I was having a conversation with a student of mine over a cup of coffee. I don’t remember the entire conversation or the exact words, but I remember something she said very vividly. She mentioned how the changing of the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America made her realize that everything is made up.

What if we’re all being — only acting — from the place we know how to be? We don’t know…what we don’t know. Right? What if that person never had a loving family or community, and therefore never truly learned or understood love — unconditionally?

In yoga classes, we often spend most of our time focused on moving, breathing, strengthening, and stretching. But one of the most powerful practices in yoga asks us to do something much simpler: lie down and rest. Yoga Nidra is a practice dedicated entirely to this.