Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion):
METTA's Bhakti Yoga Classes (Singing & Chanting): In this class, we will use singing chants as an act of devotion that opens the heart to the experience of supreme love. It is NOT necessary to have a good voice to practice this form of bhakti as it's all about the intention one holds in their heart. You can sit on the floor on a mat or sit in a chair if that's more comfortable.
By repetitively chanting sound vibrations, your mind can dissolve and rest, while your spirit takes over. The sounds permeate every cell of your being. You become free from repetitive thoughts. Every mantra means infinity and takes you beyond the cognition of your mind. These sounds impact consciousness at a very deep level. By listening to them or chanting them, we become able to communicate more effectively and attain greater clarity in our minds as well as purity in our words, deeds, and thoughts.
Bhakti is the practice that's centered on loving devotion. Bhakti can be practiced in many different ways. Since Bhakti emphasizes the interconnected nature of all things, as you direct love to places seemingly outside of yourself, you can actually pour it into yourself too.
Bhaktas (yogis who practice Bhakti yoga) chant and use their voices as an offering of love for god and this devotional act opens the heart to the experience of supreme love. Bhakti yogis might attend a kirtan and chant mantras or the names of deities, sing at church, or sing their favorite spiritual songs at home as an offering to the divine. It's not necessary to have a good voice to practice this form of bhakti as it's all about the intention one holds in their heart.
Chanting is the practice most commonly associated with bhakti yoga, but bhakti community members emphasize that it's not the only way to practice bhakti yoga. So if you're not into kirtan, singing, or chanting there are still plenty of ways to practice in the yoga of devotion.
By repetitively chanting sound vibrations, your mind can dissolve and rest, while your spirit takes over. The sounds permeate every cell of your being. You become free from repetitive thoughts. Every mantra means infinity and takes you beyond the cognition of your mind. These sounds impact consciousness at a very deep level. By listening to them or chanting them, we become able to communicate more effectively and attain greater clarity in our minds as well as purity in our words, deeds, and thoughts.
Bhakti is the practice that's centered on loving devotion. Bhakti can be practiced in many different ways. Since Bhakti emphasizes the interconnected nature of all things, as you direct love to places seemingly outside of yourself, you can actually pour it into yourself too.
Bhaktas (yogis who practice Bhakti yoga) chant and use their voices as an offering of love for god and this devotional act opens the heart to the experience of supreme love. Bhakti yogis might attend a kirtan and chant mantras or the names of deities, sing at church, or sing their favorite spiritual songs at home as an offering to the divine. It's not necessary to have a good voice to practice this form of bhakti as it's all about the intention one holds in their heart.
Chanting is the practice most commonly associated with bhakti yoga, but bhakti community members emphasize that it's not the only way to practice bhakti yoga. So if you're not into kirtan, singing, or chanting there are still plenty of ways to practice in the yoga of devotion.
The word bhakti is most often translated as "devotion" and here it specifically means devotion to god (whatever higher power you believe in). Remember that while the teachings of yoga are spiritual, the yogic concept of god is more generalized and open which makes yoga compatible with your individual religious belief. But if you're not into religion or the term "god", you can of course still practice bhakti yoga and swap the word god with your intuitive understanding of divinity (and totally swap that out for the word "god" mentioned anywhere on this website too!).
Derived from the Sanskrit root, bhaj meaning "to serve God," Bhakti yoga is a practice of selfless devotion and recognition of the Divine in everything. Bhakti yoga is one of the most common paths of spiritual development, particularly in India where the practice originated. The concept was first described in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, ancient Hindu texts which focus on liberation from suffering. Bhakti yoga involves surrendering to the Divine or uniting with the universal consciousness, through practices such as chanting, singing, dancing and selfless service within the community. The intention when practicing Bhakti yoga is to devote one's self to the Divine in everything, thereby realizing the union of atman (the individual self) with Brahman (universal consciousness). It is motivated by a love of god rather than a fear of negative repercussions or punishment, and the path therefore helps to develop love and acceptance for all beings. Surrender is both a necessary component and subsequent consequence of Bhakti yoga practice; by observing the divinity of everything in the universe, ideas of self and ego tend to dissolve, along with a sense of separation from others. Those who follow Bhakti yoga don't see themselves as separate from one another or from any other part of the universe, thereby enhancing feelings of love and unity. The bhakti yoga practice is cultivating intense love for whatever form of divinity you resonate with, whether it's a personal god (related to as a person) or more of a formless force. So energy, pure love, source, the great mystery, Absolute Truth, the supreme soul, Brahman, the Christian God, a hindu deity - use what suits you!
