Yoga Nidra For Self-Liberation

Allow yourself to drift into a deep state of relaxation with this guided Yoga Nidra practice, inviting you toward the wisdom of your innate freedom. As you rest in stillness, you will be encouraged to release any tension & limiting thoughts while reconnecting with your divine right to liberation & ease. This nurturing session will help you embrace the calm knowing that you are supported and free to be your authentic Self, gently unfolding into the warmth of your divine essence & free-est Self.

This practice is most supportive if you're seeking uninterrupted relaxation, stress relief, wisdom, or a deepened connection with your personal power.

What is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a deep, active rest practice nicknamed “sleep yoga”. It includes aspects of meditation, breathwork, & visualizations to cultivate deep relaxation in the mind, body, & nervous system - all while remaining aware & conscious of our being.

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Binaural music by NaturesEye
Photo of Taylor Elane by Morgan Durrah

Transcript

Welcome to Yoga Nidra for self-liberation.

Take a moment to get settled into your space.

You might grab blankets,

Yoga bolsters,

Or pillows,

Maybe even any other items that make you feel cozy and comfortable,

And then make your way into a restful position.

You might be lying down on your belly,

Your back,

Or your side,

Or you might find an entirely different restful shape that feels comfortable for you.

Take as much time as you need to get absolutely comfortable.

There is no rush.

And once you feel settled,

Breathe easily and begin to soften into your space.

During our practice today,

I will invite you into a space between awake and asleep.

We'll gently explore our body,

Mind,

Sensations,

And breath.

Nothing is happening to you during our time together.

Know that you are present and breathing all on your own,

And I am offering opportunities to go deeper.

You might feel yourself drifting into a sleep-like state,

But I invite you to remain as present and aware as you can.

Whether you drift off or not,

There is no way to do yoga nidra wrong,

And the effects of it will still be felt.

You will now begin to settle further into and beyond your physical body.

I invite you to repeat this intentional reminder after me.

I will remain awake and aware during yoga nidra.

Bring to your awareness now your physical body.

Notice how you feel in your body in this moment.

Notice any aches,

Tenderness,

Or tension,

Or maybe the lack of sensation in some places.

Whatever you're sensing or feeling in your body,

Begin to give those parts of your body permission to release,

Releasing tension and resistance to relaxation,

So that you can find ease here and now.

Notice your breath and the energy it moves through your body.

Notice how you're breathing,

Observing the pace of your breath,

The temperature,

Or maybe even the texture of your own breath,

Without any judgment,

Just observing how your breath is moving and how your breath is supporting you.

And then you might begin to slow your breath down in your own way and in your own time.

As you slow down your breath,

You're inviting in a sense of calm in your mind,

Your body,

And your nervous system.

Settling and soothing yourself with your own slow and intentional breaths.

And then you might release control of the breath and notice any thoughts or emotions that may be present for you.

You can hold space for them simply by bearing witness.

You don't have to do anything with these thoughts or feelings.

You might observe them floating in your mind like clouds,

Drifting away one by one,

Letting them go,

Not holding on to one single thought or feeling.

And then you might begin to feel into a sense of connection with the earth underneath you,

Noticing how and where your body connects with the earth.

And then you might feel into the connection you have with yourself and the identities you hold.

You might even feel into a connection with the environment you're in and even others,

Other people or animals.

Take a moment to embrace this sense of connection that is all around you and always available to you,

Both inside of you and around you.

And you might even embrace a sense of gratitude for this connection here and now.

And then bring into your mind the image of a peaceful place,

A place where you feel supported and nurtured.

This place might exist in reality or your mind.

Notice what supports your ease and security in this peaceful place.

You might notice colors,

Sounds,

People or things.

Whatever this peaceful place is,

This is your refuge,

Your own personal sanctuary.

A place of refuge that you can come back to at any point during and after yoga nidra.

And then you might gently release this image of your peaceful place and allow your awareness to rest at your third eye.

The space right between your eyebrows.

Take a moment to tune into your inner wisdom that is housed there.

And with this inner wisdom,

I encourage you to set an intention or sankalpa for yoga nidra.

Notice what message you need to hear from your own inner knowing that grounds,

Soothes or affirms you.

If an intention is not coming to you easily,

I offer you this one.

I embrace liberation as my divine right.

I embrace liberation as my divine right.

You can repeat this sankalpa at any point to ground you during and after yoga nidra.

With this intention in place,

I will gently begin to guide your awareness to different parts of your body.

For you to freely observe and relax further without moving these parts of your body.

Begin to notice the crown of your head.

The very top of your head.

Just noticing the space there.

And then notice your forehead.

And feel into your forehead relax.

Notice your eyebrows soften.

Your eyelids.

Your cheeks.

And notice your mouth relax as well.

Notice your jaw unclench.

Your neck.

And notice your shoulders relax down.

Notice your right arm relax.

Your right hand.

And each finger on your right hand relaxes as well.

Notice your left arm.

And your left hand.

And each finger on your left hand relaxes too.

Notice your chest.

Your belly.

And feel into your belly let go,

Softening here and now.

Notice your upper back.

And your low back relax as well.

Notice your hips.

And your glutes soften.

Notice your right thigh soften here.

Your right knee.

Your right calf.

And your right shin relaxes too.

Notice your right ankle release.

Your right foot.

And each toe on your right foot relaxes too.

Notice your left thigh.

Your left knee.

Your left shin.

And your left calf relaxes here.

Notice your left ankle.

Your left foot.

And each toe on your left foot relaxes as well.

Notice the entire back of your body.

Relaxed as well.

Notice the entire front of your body.

Softened too.

Notice the right side of your body.

And the left side of your body.

Notice your entire body together.

From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.

All relaxed together here and now.

And then allow your breath to come into focus.

