If you think of yoga as a tree having many branches, roots and flowers, you can begin to understand that there are many sides to it to help you explore and develop an awareness of your higher self and connect with the Divine, or God.
One of those branches is Bhakti Yoga (pronounced Bok Tee). It is the Yoga of Devotion. Yoga scholar, David Frawley calls bhakti yoga, "the sweetest of the yoga approaches and often more accessible than the other forms of yoga." In its purest essence, bhakti yoga is connecting to God or the Divine, whether through meditation, repeating a mantra, saying a prayer, or participating in a kirtan. What it feels like is complete love and connection, not only with your higher self, but with God.
It's a branch of yoga I am intrigued with and one in which I want to develop a more personal, disciplined practice. I can do this at home as I pray or meditate at my alter, practice japa (mantra repetition) on my mala or rosary beads, or sing along to some beautiful music.
One of the easiest ways to start practicing bhakti yoga is by going to a kirtan. A kirtan is a group call and response musical "concert" where the musicians/singers will sing beautiful chants/mantras and the audience repeats those words. You don't have to sing or be able to sing in order to participate. You don't have to sing at all and just sit and listen to the music.
It may sound a little strange at first and you may feel out of your comfort zone, but I promise you, you will feel something beautiful and expansive inside by sitting there and absorbing that heart-centered energy. Kirtans have been known to build the Shakti energy inside, bring more love, freedom and creativity and calm your mind.
If you are interested in attending a kirtan, well friends, there is one going on this Friday, January 30th at the Yogahome Studio in Symmes. Mike Cohen will be leading it and I always try to catch him when he's in town. I'll be there too chanting my heart out, I hope you will be too.
Please check out Yogahome's site for details and pricing. And yes, you can bring your kids too.
Some chairs will be available, but you might want to bring a cushion as you will be sitting on the floor.
http://www.yogahome.net/
Hope to see you on Friday.
Namaste ,
Susan
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2 comments:
When, or if, you decide to become a Yoga teacher, you should start with a basic Yoga teacher training course that gives you an overview of all of the
fields within Yoga. If you decide to specialize, it is best to do it when the need becomes apparent.
If you have starting yoga teaching it is very intersting.yoga teacher training course
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