What is Bhakti Yoga?
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to take singing lessons to perfect my less than average singing voice. Since discovering Bhakti Yoga and devotional chanting though, I’ve come to appreciate my voice as an extension of my heart rather than something [else] I need to change about myself.
This powerful realisation has shifted my approach to chanting from needing to perform or sound a certain way, to it being a heart-felt, meditative practice that lands me in the present moment and frees me from the constant chatter of my mind.
But, Bhakti Yoga is so much more than that. It’s devotion to self-realisation that has transformed me like no other spiritual practice has. It is beautiful in its simplicity and accessible to everyone! So let’s dive in…
So, what exactly is Bhakti Yoga?!
Bhakti Yoga is one of the four traditional paths of Yoga as prescribed in ancient Indian Hindu texts. The Bhagavad Gita describes Bhakti Yoga as being a method to attain liberation from suffering, alongside Raja-Yoga, Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga.
The more popular and widely practised Raja-Yoga that you’d experience in most Yoga studios around the world, includes the practice of asana, pranayama and meditation, prescribes an eight-limbed system. It is said to lead to the same state of liberation. Also known in an of itself as ‘Yoga’.
A common definition of Yoga is ‘to yoke’. But have you ever wondered what is you are practising Yoga to ‘yoke’ with? Well, according to the Jivamukti Yoga method (NYC), Yoga is defined as ‘to remember God.
Okay…stay with me.
For the sake of easing any preconceived notions we may have around the word, let’s just say that ‘God’ can be whatever you want it to be. Acknowledging that there is something ‘else’ simply honours that there is a more powerful, cosmic force at play here in our lives. And most of us on this path of Yoga have sensed that this is true. A force which is separate to the physical world and something that cannot be seen nor felt. In this example, God is formless and at the same time, limitless and is the very essence which underpins all of creation.
Some other names or terms commonly used in Yoga to reference God include: Universal Consciousness, The Divine, Isvara or Brahman. The practice of Yoga is overcoming the small, egoic self to remember the existence of the Higher Self, which is the stuff of creation. So…Yoga is telling us we are already divine! Well, aren’t we??!!
Actually, how you choose to define God doesn’t really matter. What’s more important to understand is that Bhakti Yoga is a heart-led, devotional, spiritual practice through which you connect with this force.
Often referred to as ‘Yoga of the heart’, Bhakti Yoga is best enacted through love and service. And one such way to show your devotion is to chant. This is where the practice of reciting and chanting mantra comes in.
Join one of Amy’s Jivamukti classes at YC for a good ol’ fashioned chant!
CHANTING IN YOGA
According to Hinduism, to chant mantra is a way of re-connecting with ‘God’ as you know it and all that you already are. To me, this is one of the most profound teachings of Yoga and Hinduism in which the practice is steeped.
Hinduism prescribes countless names for God (or Brahman). One of my Yoga teachers explains beautifully that this is because the Divine was so expansive it wouldn’t fit into just one form.
As such, in Hinduism there are thousands of different names for God starting with the three head honchos: ‘Brahma’ the Creator, ‘Vishnu’ the Preserver and ‘Shiva’ the Destroyer.
Other popular names for God that you’ve probably heard include Krishna, Rama, Ganesha and Hanuman. All avatars of the Divine embody different qualities from which we can learn to be better humans. So, when we chant to them, we’re invoking a specific energy or intention.
We also chant mantra for the same reason we meditate or breathe mindfully. To connect with a glimpse of clarity and peace, so that when the proverbial sh*t hits the proverbial fan, we can take ourselves back to this place and manage any problem, loss, trauma or challenge more ably. US Kirtan artist Krishna Das says: “We don’t practice for the easy stuff. We practice for the hard stuff.”
WHAT OR WHO DO WE CHANT TO IN YOGA?
Well, we’re chanting to God as you know it. But equally, as a way of remembering you’re made of Divine light and supreme goodness. Love. That is, you don’t need to spend your whole life searching for love and validation because love is what you already are, and that which connects us all. There’s sweetness in this.
Why chant in Sanskrit?
We chant in Sanskrit because it is the ancient language of Yoga. Prayers to the Divine were heard in Sanskrit by ancient rishis and sages as they sat in deep states of meditation thousand of years ago. Then scribed in ancient texts so that these mantras carry throughout history and remain an important aspect of Hinduism and of course Yoga.
What are the benefits of Bhakti Yoga?
Healing through vibration: Sanskrit is a vibrational language. Meaning, each word in the Sanskrit alphabet has a resonant quality that we feel in the physical body and mind as we speak them. This is why it doesn’t really matter that you don’t get the mantra 100% perfect. You will still receive the vibrational benefit which penetrates and heals the body at a deep cellular level.
Dusting off the heart: When we chant the names of the Divine, we drop straight into the energy of the heart and clear out stuck or repressed emotions that stop us from connecting with our truest and most authentic self. When we’re in the heart, we’re no longer a slave to the workings of the mind.
Breathing in life: Chanting makes us breathe in a way that is mindful and complete. Chanting, like singing, requires us to breathe deeply whereby moving the body to the calm side of our nervous system and affirming us in the present moment.
WHY REPEAT MANTRA?
Mantras are most often repeated for the mediative qualities of doing so. Repeating the Ganesha mantra: “Om gam ganaypatye namaha” will be most effective when done so in repetition. It is only after chanting it again (and again…and again…and again) that the meaning of the word mantra starts to ring true:
man (mind) - tra (traverse)
It is only through repetition of the names of the Divine that we work to cross over the mind, unite with the Divine and ultimately remember who we are. The vibrational name of the Divine gives our mind something else to focus on instead of the loop of negative and Self-destructive thoughts. And who wouldn’t want that??
YC Founder Amy and myself sharing the practice of Kirtan on retreat in Bali earlier this year. 💗
WHAT IS KIRTAN?
Kirtan the practice of chanting the names of the Divine to music or song. The most common classical musical instrument used in Kirtan is the harmonium. If you’ve ever attended a Jivamukti Yoga class with Founder Amy Leonard-King at the Yoga Corner studio, you’ll know what I am talking about.
“Kirtan is the calling, the crying, the reaching across infinite space — digging into the heart’s deepest well to touch and be touched by the Divine Presence.”
Chanting in the form of Kirtan will most often give the mantra a melody which makes it easier to remember and as such is experienced on a much more profound level.
Kirtan is usually practiced in a group creating a blessed union of hearts and souls.
HOW CAN I START CHANTING?
Speak to your favourite Yoga teacher and ask them for advice on which mantra they think would be suited to your situation or circumstance. Or start with the scared mantra, Om. Join in at the start or close of class or even try chanting it silently to yourself for the same effect.
Or why not start with me right now! Join in with me as I chant Jaya Bhagavan.
Jaya which means victory, Bhagavan which is another name for the Divine Spirit. When chanted together in repetition we are calling out to our own Divine Spirit within. To all that which we already are.
Om
Jaya Bhagavan
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Hare Om
Happy chanting Yogis!
With love + light 💗✨
Lydia