Notice your breath again.

And you might begin to slow your breath down once more.

Slowing down your inhales.

And your exhales.

Taking your time with your own breath.

And as you slow down your breath.

On your next inhale.

Breathe in for a count of three.

And on your exhale.

Release for a count of three.

Breathing in through your nose.

For a count of three.

And out of your nose.

For a count of three.

Continue to breathe in this way.

Breathing in for a count of three.

And out for a count of three.

As you breathe like this.

You're practicing the pranayama.

Of sama vritti.

Or even breath.

Allowing your inhales and exhales to balance.

Becoming the same length in space and time.

And as you continue with these slow and balanced breaths.

Notice the breath move in.

And follow it all the way down to the soles of your feet.

And then you might imagine the breath move up as you exhale.

Out through the crown of your head.

Imagining the breath flow in with your inhale.

Down to the soles of your feet.

And following the breath as it moves back up.

And out through the crown of your head.

Here you're allowing these balanced inhales and exhales to cleanse and clear the inside of your body.

Flowing easily.

And releasing any tension as you breathe too.

I invite you to take five more slow and intentional breaths in this balanced way.

And on your fifth exhale you might sigh it out with your release.

And then release the count of your breath.

Allowing your breath to move all on its own.

You might even notice the breath balance in its own way.

And with this awareness embrace a deepened sense of connection with your own breath.

And how it moves through your body.

And then repeat to yourself I am awake and aware.

I embrace liberation as my divine right.

And then allow your breath to soften into an easy pace.

Notice any sensations in your body.

You can just observe these sensations without judgment.

You might take note of familiar sensations or new ones.

And remember you can always return to your sankalpa or your place of refuge at any time if you need it.

And then gently bring into your awareness your body again.

Noticing how your body feels.

And you might begin to notice the weight of your body.

Noticing how heavy your body feels weighed down into the earth.

Feeling into this sense of heaviness as your body remains supported completely.

And then you might feel lightness in the body.

Embracing how light your body feels.

Almost as if it's completely whiteness.

And then you might feel into your body's heaviness again.

Weighed back down into the earth.

Embracing this sense of heaviness while your body is still completely supported.

And then feel into the lightness of your body again.

Embracing your body's weightlessness as if it's nothing but air.

Floating light and free as can be.

And then you might notice these sensations together.

The weightlessness and the heaviness of your body.

Feeling into your body's weight,

Balance and embracing your body's wholeness here with you.

And then you might repeat to yourself,

I am awake and aware.

I embrace liberation as my divine right.

And then bring into your mind the image of a golden ball of light.

Notice this golden ball of light sitting right above your head.

Right above the crown of your head.

Radiating warm golden light above you.

And as you breathe,

Notice this golden ball of light expand all around you.

Encircling you like a protective shield.

And this golden ball of light creates a comforting container for you.

Surrounding you with warmth.

Notice the feeling you have being held in this golden and warm energy.

Feel into a sense of being held warmly and also being free.

Knowing that here,

Any and all parts of you are welcomed.

There's space for all of you in this glowing ball of golden light.

Here you are free to fully be expressed.

This golden ball of light is your own little bubble of love,

Understanding,

And freedom.

Here you belong completely and fully as you are.

There's no right or wrong way to be here.

There's nothing for you to do and no one for you to be.

There's nothing you need to perform,

No roles or masks.

Here all of your needs are met as well.

And all of your desires are fulfilled too.

Here there is no lack or limits,

No barriers or blockages.

In this sacred space you are free to just be completely limitless and completely free.

This is your own invitation to return to liberation as your divine right just as you are.

And whatever comes up for you in this liberating space is held with you.

You don't have to hold anything here all on your own.

Any limiting thoughts or feelings can be released and given to this golden ball of light.

This golden ball of warm,

Liberating energy can hold these limiting thoughts or beliefs for you so you don't have to hold it.

Here you can let anything go that feels as if it's holding you back.

You have permission to release it and make more space for your own lightness,

For your divine freedom.

All the different parts of you have space to be and you can simply be here in this sacred golden ball of light.

You can rest here in this sacred space for some time uninterrupted and trust that you can rest easily knowing that you are worthy of this space,

Worthy of this nourishing,

Divine energy and return to your liberation.

Preparing to come back begin to notice what you felt in this sacred ball of light comfort and ease and you might even embrace a sense of gratitude for what you've experienced here held in this ball of light and liberation.

Know that all of you is worthy of this freedom and nourishment.

Affirm liberation is my divine right.

I embrace liberation as my divine right and with this affirmation you can come back to this space at any time knowing that liberation is always present and available right inside of you.

Knowing that you can come back to this space to this sacred golden bubble of light love and freedom you're going to start to come back to the environment that you're in into your body and as you come back feel into your breath again and you might notice the air on your skin feeling into your body you might gently move your body coming back into your body wiggling your toes gently or your fingers you might even extend your arms out you could gently rock your head side to side as well and if you're lying down you might roll onto one side of your body into a fetal position and pause there giving yourself time to simply be releasing urgency and pausing intentionally and when you're ready begin to push yourself up gently your eyes might still be closed and you might bring your hands to your heart space embracing another sense of gratitude for this time and space you might affirm here as well with your hands on your heart I embrace liberation as my divine right and you might breathe life into this affirmation,

Your sankalpa inhaling slowly and you might audibly release with your exhale sighing it out,

Sealing this intention or affirmation in place if your eyes are closed you might open them towards the ground and then bring your awareness back up into the space as you come back you might drink some tea or water you might journal or reflect in nature on what this freedom has felt like for you in our practice how your return to liberation feels for you notice what you need after your time here and honor that need.

In the meantime thank you for practicing with me,

Taylor Lane and for taking this time for yourself rest easy and take care