Derived from the Sanskrit root, bhaj meaning "to serve God," Bhakti yoga is a practice of selfless devotion and recognition of the Divine in everything. Bhakti yoga is one of the most common paths of spiritual development, particularly in India where the practice originated. The concept was first described in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, ancient Hindu texts which focus on liberation from suffering. Bhakti yoga involves surrendering to the Divine or uniting with the universal consciousness, through practices such as chanting, singing, dancing and selfless service within the community. The intention when practicing Bhakti yoga is to devote one's self to the Divine in everything, thereby realizing the union of atman (the individual self) with Brahman (universal consciousness). It is motivated by a love of god rather than a fear of negative repercussions or punishment, and the path therefore helps to develop love and acceptance for all beings. Surrender is both a necessary component and subsequent consequence of Bhakti yoga practice; by observing the divinity of everything in the universe, ideas of self and ego tend to dissolve, along with a sense of separation from others. Those who follow Bhakti yoga don't see themselves as separate from one another or from any other part of the universe, thereby enhancing feelings of love and unity. The bhakti yoga practice is cultivating intense love for whatever form of divinity you resonate with, whether it's a personal god (related to as a person) or more of a formless force. So energy, pure love, source, the great mystery, Absolute Truth, the supreme soul, Brahman, the Christian God, a hindu deity - use what suits you!
This deeply spiritual practice draws heavily on the Hindu pantheon of deities. Each of these deities is seen as representing a humanized aspect of the single Godhead or Brahman - much the same way the Christian saints represent specific attributes and qualities of God. The use of Hindu deities in Bhakti Yoga can be a large obstacle for Western practitioners, especially for those with a deeply religious background. But the use of the Hindu deities is not required for this practice - in fact, finding your own object(s) of devotion will be all the more effective in achieving yoga (union) with the Divine.
Understanding the real meaning of Bhakti:
It's hard to define Bhakti; one can feel it, realize it. With every breath, we sow the seeds of Bhakti, a love that sweeps us away beyond egoism, helps us to soar above the world, and changes us forever, touching the deepest core of our existence, our soul.
Bhakti is not about seeking that love but dropping the barriers against it that we've built inside ourselves. It opens the door to eternity within. It's the love that shines in our eyes as the light of our soul. Bhakti wakes us up to total worship, as we start to realize that everything reflects the Divine.
God's love is unconditional, and devotees acknowledge that love and reflect it back. A yoga practice that includes kirtan (call and response chanting) and mantra meditation are some ways they do so. In Bhakti Yoga, the blossoming of devotion towards God is the sweetest experience one can have.
A practitioner of Bhakti Yoga sees Divinity everywhere, and yet has an intense longing for the Divine.
Bhakti is one of the paths of yoga mentioned in the ancient Indian scriptures and traditional yoga systems and denotes the spiritual practice of lovingly devoting oneself to a personal god or form of God. Bhakti is basically a state of heart that is full of love, devotion, and surrender. For everyone, Bhakti Yoga teaches us that love is one's very own nature, not just an emotion.
By sharing yourself and this god realization, you have the opportunity to multiply the joy and celebration of your own existence in a loving relationship with a Higher Self. With the company of other devotees and yoga practitioners, this joy and celebration take the form of a loving and blissful community.
By surrendering to the love that you are, you can transcend worldly sorrow and pain, and experience total freedom in the simplest way possible.
By repetitively chanting sound vibrations, your mind can dissolve and rest, while your spirit takes over. The sounds permeate every cell of your being. You become free from repetitive thoughts. Every mantra means infinity and takes you beyond the cognition of your mind. These sounds impact consciousness at a very deep level. By listening to them or chanting them, we become able to communicate more effectively and attain greater clarity in our minds as well as purity in our words, deeds, and thoughts.
There are nine main practices of Bhakti Yoga that can be practiced independently or together. Each of these limbs creates a specific bhava (feeling) that appeals to different inner constitutions of practitioners.
The Nine Limbs of Devotion:
1. Shravana - "listening" to the ancient scriptures, especially potent if told by a saint or genuine bhakta
2. Kirtana - "singing" devotional songs, usually practiced in a call-and-response group format
3. Smarana - "remembering" the Divine by constantly meditating upon its name and form
4. Padesevana - "service at the feet" of the Divine, which incorporates the practice of karma yoga (selfless service) with bhakti (devotion).
5. Archana - the "ritual workshop" of the Divine through practices such as puja (deity worship), and havan or homa (fire offering).
6. Vandana - the "prostration" before the image of one's chosen image or representation of the Divine
7. Dasya - the "unquestioning" devotion of the Divine involving the cultivation of serving the will of God instead of one's own ego
8. Sakhya - the "friendship" and relationship established between the Divine and the devotee
9. Atmanivedana - the "self-offering" and complete surrender of the self to the Divine
The Benefits of bhakti yoga are immense, as Swami Sivananda writes, "Bhakti softens the heart and removes jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride, and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace, and knowledge. All cares, worries and anxieties, fears, mental torments, and tribulations entirely vanish. The devotee is freed from the Samsaric wheel of births and deaths. He attains the immortal abode of everlasting peach, bliss, and knowledge." The ultimate goal in the practice of Bhakti yoga is to reach the state of rasa (essence), a feeling of pure bliss achieved in the devotional surrender to the Divine.
