"I'm so tired. But even when I lie down, I can't seem to actually rest." If you've said something to this effect, even just to yourself, I want you to know I hear you. And I want to share something that might bring a little relief. What you're describing has a name. In the yogic tradition, we understand the body as the first and most foundational layer of our experience... the Annamaya Kosha, or the food body. When this layer is struggling, rest feels impossible even when we desperately want it. The nervous system stays switched on. Sleep doesn't fully restore. There's a kind of bone-deep fatigue that just seems to linger no matter what you do. This is the state of the Rooted One — someone whose body is asking, very quietly and very persistently, for permission to feel safe. This is one of the five states I've been mapping in my work, and it's where so many people find themselves without ever realizing it (OVER 38% OF YOU)! The exhaustion feels personal. It feels like a failure. But it's actually the body doing exactly what it was designed to do (protect you) and just needing a little help learning that it's okay to stop. WHAT UNDERSTANDING THIS CAN OPEN UP FOR YOU When you can recognize yourself in this state, something subtly shifts. You stop fighting your body and start listening to it. Even simple things... the way you breathe, the way you transition into rest... begin to feel different. Sleep becomes more accessible, and that low hum of tension starts to ease. You don't have to overhaul your life. You just have to learn the language your body is already speaking. To learn more, join our VIP Supporters and gain access to our LIVE Rooted Ones Experience. We're starting right here, with the body layer, and I'll walk you through what it actually means to come home to yourself. Gently. Without pressure. Just a grounded conversation and a practice to bring you back to rest and community.

As we move into exploring The Rooted One, the first of the Five States of Rest (LIVE experience with @Ayla Nova this week) I’ve been thinking about a book that found me at a time when I was learning that rootedness and belonging were relationships to rebuild with myself. The book is: 📖 If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie 📖 This isn’t an easy book to summarize because it moves like myth, memoir, nature writing, and philosophy all at once. It weaves together Celtic mythology, the Heroine’s Journey, ecology, women’s stories, grief, identity, and the question: What happens when we become disconnected from ourselves, our bodies, our communities, and the land? And perhaps more importantly… What becomes possible when we return? The book suggests that rootedness is in fact a relationship. To place, community and our ancestry. To the natural world and her cycles. To the abandoned parts of ourselves. One line from the book that really 'took root' (hehe): “To change the world, we women need first to change ourselves – and then we need to change the stories we tell about who we are.”— Sharon Blackie It really reminded me of this Yoga Nidra journey we're all on and I thought I would share! Who is joining us on Thursday?🌳🌳🌳

Hi beautiful community, I am writing to you from the Sacred Valley in Peru, resting deeply among mountains, rivers, and a community of kindred souls. Taurus season has a way of asking us all to slow down, find our roots, and return to ourselves. My body has been leading the way, and I am following. Over the next two weeks, I will be taking on nature’s pace; breathing with the stillness of the mountains and flowing with the current of the rivers. My response times may be slower than usual, but you are not forgotten. If anything needs urgent attention while I’m away, @Alisha Macedo is here to support you. You can reach her by emailing contact@aylanova.com and she will be happy to help. Thank you for holding this space with so much grace and care. I hope you are finding moments to slow down and let nature set the pace for you, too.

I want to introduce you to someone. In the framework I've built my work around — the 5 States of Rest — the first state is the one I see most. I call them the Rooted One. This isn't a personality type. It's a state the body moves into when it's been holding too much for too long. And know this... you might sense yourself in all five states, but most people have one that's most familiar. (I've been in a place where safety felt impossible to believe. I know what it's like to feel truly betrayed by your own body. And I also know what it feels like to come home to it again.) Let me introduce you to the Rooted One. They don't feel lazy. They feel disconnected from themselves. Sleep doesn't fully restore them. They're exhausted but wired. They keep trying to think their way out of something that actually lives in the body. Just sit with that for a moment. Your body has been working so hard to protect you. That's not failure, but your body asking to come home.

Go check your email, Nova Nidra family... your results are on their way at 11am PT! (in 40 Minutes) A few things to keep in mind as you receive them: The state you got reflects the state that was most dominant when you took the quiz. Think of it as a mirror showing you where your system is resting right now... not a permanent label, just an honest reflection of this moment. So don't overthink it. Receive it. Sit with it. Then come back here and share: 👉 Which state did you get? 👉 What landed for you? What surprised you? We'll be exploring these States of Rest more together over the coming months. For now, let your state breathe with you. 🌿 Can't wait to see what comes up in the comments!