OPENING MESSAGE

As we move into the holidays, life tends to get louder.
Old patterns surface, expectations rise, and the roles we play become heavier.
But beneath all that noise is a quieter truth waiting to be heard.

Buddhism teaches that most suffering does not come from what happens to us, but from resisting things as they are.
We hold on to alarms long after the danger has passed.
We absorb cracked reflections that were never ours.
We wish people were different instead of accepting them as they are.
We rush through moments instead of inhabiting them.
And we perform roles we no longer need.

Tonight is an invitation to soften all of that.
To listen inward.
To notice the signs the Universe has been whispering.
To return to yourself with honesty and compassion.

Before we begin, take one breath in…
and quietly say:

“Lay it down. Release. Find myself.”

Let your breath guide you home to the light within you, the one that has been waiting for you to return.

🌕 TOPIC 1 – When Suffering Has Done Its Job

Metaphor: A smoke alarm that will not stop beeping
A smoke alarm is meant to alert you only when there is danger. But sometimes it chirps endlessly, even when the danger has passed or the battery just needs changing.

Even at the acupuncture clinic I go to, there has been a mysterious beeping for weeks. No one has taken the time to find the source, so everyone just tolerates it. We do the same thing with our suffering.

In Buddhism, this unnecessary tension that lingers after the danger is gone is called dukkha, the discomfort we keep living with simply because it feels easier than changing the pattern.

Suffering works the same way.
At first it signals something important.
But once the lesson is learned, the alarm keeps sounding only out of habit.

Most of us keep old alarms going long after the warning of danger has passed, simply because it feels easier to live with the noise than to make the changes that would finally silence it.

Tonight, ask yourself, Has this suffering completed its job? If the answer is yes, you do not need to keep carrying it, and it is time to just replace the battery.

Call to action:
“What pain have I mistaken for purpose, and can I set it down tonight?”

Quotes:
“Suffering is necessary until you realize it is unnecessary.” – Eckhart Tolle
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” – Buddhist teaching
“What you do not transform, you transmit.” – Richard Rohr
“You have walked through fire. Do not keep the ashes.” – David Scott

🌕 TOPIC 2 – What They Hate in You Is Missing in Them

Metaphor: A cracked mirror in a department store
You try on a shirt, look into the mirror, and something feels distorted.
Not because of you, but because the mirror itself is cracked.

Judgment works the same way.
People reflect their fractures, not your truth.

Buddhism teaches that when people project onto you, they are seeing through avidya, the lens of their own unexamined wounds and misperceptions.

Around the holidays, old relationships and old wounds can resurface.
Sometimes people react strongly to your growth, your peace, your light.

But remember: people attack what they have not yet awakened inside themselves.
You do not need to absorb their reflection.
You only need to stand clearly in your own.

Call to action:
“Is this my truth, or their fracture?”

Quotes:
“What they hate in you is missing in them.”
“You are not responsible for the distorted perceptions of others.” – Buddhist teaching
“Your light reveals what others refuse to see.” – David Scott
“Do not shrink to fit broken mirrors.” – Unknown

🌕 TOPIC 3 – The Gift of Letting Others Be Themselves

Metaphor: Holiday lights on a house
Some blink. Some stay steady.
Some glow warm. Some shine wild.
If every string were the same, the house would lose its magic.

Buddhism calls this upekkha, equanimity, the practice of letting others follow their own path without grasping or controlling.
And within upekkha lives kṣanti, the perfection of patient acceptance, the wisdom of allowing things and people to be exactly as they are.

We go into the holidays with expectations.
We want harmony, perfect conversations, calm interactions, everyone showing up in the version we prefer.

But people are who they are, and Buddhism teaches kṣanti, the liberating acceptance of things as they are.
When you soften your expectations and stop resisting the reality of others, you create the space where genuine connection can finally rise.

Call to action:
“Where can I release pressure and let someone simply be themselves?”

