25 Minute Yoga Nidra For A Feeling Of Freedom With Music

The practice of Yoga Nidra is centered around deep relaxation and sleep. However, during states of non-sleep deep relaxation (NSDR) we're capable of creating powerful shifts in the way that we feel about ourselves and the world. This 25 minute session is designed to help you cultivate an intense sense of personal freedom. If you feel stuck, lost or trapped in your current situation then you're in the right place. Thanks for listening!

Transcript

Welcome to Yoga Nidra. My name is Adam Armstrong and I'll be leading you through this next 20 minutes of relaxing meditation designed to help you cultivate a sense of personal freedom. If you feel lost, Or stuck, Or trapped, Then this session may be exactly what the doctor ordered. We'll begin our practice, As always, By finding a very comfortable place to lie down. This can be your bed, A couch, A soft mat on your floor. Make sure you have all of the pillows and equipment necessary to be comfortable for the next 20 minutes. Perhaps, A pillow under your head, A large pillow for under your knees, And a blanket if you feel cold. Start by taking a deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose. Take a few more breaths, Just like that, Until you feel settled and calm. Allow your hands and your arms to be in any position that feels good. Feel free to experiment, Placing them in slightly different positions, Until you find the exact right one. Allow your feet to spread apart and your toes to fall open. Make sure your head feels very comfortable on your pillow. Your neck is long. The chin can relax down towards your throat. Allow your tongue to relax into the back of your mouth, The skin of your cheeks to slide down the sides of your face. Your eyes can relax into their sockets and feel the skin of your forehead smooth and calm. From here on in, Do your best to remain still. If you do need to move a little bit, Please feel free to do so. If you need to cough or sneeze throughout the practice, Just let it happen, But do your best to remain still nonetheless. We'll begin our practice today with our sankalpa. The sankalpa is a positive statement, Phrased in the present tense as though it's already true. Today our sankalpa is as follows. I am free to be my true self. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. I am free to be my true self. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. I am free to be my true self. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. Repeat your sankalpa to yourself another two or three times, Allowing it to settle deeply into your own idea of who you are. Next we'll begin a systematic journey of awareness throughout the body, Bringing your attention from one body part to the next, Without lingering too long on any one part. As I name each body part, Simply bring your full attention to that one part of your body and then move on to the next. We'll begin on the right side. Bring your full attention to your right hand thumb. Move your attention to your index finger, The middle finger, Ring finger, And your pinky finger. The palm of your right hand, The back of your hand, Your wrist, The forearm, Your right elbow, Your upper arm, Shoulder, And the right side of your chest, Your waist, The top of your right hip, Your thigh, The kneecap, Your shin, The top of your right foot, Your big toe, The second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, And your fifth toe. Moving to the left side, Bring your attention to your left hand thumb, Your index finger, The middle finger, Ring finger, And your pinky finger. The palm of your left hand, The back of your hand, Your wrist, Your forearm, Your left elbow, The upper arm, Shoulder, And the left side of your chest, Your waist, The top of your left hip, Your thigh, The kneecap, Your shin, And the top of your left foot, The big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, And your fifth toe. Moving to the back of your body, Bring your attention to the soles of both of your feet, Your right and left heels, Your calf muscles, The backs of your knees, And your hamstrings, Your glutes, The lower back, Middle back, Upper back, And the backs of your shoulders, The back of your neck, The back of your head, The top of your head, Your forehead, Your eyebrows, And your eyes, The tip of your nose, Your lips, Your chin, And the front of your throat, Your collarbones, Your chest, Your belly, Your navel, Your whole abdomen, And your whole body, Relaxing deeply, Your whole body relaxing deeply. Bring your attention now back to your breath. Feel your breath even and spontaneous in through the nose and out through your nose. Observe your breath without controlling your breath. Notice how it feels as it enters the nose, The back of your throat, And your lungs, And then how it feels as it exits the same way. On your next inhale, Say to yourself the number nine, And as you exhale, Repeat to yourself the number nine. On your next inhale, Say to yourself