Bhakti yoga, like yoga itself, is considered to be both the means and the end of the practice, meaning essentially we PRACTICE bhakti (lower) in order to reach the STATE of bhakti (higher).
Lower Bhakti (Apara-Bhakti): Apara-bhakti is the spiritual practice of using external aids and rituals to express ones' devotion to god that is honored as a separate entity from the self. These practices help the bhakti yogi (bhakta) purify their thoughts and channel their powerful emotions away from negativity and towards love for and devotion to god. The eventual complete surrender of the lower self to the higher self is thought to be the final opening needed to receive the blessing of higher bhakti.
Higher Bhakti (Para-Bhakti): It is believed that higher bhakti will arise naturally in time with the practice of lower bhakti and that this state frees the bhakta from suffering. In this state, the ego cannot assert itself so there is no longer a sense of god being separate from the self. In this sense, para-bhakti is similar to samadhi, or the union with the divine, that is the aim of all paths of yoga. In para-bhakti, the devotee no longer needs external devotional rituals as their heart is saturated with divine love, all things are seen as god, and all daily acts inherently become service to god.
Understanding the real meaning of Bhakti:
It's hard to define Bhakti; one can feel it, realize it. With every breath, we sow the seeds of Bhakti, a love that sweeps us away beyond egoism, helps us to soar above the world, and changes us forever, touching the deepest core of our existence, our soul.
Bhakti is not about seeking that love but dropping the barriers against it that we've built inside ourselves. It opens the door to eternity within. It's the love that shines in our eyes as the light of our soul. Bhakti wakes us up to total worship, as we start to realize that everything reflects the Divine.
God's love is unconditional, and devotees acknowledge that love and reflect it back. A yoga practice that includes kirtan (call and response chanting) and mantra meditation are some ways they do so. In Bhakti Yoga, the blossoming of devotion towards God is the sweetest experience one can have.
A practitioner of Bhakti Yoga sees Divinity everywhere, and yet has an intense longing for the Divine.
Bhakti is one of the paths of yoga mentioned in the ancient Indian scriptures and traditional yoga systems and denotes the spiritual practice of lovingly devoting oneself to a personal god or form of God. Bhakti is basically a state of heart that is full of love, devotion, and surrender. For everyone, Bhakti Yoga teaches us that love is one's very own nature, not just an emotion.
By sharing yourself and this god realization, you have the opportunity to multiply the joy and celebration of your own existence in a loving relationship with a Higher Self. With the company of other devotees and yoga practitioners, this joy and celebration take the form of a loving and blissful community.
By surrendering to the love that you are, you can transcend worldly sorrow and pain, and experience total freedom in the simplest way possible.
By repetitively chanting sound vibrations, your mind can dissolve and rest, while your spirit takes over. The sounds permeate every cell of your being. You become free from repetitive thoughts. Every mantra means infinity and takes you beyond the cognition of your mind. These sounds impact consciousness at a very deep level. By listening to them or chanting them, we become able to communicate more effectively and attain greater clarity in our minds as well as purity in our words, deeds, and thoughts.
There are nine main practices of Bhakti Yoga that can be practiced independently or together. Each of these limbs creates a specific bhava (feeling) that appeals to different inner constitutions of practitioners.
The Nine Limbs of Devotion:
1. Shravana - "listening" to the ancient scriptures, especially potent if told by a saint or genuine bhakta
2. Kirtana - "singing" devotional songs, usually practiced in a call-and-response group format
3. Smarana - "remembering" the Divine by constantly meditating upon its name and form
4. Padesevana - "service at the feet" of the Divine, which incorporates the practice of karma yoga (selfless service) with bhakti (devotion).
5. Archana - the "ritual workshop" of the Divine through practices such as puja (deity worship), and havan or homa (fire offering).
6. Vandana - the "prostration" before the image of one's chosen image or representation of the Divine
7. Dasya - the "unquestioning" devotion of the Divine involving the cultivation of serving the will of God instead of one's own ego
8. Sakhya - the "friendship" and relationship established between the Divine and the devotee
9. Atmanivedana - the "self-offering" and complete surrender of the self to the Divine
The Benefits of bhakti yoga are immense, as Swami Sivananda writes, "Bhakti softens the heart and removes jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride, and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace, and knowledge. All cares, worries and anxieties, fears, mental torments, and tribulations entirely vanish. The devotee is freed from the Samsaric wheel of births and deaths. He attains the immortal abode of everlasting peach, bliss, and knowledge." The ultimate goal in the practice of Bhakti yoga is to reach the state of rasa (essence), a feeling of pure bliss achieved in the devotional surrender to the Divine.
