Yoga101: What Is Bhakti Yoga And Why Should You Do It Everyday?

NEW YORK - Sept. 27, 2018 - PRLog -- Intro


It is one of the 4 main paths of yoga- Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Gyana (Jnana) Yoga, which aims to unite the yoga practitioner with the divine. Bhakti is a Sanskrit term which translates to 'love' or 'devotion'. This is why Bhakti yoga is all about devotion/love towards the God.

This is the easiest path to spiritual enlightenment and can help practitioners to achieve a union of their body, mind, and soul. It is quite different from the other 3 yogic paths as it only requires an open and loving heart for the practice.

Bhakti Yoga is a great way to get rid of anger, jealousy, ego, etc. and can fill you with joy and positivity. It helps the devotee get free from the materialistic attractions and allows them to differentiate between the real and the unreal, quite efficiently.

The ultimate goal of this yoga style is to achieve a state of complete blissfulness by devoting yourself fully to the divine.

Short History
Bhakti Yoga is one of the oldest forms of yoga which can be found in the ancient scriptures of India, the Vedas. However, Bhakti yoga didn't form distinctly until 500 B.C. when Bhagavad Gita was finally composed.

Bhakti Yoga gained focus in India as bhaktimarg which was quite popular from 800 to 1100 A.D. About 900 devotees of Krishna came together to form Bhagavad-Purana scripture which contained all the instructions by Krishna to his devotees. In Bhagavad-Purana, you will find texts which will mention that bhakti is the best path to be united with God and achieve a state of blissfulness.

Bhakti Yoga Practice
Bhakti Yoga is quite easy to incorporate in daily life, as long as you have an open and loving heart. There are 9 principles of bhakti that you can follow to practice.

You don't have to practice all these methods together but practicing of even one or two of these methods is a great way to reach the path of spiritual enlightenment.

• Sravana – In this Bhakti yoga practice, students need to listen to songs and stories about God and their deeds from a teacher.
• Kirtana – This method requires the students to chant and sing about God lovingly and praisingly.
• Smrana – This Bhakti yoga method requires you to remember God at all times and always keep him foremost in your conscience.
• Archana – In this method, you purify your heart and devote it to God. This is done by visualizing God's image or by worshiping God through external images.
• Vandana – This form of Bhakti yoga require you to lie down and pray so that you aren't self-absorbed anymore.
• Padasevana – By helping out others who are sick and in need of your help, you express your love for the God.
• Dasya – In this Bhakti yoga form, the yoga practitioner considers himself/herself a slave of God and works to fulfill his commands. They help the sick and the needy and also clean and repair holy places and buildings.
• Sakha-bhava – With this practice, you consider God as your friend and love him as you would do a friend or a family.
• Atma-nivedna – In this Bhakti yoga form, you surrender yourself completely to God.

The bhakt(Devotee) needs to practice these 9 principles every day in life to achieve the ultimate bliss and become one with the divine.

Course & Difficulty Level
Bhakti Yoga is one of the easiest yoga paths to achieve enlightenment and union with the divine. It is open to beginners and experienced yoga practitioners and practiced by people of all ages, religions, sizes, etc.

All you need is complete and utter devotion and a willingness to be open about ideas. But, most importantly, you need to have a strong will to leave the illusions of the world and become one with the God inside you.

Aasanas
There are no yogic poses to practice Bhakti Yoga because it focuses on your mind and heart and not your physical aspect. So, you can assume a simple cross-legged pose while practicing the Bhakti Yoga and can hold the same pose for the entire practice session.

Just make sure that you are sitting in a comfortable position and learn to endure slight discomfort while practicing Bhakti yoga.

The Difference to Other Yoga Styles
Bhakti Yoga is quite different from other yoga styles because it doesn't require you to be in good physical or intellectual shape. All it needs the yoga practitioners is to be loving and devotional. You don't need to practice any poses in this yoga form to attain liberation, you just need to have faith in God and yourself.

This is why it is one of the easiest yoga forms to practice because it doesn't expect too much out of you. You don't need to perform it during a specific time or place, it can be practiced throughout the day.

Impact on Health
Bhakti Yoga is the easiest and quickest way to self-realization and requires the use of only your open and compassionate heart. There are many benefits to practicing bhakti yoga apart from this which might persuade you to give this yoga style a try.

• It gets rid of the negative emotions and thoughts like anger, jealousy, ego, and so on. This allows you to stay positive and feel confident which, in turn, reflects on your health.
• This yoga practice is great to keep worry, stress, tension, etc. at bay and can allow you to feel calm and relaxed under strenuous situations as well.

You can learn to control your breathing which will ensure that all your organs are properly oxygenated.

Original Article: https://www.yogi360.com/blogs/yoga-101-bhakti-yoga/