Quotes:
“Peace comes from accepting the moment as it is.” – Buddhist teaching
“Letting go gives us freedom.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Expectations are the architects of disappointment.” – David Scott
“Allow people to be themselves. That is love.” – Lao Tzu

🌕 TOPIC 4 – Presence Is the Only Gift That Matters

Metaphor: A wrapped present with nothing inside
Beautiful box. Perfect bow.
You open it and find only packing paper.
It looked meaningful, but it was empty.

Presence works the same way.
If you are here but not here, the moment becomes an empty box.

Mindfulness, or smṛti, teaches that presence is the deepest act of love.

During the holidays we start rushing, performing, proving, managing.
But the people you love do not need perfection.
They need presence.

Your presence is the greatest offering you can make.

Call to action:
“Where can I show up more fully in my life?”

Quotes:
“The most precious gift we can offer is our presence.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Wherever you are, be there.” – Jim Elliot
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” – Simone Weil
“Presence is love in action.” – David Scott

🌕 TOPIC 5 – The Courage to Stop Performing

Metaphor: An actor who never leaves the role
Some actors stay so deeply in character during filming that the role follows them home.
They speak, react, and even think as the character long after the cameras stop rolling.
But this does not only happen in Hollywood.
We do it, too.
We take on a role in our own lives, and over time, we forget how to take it off.
We do not just act the part, we become the persona.

Buddhism calls these identities sakkāya-diṭṭhi, the false selves the ego clings to.

We all carry roles:
The fixer.
The calm one.
The strong one.
The peacemaker.
The achiever.

These roles once protected us, but now they exhaust us.
Freedom begins the moment you stop performing and allow yourself to be real.

Call to action:
“What role am I ready to release so I can show up as myself?”

Quotes:
“You are allowed to stop pretending.” – Unknown
“Take off your mask. Your face is enough.” – Zen saying
“Authenticity is the highest form of courage.” – David Scott
“When you let go of who you think you should be, you become who you are.” – Brene Brown

🌕 TOPIC 6 – Returning to Your Inner Home

Metaphor: A porch light left on for you
When you come home late and see the porch light glowing, you feel welcomed. Safe. Expected.
Your inner world has the same light, always waiting for you to return.

In Buddhism, this return inward is called bhavana, the cultivation of the heart and mind.

During the holidays we scatter ourselves thin.
Giving, planning, absorbing others’ energy.
But beneath all of it is the quiet inner home we forget to visit.

The Universe gives you signs. Yoga teaches you how to hear them.

As a teacher, I am always a student first.
My practice shows me where to look, where I am still holding tension, where I need to soften.
And when I teach, I inevitably project what I myself need to hear most.
Teaching becomes the echo of my own awakening.

Tonight, let this practice bring you home.
Let it turn the porch light back on.

Call to action:
“What sign is the Universe giving me, and am I finally ready to hear it?”

Quotes:
“The way home is always inward.” – Buddhist teaching
“Silence is not empty, it is full of answers.” – Rumi
“Your practice shows you the path. Your teaching shares it.” – David Scott
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Sometimes, the teacher is yourself.” – Zen proverb
“Your inner light never goes out.” – David Scott

🌕 CLOSING MESSAGE

As we close our practice tonight, take a moment to feel what has shifted within you.

Suffering becomes unnecessary the moment you see it clearly.
Judgment loses its power when you realize it was never about you.
Love deepens when you stop trying to rewrite others.
Presence becomes the greatest gift you can offer.
Authenticity becomes the greatest gift you can receive.
And returning inward becomes the most sacred journey you will ever take.

Liberation is not somewhere far away.
It is found in small awakenings.
Moments like this one, where you choose clarity instead of confusion, presence instead of performance, acceptance instead of resistance.

As you leave tonight, take a gentle breath…
and let the mantra rise softly inside you:

“Lay it down. Release. Find myself.”

May it guide you through the holidays.
May it anchor you when the world grows loud.
And may it lead you back home to yourself again and again.