Richard C. Miller (born 1948) is a

clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

, author,

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

scholar and advocate of

yoga as therapy Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes ...

. He is the founding president of the Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI), co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is also a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, Senior Advisor to the Baumann Institute, and was the founding president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Marin School of Yoga. He is known for his work on the use of

Yoga nidra Yoga nidra ( sa, योग निद्रा, ) or yogic sleep in modern usage is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, typically induced by a guided meditation. A state called yoga nidra is mentioned in the Upanishads and the ...

for rehabilitating soldiers in pain using the iRest methodology.

Professional background

For over 40 years, Miller's primary interests have included integrating nondual wisdom teachings of

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

Tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...

, and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

with Western psychology. In addition to his research and writing projects, Miller lectures and leads trainings and retreats internationally. Among his mentors, he credits

T.K.V. Desikachar Tirumalai Krishnamacharya Venkata Desikachar (21 June 1938 – 8 August 2016), better known as T. K. V. Desikachar, was a yoga teacher, son of the pioneer of modern yoga as exercise, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. The style that he taught was initia ...

and Jean Klein. Miller worked with

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

and the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

studying the efficacy of iRest

Yoga Nidra Yoga nidra ( sa, योग निद्रा, ) or yogic sleep in modern usage is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, typically induced by a guided meditation. A state called yoga nidra is mentioned in the Upanishads and the ...

. The iRest protocol was used with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

(PTSD). Based on this work, the

Surgeon General of the United States Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the ...

endorsed Yoga Nidra as a complementary alternative medicine (CAM) for chronic pain in 2010. Continuing studies are being conducted with the use of the iRest Yoga Nidra protocol as a treatment for PTSD and related symptoms. Miller and his organization have iRest programs in the military (active duty and veterans), homeless shelters, prisons,

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

s, senior facilities, universities,

chemical dependency Substance dependence, also known as drug dependence, is a biopsychological situation whereby an individual's functionality is dependent on the necessitated re-consumption of a psychoactive substance because of an adaptive state that has develope ...

clinics,

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

and cancer outpatient clinics, as well as yoga and meditation studios.

Published works

Books

* Miller, Richard. ''The iRest Program for Healing PTSD: A Proven-Effective Approach to Using Yoga Nidra Meditation and Deep Relaxation Techniques to Overcome Trauma'',

New Harbinger New Harbinger Publications, Inc. is an employee-owned, Oakland-based American publisher of self-help books. Overview This publisher of self-help books specializes in titles that offer step-by-step procedures for dealing with phobias, anxiety, ...

, 2015. * ''Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing'',

Sounds True In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, 2005 and 2010. * ''Gomukasana'', in ''American Yoga'',

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

, 2003. * ''The Search for Oneness'', in ''Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life?''

Storey Publishing Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American publisher of trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company is comprised of either imprints: Workman, Workman Children’s, Workman Calendars, Artisan, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and Algon ...

, 2004. * ''Welcoming All That Is: Yoga Nidra and the Play of Opposites in Psychotherapy'', in ''The Sacred Mirror: NondualWisdom & Psychotherapy'', Paragon, 2003. Prendergast, Fenner & Krystal (ed.). * ''Opening To Empathy'', UMI, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1990 * ''The Theory and Practice of Yoga Nidra'', Anahata Press, Mill Valley, 1985 * ''Langhana and Brhmana'', The Institute of Yoga Teacher Education, San Francisco, 1980 * ''The Book of Internal Exercises'', with Stephan Chang,

Strawberry Hill Press The Strawberry Hill Press was established on 25 June 1757 at Strawberry Hill, by the house's owner, Horace Walpole. He called it the ''Officina Arbuteana'', and many of the first editions of his own works were printed there. The first works pri ...

, San Francisco, 1978

Journal articles

* "The Power of Mudra", ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'', Sept/Oct 1996 * "Beginner’s Yoga Column", ''Yoga Journal'', 1995 * "The Breath of Life", ''Yoga Journal'', May/June 1994 * "Longing For Liberation", ''Journal of IAYT'', Vol. 4, 1993 * "The Therapeutic Application of Yoga on Sciatica: A Case Study", ''Journal of IAYT'', Vol. 3, 1992 * "Psychophysiology of Respiration: Western and Eastern Perspectives", ''Journal of IAYT'', Vol. II, 1991 * "Working With The Breath", ''Yoga Journal'', September 1989 * "Suffering According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", ''Yoga Journal'', July 1986 * "Breath and Movement", ''Yoga Journal'', July 1984 * "Yoga and The Blind", ''Yoga Journal'', January 1978

Audio presentations

* ''iRest Meditation: Restorative Practices for Health, Resiliency, and Well-Being'',

, 2015. * ''Sounds of Silence: Chants to the Divine'', 2010 * ''Resting In Stillness: The Practice of Integrative Restoration – iRest'', 2009 * ''The Final Teachings: Awakening to Your True Nature: Healing and Awakening through the meditative practices of Integrative Restoration iRest Yoga Nidra'', 2009 * ''Your Path, Buddha’s Path; Healing and Awakening through the meditative practices of Integrative Restoration iRest Yoga Nidra'', 2009 * ''The Principles and Practice of Ujjayi Pranayama'', Audiocassette Tape Set, Anahata Press, 1999 * ''The Principles and Practice of Yoga Nidra'', Audiocassette Tape Set, Anahata Press, 1999 * ''Non-Dual Meditation'', Audiocassette Tape, Anahata Press, 1998 * ''Pranayama, Breath of Life'', Audiocassette Tape Set, Anahata Press, 1998 * ''The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali'', Audiocassette Tape Set, Anahata Press, 1998

Misconduct

On March 14, 2021, in response to an employee posting on Facebook, Miller published a statement taking responsibility for his conduct in 2012 towards an employee of Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI), which he agreed, in 2012, had led to her reporting "feeling uncomfortable" to the IRI board. In 2012 they both signed a "memorandum of understanding" which "acknowledged the inappropriateness" of Miller's actions and brought resolution to the incident.

References

External links

Integrative Restoration Institute

Tami Simon interviews Yoga Nidra teacher Richard Miller on Sounds True Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Richard American yoga teachers Living people 1948 births Yoga therapists