What is Bhakti Yoga?
What keeps us from realising our true nature? Bhakti yoga explains that the main issue is that we have disassociated from the sacredness and divinity that encompasses and comprises everything in the Universe, including ourselves. Because of this, we often see ourselves as a separate part of a very mundane world.
Bhakti yoga is a practice of selfless devotion and recognition of the sacred or divine in everything. To encourage Bhakti, it is helpful to start by cultivating reverence to something which appears to be separate from one’s self through acknowledgment of the sacred essence within it.
Practices to cultivate Bhakti
This could be as simple as appreciating the fact that you have woken up each morning. It could be an acknowledgment of the aliveness in your breath. The pulse of your heartbeat. Or simply noticing the innate beauty in a flower or the sunshine.
A simple blessing of appreciation for all that goes into the food we eat is another example of Bhakti. On more subtle levels, chanting prayers or mantras is also a lovely way to get in touch with the Divine qualities in the manifest Universe, as well as more elaborate rituals, such as Aarati and puja.
The tricky part is to notice when the sacred love has been discovered and to turn that gaze inward. In doing this, you might realise that the Divinity and reverence you feels toward something is actually the very same, sacred love which resides within your own own heart.
The Bhakti then becomes the recognizing of the very same Divinity that weaves itself into EVERYTHING that exists, including ourselves! In this way, the differentiation between seer, seeing, and seen dissolves. What is left is only sacred and divine One-ness.
This is the third in Tracey's series looking at the 4 Paths of Yoga. Read more:
Tracey Uber Cook is an internationally recognised yoga and meditation teacher with over two decades of experience helping adults and children maintain joy and wellbeing. She specialises in teaching pranayama/meditation, personal development, yoga philosophy, and yoga accessibility for the whole community.