Bhakti yoga, like yoga itself, is considered to be both the means and the end of the practice, meaning essentially we PRACTICE bhakti (lower) in order to reach the STATE of bhakti (higher).
Lower Bhakti (Apara-Bhakti): Apara-bhakti is the spiritual practice of using external aids and rituals to express ones' devotion to god that is honored as a separate entity from the self. These practices help the bhakti yogi (bhakta) purify their thoughts and channel their powerful emotions away from negativity and towards love for and devotion to god. The eventual complete surrender of the lower self to the higher self is thought to be the final opening needed to receive the blessing of higher bhakti.
Higher Bhakti (Para-Bhakti): It is believed that higher bhakti will arise naturally in time with the practice of lower bhakti and that this state frees the bhakta from suffering. In this state, the ego cannot assert itself so there is no longer a sense of god being separate from the self. In this sense, para-bhakti is similar to samadhi, or the union with the divine, that is the aim of all paths of yoga. In para-bhakti, the devotee no longer needs external devotional rituals as their heart is saturated with divine love, all things are seen as god, and all daily acts inherently become service to god.
How to Practice Bhakti in the Modern World:
You might be thinking, okay, great! So what does a bhakti yoga practice actually look like? Does it involve asana practice? Read on, friends, and I'll share some common forms of apara-bhakti so you can try it for yourself if you can't attend a singing/chanting class and/or want to add other forms.
You might be thinking, okay, great! So what does a bhakti yoga practice actually look like? Does it involve asana practice? Read on, friends, and I'll share some common forms of apara-bhakti so you can try it for yourself if you can't attend a singing/chanting class and/or want to add other forms.
- Chanting/Singing: See description above.
- Japa Meditation: Japa is a mantra meditation using the repetition of a word or short phrase that focuses the mind on god and replaces negative thoughts and feelings with joy and love. Bhaktas use mantras given by their teachers or ones they feel drawn to and often practice daily. They might use a mala to count 108 mantra recitations, set a timer, or recite internally or with a quiet voice throughout the day.
- Visualization Meditation: Bhaktas may also meditate using their personal image of god (ishta devata) as the object of meditation. Training the mind on a personal form of divinity while feeling into the heart center cultivates closeness with the divine.
- Contemplation: Students of the bhakti tradition also engage the mind in contemplation to hone their discernment between the external and the temporary. Bhakti yoga practitioners might read sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita or the Bhakti Sutras, or listen to inspiring divine stories to maintain a spiritually rooted perspective on life.
- Prayer: Bhakti yogis pray not for material things, but with genuine gratitude and humility asking mostly to come home to the divine. A bhakti yogi might pray at the end of meditation practice or a few times throughout the day and ask for greater heart opening and connection to the source.
- Puja: Puja means "act of worship" and is a ceremonial offering to the source found in many traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Vedism (meaning "relating to the Veda" or the Vedic texts), and more. Anyone can use pujas to strengthen their connection with god by offering food, light, water, flowers, etc. to an image of the divine on an altar or out in nature.
- Devotional Service: Relationships can become apara-bhakti practices as bhaktas practice seeing god in everyone and thus by serving others they devote themselves to god while creating positive change in the world. Helping people when asked, before asked, and volunteering to do the things others don't want to do with the intention of serving the divine are simply ways to walk the path of devotion. One might also channel their love for god into their relationship with the planet and act in service of the environment.
- Spending Time in Nature: Some say that to become a devotee, we need only to experience the splendor of nature or contemplate the cosmos. As we sense our smallness in the world and the universe we cannot help but reconnect with something larger than ourselves. A devotee might spend time simply being in nature or gazing at the stars and sensing the presence of the divine in the miraculousness of all things.
- Practicing Gratitude: Expressing heartfelt gratitude internally or externally for the blessings of our lives can be a powerful bhakti practice. Whether it's in the day-to-day moments of life or during meditation, everything can become a source of gratitude and strengthen our love for god. We can be thankful for our physical body, our food (and no, it doesn't have to be sanctified vegetarian food LOL), and the people, help, and teachings that come into our lives. And since changing our perspective is basically like swapping our realities, even thanking god for challenges, hardships, and being grateful for no reason at all shifts us into a state of love and enlivens our relationship with the divine.
Metta is "loving kindness."
Most simply, metta is the heartfelt wish for the well-being of oneself and others.
Click here to read more about "What is Metta."
Most simply, metta is the heartfelt wish for the well-being of oneself and others.
Click here to read more about "What is Metta."
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