irest.us under “Events” for a listing of upcoming retreats.

All eligible retreats will be listed on this website.

iRest Events

For each retreat, write a reflection on your retreat experience of a maximum of one page or 500 words using one or more of the following questions as guidelines:

• How did immersion in the retreat practices impact my understanding of iRest?
• How did I find my personal experience of iRest and my understanding of iRest changed following this retreat?
• How did the retreat experience impact my delivery of iRest to groups and/or individuals?

E. Recorded Sessions of iRest

Submit two recordings, each 30-40 minutes in length, of you delivering iRest without reading from a script from the Level I or Level II Manuals. You may use a script as a guide, or write your own script. It is recommended that you work from an outline, instead of reading from a script.

Recordings include:

• One group iRest session
• One individual iRest dyad

Please note that the group session may be made “live”, in an actual teaching situation, or recorded at home with no students in attendance.

Your dyad will need to be recorded “live” with the voices of both you and your student audible on the recording.

Be sure to obtain written consent for the use of this recording for educational purposes from the student with whom you record the dyad session.

A Sample Consent Form is included at the end of this document.

Recorded sessions will be used for educational purposes only and will not be shared beyond IRI.

Mail your recordings to your Supervisor in the form of an audio CD, or send them electronically.

For the group iRest session, please include the following information:

• Date and number of weeks (if one session of a multiple week session)
• Composition of the group (e.g. is this a special interest group, yoga group, general population, etc.)
• Focus of your delivery (the step or steps of iRest that you focused on)
• Format of the session (e.g. structured script, unstructured flow etc.)
• What you learned from delivering the iRest session

For the individual iRest dyad, please include the following information:

• Date and length of the session (e.g. 20 minutes etc)
• Focus of the session (e.g. a particular issue, pain, depression, anxiety, general relaxation etc.)
• Format of the session (e.g. structured script, unstructured flow etc.)
• What you learned from delivering this session

REVIEW PROCESS

Payment of Second Instalment

When are ready to begin to work with a Supervisor, submit the second half of your tuition payment to the Integrative Restoration Institute IRI office. You may send a US check or a money order in US funds to:

Integrative Restoration Institute
P.O. Box 1673,
Sebastopol, CA, 95473

or

Contact IRI at info@irest.us

(707) 876-3380 to make a payment by Visa or Mastercard.

Supervisor Review

Once you have made your second payment, you will be contacted by the Director of Certification.

The Director will then assign you a Supervisor, or, if you wish, send you the contact information for two available Supervisors from whom you may choose (through interviewing, or your own means of choosing).

Your Supervisor will review any completed assignments, and set up a time to review these with you during four phone meetings of one hour each over the period of time that you are working together. Your Supervisor will help to guide you as you go through the Certification assignments, as well as give you feedback on your areas of strength and where you may require further development of your understanding of the iRest protocol.

Following these meetings, your Supervisor will either recommend you for Certification as an iRest Teacher®, or indicate that you require further study and additional supervisory time at an additional cost.

Mentoring

Additional mentoring is available to you at any point along your journey with iRest. You may find it useful to connect with a Mentor with whom you can discuss additional teaching questions, or explore your own personal iRest process.

A Mentor can also help guide you through the Certification assignments. If you are not ready to make the second installment of your tuition, you may request a Mentor to help you through the beginning stages of Certification assignments.

Mentoring is available at a cost of US $100 per hour.

Mentoring FAQ

Contact the Director of Certification (kirsten@nondual.org) to request a Mentor.

Certification Timeline

You have 24 months from the time your application is accepted for Certification to complete all your Certification requirements. If additional time is required, further costs may apply.

Additional Note

We would like to support you as much as possible as you go through Certification, the next step of deepening your study of iRest.

If you feel that you are having trouble getting started on the Certification assignments, please contact the Director of Certification who can find you a Supervisor to work with.

A Supervisor can help you break down the assignments into manageable pieces, and help you create a timeline to complete assignments.

Supervisors are willing to help you move forward even before you make your second payment. Contact kirsten@nondual.org for more information.

Sample Consent Form

Instructions to Teachers

1. Explain the Certification to each of your volunteers. Give them details of the recording process, who will hear the recording and how it is used in the Certification process.
2. Explain to the Student that the recording will not be passed on to anyone other than Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI) Supervisors.
3. Explain to the Student that the recordings will not be used for any purpose other than the Certification process unless further permission from the Student is obtained in writing.
4. Answer any questions the Student may have before signing the document. If you need help in answering any questions contact the Director of Certification at IRI (Kirsten@nondual.org).
5. Have the Student sign three copies of the document and sign the same three copies yourself.

Give one copy to the Student, keep one for your own records and send one copy to your Supervisor when you send your recordings for review by your Supervisor.

You may wish to use the consent form as laid out below:

Release form

To: The Integrative Restoration Institute Date _________________

I _________________ (the “Student”)hereby acknowledge that __________________ (the “Teacher”) is studying to become certified as an iRest teacher and I have volunteered to assist in that certification process by being part of a dyad co-meditation of iRest.

I am aware that the sessions in which I will be volunteering will be recorded and that the recordings will be shared with the Supervisors of Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI) for the purposes of assessing the effectiveness of the sessions led by the Teacher.

I hereby consent to the recording of the sessions by the Teacher and the sharing of those recordings with IRI Supervisors solely for the purposes of assessing the Teacher’s effectiveness in delivering the iRest protocol to groups to individuals.

I understand that the recordings will not be used for any other purposes unless a further consent in writing is obtained from me.

___________________ ___________________
Signature of the Student Signature of the Teacher

Along with this document, you will find the 1) Learning Objectives Assessment Tool (LOAT), 2) Reading List, and 3) a Checklist outlining the steps of how to become a Center of Timeless Being Certified iRest Teacher®. Please review this information carefully before beginning your assignments.

Section I. First Submission of Assignments

When completed, submit all of the documents that comprise ‘Section I’ at one time.
Complete and submit the following assignments (I.A, I.B & I.C) as one package. I.A and I.B should be sent by email to kirsten@nondual.com.

The IRI Certification Program tuition should be sent to the IRI Central office at:

IRI Certification
P.O. Box 1673
Sebastopol, CA, 95473

Further information can be obtained by:

email: at info@irest.us

phone: (707) 876-3380.