Topic 1 – Diwali

“Diwali celebrates light’s power to overcome darkness, rooted in the story of Prince Rama in the Ramayana, who symbolizes righteousness and virtue. After overcoming immense challenges, he returned home, guided by the glow of countless oil lamps.

Tonight, let’s see the light within us like a steady pilot light—resilient and ever-present, even amid life’s demands. When we come together, these inner lights combine, like fusion, creating a radiance greater than any single light could on its own. As we move and breathe, may we honor our inner light and remember that together, we can illuminate even the darkest times.” – David Scott

Diwali celebrations in India are a vibrant mix of traditional customs and modern festivities. Here’s a look at how it’s celebrated today:

Lighting Diyas and Fireworks: Families light clay lamps (diyas) and place them around their homes, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness. Fireworks are often set off in the evening, filling the skies with color and sound.

Rangoli: Many people decorate the entrances to their homes with colorful rangoli—patterns created with colored powders, flower petals, or rice. These designs invite positive energy and welcome guests.

House Cleaning and Decorating: It’s common for families to clean and redecorate their homes. Fresh flowers, garlands, and string lights are often hung up, and homes are thoroughly cleaned as a way to welcome prosperity.

Shopping and Gifting: Diwali is one of the biggest shopping seasons in India. Families buy new clothes, gifts, and sweets, and exchange them with friends and neighbors as a sign of goodwill and blessings. Businesses often give bonuses to employees, and markets are bustling with discounts.

Puja (Prayers): On the main day of Diwali, people perform a special prayer ritual (Lakshmi Puja) in their homes, offering prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, asking for blessings of prosperity and protection.

Feasting on Sweets: Sweets are an essential part of Diwali, with families making or buying treats like laddoos, barfis, and jalebis. These sweets are often offered during prayers and shared with family, friends, and neighbors.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.” – Shakti Gawain

Topic 2 – Dropping Serotonin Levels

You may have noticed the the days have grown noticeably shorter, and the decrease in sunlight can start to affect our mood and energy levels. The Earth is gradually shifting the angle of sunlight, reducing the daylight hours as we move toward winter. Less exposure to natural light can lead to a drop in serotonin, the hormone that helps regulate mood, which is why we might feel a bit more sluggish or even a little down as the season shifts. It’s our body’s natural response to the light changes, and it’s a reminder of our deep connection to nature’s cycles.

Yoga and GABA Levels: A study from Boston University School of Medicine found that practicing yoga can increase levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter associated with reduced anxiety and improved mood. Elevated GABA levels were observed for up to four days after a yoga session, suggesting that regular practice may help maintain these benefits. By increasing GABA levels, meditation helps decrease anxiety. Additionally, serotonin, a powerful neurotransmitter, plays a major role in mood regulation. A deficiency of serotonin is associated with depression, and studies have shown that serotonin knockout mice, with the deletion of a serotonin receptor, exhibited more fear.

Yoga Nidra and Stress Reduction: An 11-minute Yoga Nidra meditation was found to significantly reduce stress and improve sleep quality and well-being in a large and diverse sample. While the study did not directly measure serotonin levels, the improvements in stress and well-being suggest a positive impact on neurotransmitter balance.

Topic 3 – Daily Habits

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.’ This aligns deeply with Buddhist principles, where it’s understood that our habits, our daily choices, lay the foundation of who we are and who we become.

In Buddhism, there’s the idea of ‘right effort’—the mindful, consistent action we take each day to move toward our highest self. Small, intentional steps repeated daily can carry us further than occasional leaps. Like a single drop filling a bucket over time, our smallest routines build the life we envision. Each breath, each movement, can be part of this daily practice of transformation.

Consider: what small change could you introduce into your daily life to support the person you want to become? Imagine each breath here as a small commitment to that change, a step toward a life of purpose and joy.”

“Remember, what you think, you become. Everything begins with your thoughts—they’re the seeds of your reality. Thoughts take form in your words, and words become your actions. Over time, these actions shape your habits and, eventually, your destiny. So, be mindful of what you feed your mind, for each thought you nurture will take root and grow. Choose thoughts that uplift and inspire, ones that align with the person you aspire to be, because these thoughts will lead you there, one step, one breath, at a time.” – David Scott

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”

Mixed Bag

“Yoga uses the body to discipline the mind and to reach the soul.” ~ BKs Iyengar

“Mastery of yoga is really measured by how it influences our day-to-day living, how it enhances our relationships, how it promotes clarity and peace of mind.” T.K.V. Desikachar

If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.

“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” – Brian Tracy

“Do not lose hope, please believe that there are a thousand beautiful things waiting for you. Sunshine comes to all that feel the rain.” – R.M. Drake

“First you jump off the cliff and you build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty.” – Zig Ziglar

“Detachment is an art of enjoying something while always being open to the possibility of losing it someday.” John B. Bejo

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. – Alan Watts

“True detachment isn’t separation from life but the absolute freedom within your mind to explore everything with no limits.”

“who is the happier person, they who have braved the storm of life and lived or they who have stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”

“The cave that you fear to enter, may hold the treasure that you seek,” Joseph Campbell

“It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Hellen Keller

“There is a paradox; you cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”

“What if the meaning of life was to enjoy it?”

“We come this way but once. We can either tiptoe through life and hope that we get to death without being too badly bruised or we can live a full, complete life achieving our goals and realizing our wildest dreams.” – Bob Proctor

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” – Buddha

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” – Arthur Rubinstein

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“People treat you the way you teach them to treat you.” – Jack Canfield

“To the heart in you, don’t be afraid to feel. To the sun in you, don’t be afraid to shine. To the love in you, don’t be afraid to heal. To the ocean in you, don’t be afraid to rage. To the silence in you, don’t be afraid to break.” ~Najwa Zebian

“Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.”- Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” – Mother Teresa

“And I said to my body softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath and replied, ‘I have been waiting my whole life for this.’” –Nayyirah Waheed

“One day it just clicks. You realize what’s important and what isn’t. You learn to care less about what other people think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realize how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess…and then you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become.”

“There is a diamond in you…

Stop looking for something, when something has already found you. You have been living with your eyes closed. Awaken. It is there. Take it. It is yours. It could all be yours. Everything. If only you believe in all the things that stir inside of you. You are marvelous. You are what you have been looking for.”