Diwali is here and interestingly enough, I’ve been thinking a lot this week about connecting with the light within me – by going inward. My tool for going inward? Classical yoga. “Classical” yoga is a science that was developed thousands of years ago and when yoga is practiced strictly using these scientific methods, it promises to take you on an inward journey and bring you in union with your light – or the very source of creation. Yogis who have experienced this tell us that when you are in complete union with the source of creation, you literally experience the whole universe as one entity. All boundaries are shattered and this union produces complete joy and bliss. I’m guessing it’s akin to that amazing feeling we all have when we feel deeply connected to another human being, a pet or even nature – just much, much deeper, more powerful and immensely profound.

So why do I want to go inward, tap into this “light” or “source of creation” and try to connect with the universe? What’s in it for me? Why am I choosing to spend between one to two hours a day for quite possibly the rest of my life on this endeavor?

I confess I started on this journey last week purely to seek physical and mental benefits. I wanted (and still want) beautiful skin, a fit body, more energy, better concentration and focus, a calm and stable mind, and vibrant health (including the ability to digest a long list of nourishing foods that my body is currently incapable of digesting). Working on my digestive health using functional nutrition has cured a long list of awful symptoms I endured for several years: depression, chronic fatigue, difficult food cravings, PMS, insomnia and hair fall . It is also slowly clearing up annoyingly persistent cystic acne. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease I was diagnosed with in 2004 – can compromise so many body systems that result in so many symptoms- it’s downright mind-boggling. So while I’ve done and continue to do a lot of work nutritionally to stay healthy; I finally committed to daily classical yoga last week, with a hope of taking my physical, mental and emotional health to a new level.

Changes I’ve noticed with one week of practice

Physically – my muscles feel a little stronger, my joints more flexible, and I’m satiated with less food.

Mentally and emotionally I’ve had amazing results and they were almost immediate – they magically started creeping in after only one day of practice. I’m calmer and definitely less affected by the daily stressors of life.

Here’s where it gets really interesting though. Inherently a very sensitive individual, I am usually easily affected by other people’s behavior towards me – especially my near and dear ones. This week however, I seem to be unconsciously more aware of my husband’s and daughter’s feelings. Since my feelings are more stable, I’m not always consumed and distracted by how I feel. I’m not taking things as personally as I did before, and instead unconsciously reacting in a light-hearted and cheerful manner . Whoa, this is a huge step for me! What’s crazy is that it’s all happening unconsciously. So I’m not making any conscious effort to be a certain way.

This is what I think is happening instead: The daily practice of classical yoga is helping me tap into my inner light – the very source of creation – which is unconsciously connecting me to others around me. This is essentially what yoga is after all. Yoga literally means “union”, and its ultimate goal is to bring a human to the realization that the universe is one single entity – the realization that you are one with all of creation and that all of creation is one with you.

So while I initiated my classical yoga practice last week for specific physical, mental and emotional health benefits, the practice has also thrust me on a powerful journey inward. My experience thus far has been magical and surreal, and yet deep down I know that connecting with my source is the most real thing I’ll ever know – for it is essentially the only reality. Of course I still desire the mentioned health benefits , but this past week’s experience has left me wanting for more. I now want to live life to my fullest potential and I’m beginning to understand that this is only possible when you literally feel connected to and respond (act) like you are one with all that is part of creation.

I suspect that for some, connecting to their source or light comes intuitively but probably intermittently. For others (like me) and those seeking more, thankfully there’s classical yoga. Yoga initiated me on an incredible journey inward this Diwali. My sincerest wish for you is to come along on this journey with me. Happy Diwali. May your light shine bigger and brighter ✨.