Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Evanston yoga studio honors Indian festival of lights

By Angela LuContributing Writer

North Evanston’s Heaven Meets Earth Yoga Studio celebrated Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, with a daylong program of events Saturday.

Gauri Thakar, owner of Leeba Creations, a boutique in Heaven Meets Earth, spearheaded the event with workshops on energy healing, family yoga and chanting. In addition, Tiffin Indian Kitchen supplied an Indian vegetarian dinner.

Diwali is one of the most important Indian holidays; it is based on the beginning of the lunar calendar and honors King Rama and Laxmi, the Indian goddess of prosperity and wealth. Each day of the festival, which begins Friday, honors a different deity.

Although the holiday has Hindu roots, it is now a more universal holiday, like Thanksgiving, that brings people together, Thakar said.

The celebration revolves around community, not only in India, but also here in Evanston, according to Heaven Meets Earth’s publicist Whitnie Wolverton.

“The essence of Diwali is people coming together and building community,” Wolverton said. “Evanston is a very ethnically diverse city … and it made very good sense (to celebrate Diwali) with the community, especially the community at Heaven Meets Earth, because they want to delve deeper. They want to be strong in their community and celebrate their similarities as well as their differences.”

Heaven Meets Earth Yoga Studio, located at 2746 Central St., is composed of two studios named “Heaven” and “Earth.” The studio is owned by Lisa Weber; the idea to establish a yoga studio came to her during a meditation. She opened Heaven three years ago; the Earth studio opened a year ago.

“We dedicated Earth right around Diwali,” Weber said. “It’s not a holiday I personally celebrate, but I embrace it because the roots are very meaningful to (Thakar) and that’s what this studio really does, helping people connect with their true self, their light … and projecting it in the world.”

Leeba Creations, which sells clothing, bags, scarves and jewelry made in India, opened two months ago in Heaven studio. The boutique brings jobs to women in India by giving them a place to sell the items they create.

An India native, Thakar sends her own product designs to India to be manufactured. Then, she travels to India and brings the items back to sell in her boutique.

The day started out slowly with only a few people coming out to the workshop, but the stream of people increased as the day wore on. About 20 people attended the family yoga, and by the concert and dinner, there were 40 people, mainly families.

Thakar said she believes the most important part of the Diwali is the sense of community.

“Everybody will give you a different perspective of what Diwali is, (but I think) it’s a time to celebrate and a time for a new beginning,” she said.

“I look at it as a time as people across culture, religion (and) socio-economic statuses forget that for a few days and just celebrate life, give their mind a break and eat lots of good food.”

Reach Angela Lu at [email protected].

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Evanston yoga studio honors Indian festival of lights