Diwali Yoga Immersion - From Darkness to Light | October 2025

Payal
Oct 15
3 min read

Updated: Oct 17

[Artist: Vipul Pulekar]

Diwali (Dīpāvalī)) Yoga Class: From Darkness to Light

A Special 2 hour Immersion

What if your yoga practice is Dīpāvalī's journey? From inner darkness to illumination. From fragmentation to wholeness. From ego to dharma.

This is the living truth at the heart of both yoga and Dīpāvalī.

Many of us who celebrate this five-day festival often look for parties and elaborate events. After all, it is a time to gather with family and friends, and arguably the most important observance of the year for Hindus. But for yoga sādhakas, this special celebration especially offers an opportunity for spiritual reflection. Dīpāvalī marks the homecoming of Śrī Rāma and Mātā Sītā, symbolising the restoration of dharma and harmony within the cosmos and ourselves.

Through this remembrance, we can move in rhythm with the spiritual energies of this time, listen to the stories within the Rāmāyaṇa, and understand how its central characters represent the yogic journey toward wholeness and liberation: light.

The timeless tale itself unfolds within our own bodies and psyches.

Dīpāvalī arrives on the new moon (20th/21st), and the celebration of keeping lamps lit throughout the night reminds us to keep the sacred fire of dharma alive even in our most difficult times. When the mind is engulfed in avidyā (ignorance), there is still the guiding light of the Self within, embodied by Śrī Rāma and his strength and source of power; the Divine Mother, Sītā.

Different regions of Bhārata celebrate the festival with unique emphasis. For example, North Indians honour Mā Lakṣmī (whose incarnation is Sītā Mātā) on the day of Diwali, cleansing and beautifying their homes, inviting abundance and auspiciousness, and receiving both spiritual and material blessings.

But there is deeper significance to this special period for spiritual seekers on the yogic path.

In the week of Dīpāvalī, we can celebrate through yoga practice: slowing down, connecting with our inner wisdom, meditating, listening to Vedic chants, receiving dharmic teachings, and hearing or watching the epic story of the Rāmāyaṇa that is at the heart of this festival. This brings physical, spiritual, and mental purification and balance.

Dīpāvalī falls on Kārtika Amāvasyā, the darkest night of the lunar month, when Chandra (the Moon) is completely hidden from view. The Sun and Moon conjoin, and their light turns inward, a time when outer activity softens, inviting reflection, stillness, and inner renewal.

The Moon governs the manas, our mind, emotions, and inner landscape. When the Moon goes dark, we are invited into the void, into the fertile darkness where all transformation begins.

The diyas we light on this day are external reminders of the inner light, the Ātman, the unchanging Self that can never be extinguished, no matter how dark the night.

Your yoga discipline (sādhanā) is the daily lighting of that dīya within.

Join me (Prana Embodiment Studio) and Her Space and Retreat to explore the deeper significance of this dharmic festival, a period for reflection, community spirit, and the rekindling of your inner fire, the light of consciousness that shines beyond sorrow, despair, and shadow.

RESERVE YOUR PLACE: On October 23rd, from 6–8pm, we are gathering at Her Space and Retreat in Southall for a Diwali Yoga class that honours this festival as it was meant to be experienced: in community and as a sacred inner pilgrimage.

We will explore:

The deeper significance of Dīpāvalī through yoga philosophy
How the Rāmāyaṇa mirrors your own inner journey
Practices to rekindle your inner fire and reconnect with your dharmic path
The Vedic astrological wisdom of this new moon portal

This is a 90-minute immersion into the living tradition of Sanātana Dharma, followed by 30 minutes of tea, connection, and community with like-minded women who understand that yoga is a path, not just a pose.

£16 | Limited to 10 spaces

Discover how the sacred story of Diwali unfolds within you.

Book via @herspaceandretreat or email: pranaembodimentstudio@gmail.com to reserve your spot.