the number eight, And then repeat the number eight as you exhale. Continue counting down this way from nine to one, And if you get lost along the way, Simply begin again at nine. Bring your attention now to the back of your body. Feel all of the parts of your body that are touching the floor. Notice the weight of your body. Allow your heels to feel much heavier as if your heels are sinking into the floor. Feel the weight of your legs as if gravity has turned up on your lower body, And your hips sink deeply into the floor. Feel your entire spine relaxing deeply down, Heavy. Imagine that the floor changes shape to support the contours of your back, Holding it in position, Allowing it to sink down, And feel the heavy weight of your head relaxing deeply into your pillow, So there's no tension in the neck, And your head can rest very softly and heavy, Deeply down. Keeping this feeling of weight along the back body, Feel the front of your body becoming light, Starting from your toes. Feel your toes gently rising up into the air above you, Your shins and your knees follow along as if gravity no longer works on that part of your body. Allow your thighs and the tops of your hips to gently float up into the air, Your belly, Your chest, Shoulders and arms become free from the weight of gravity, And finally your head can gently lift off the floor and into the air above you. Take a moment to enjoy this feeling of floating freely, And then allow yourself to drift upward towards the ceiling. As you touch the ceiling, Notice you can pass gently through it, Up into the air above you. Look in all directions, Notice everything around you, And simply float, Allowing yourself to get pulled along by a gentle breeze. As you look in different directions, Understand that all of them are good directions. Feel free to pick any direction you choose, And float along that way, Looking around you, Enjoying what the world has to offer. Continue to explore around freely, With no rush, And no right or wrong way. Whatever you choose is the right path. Slowly bring yourself back to your own body, Finding yourself floating right above your physical body. Notice all the details of the room that you're in. See the four walls of the room, Any windows and doors. Notice the ceiling, And see the floor. Look straight down at yourself, Lying there comfortably. Notice the soft expression on your face, The clothes on your skin, And the hair on your head. Look down on yourself with love and compassion, And gently come back into your awareness of your own body. Take a deep breath in through the nose, And out through your nose. For the next part of our practice, I'll call out a number of different things. I'd like you to visualize each thing in whatever way resonates with you. The first is a bird soaring high in the sky, Wings outstretched, Gliding effortlessly on the wind. A river flowing smoothly, Carving its own path, Unrestricted by obstacles. A vast desert at sunrise, Golden dunes stretching endlessly before you. A wide open field, Wildflowers swaying in the breeze, Nothing but space and possibility. A towering mountain peak, The world below vast and limitless. A butterfly emerging from its cocoon, Spreading its wings for the first time. The ocean stretching far beyond what the eye can see, Waves moving with infinite freedom. A wild horse galloping across an open plain, Unbridled and full of life. A vast night sky filled with stars, Each one a dream, A path, An opportunity. A kite dancing in the wind, Moving freely, Untethered by resistance. A musician playing a song from the heart, Lost in creative expression. Your own heart, Open and radiant, No longer carrying past burdens, Only light and expansion. It is now time for us to repeat our sankalpa. I am free to be my true self. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. I am free to be my true self. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. I am free. I release all limitations and embrace my infinite potential. Please repeat that to yourself another two or three times, Each time with more faith, More focus, And more clarity. Bring your attention now back to your physical body. Notice the way the air feels against your skin. The way your clothes feel on your body. And the way your breath feels as it enters your lungs and as it exits the same way. If you'd like to remain here lying down and simply fall asleep, Please skip this next part. If you're ready, Feel free to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Gently make some small movements right and left with your head. And when you're ready, You can slowly bend your knees and roll onto your side. Enjoy the way this new position feels for a moment. And then slowly push yourself up and find a comfortable seat. Bring your hands to your heart and thank yourself for joining this last 20 minutes of yoga nidra meditation, For cultivating a sense of personal freedom. I hope you feel light and brilliant, Creative and free. Thank yourself for joining. Namaste.