Bhakti Yoga, often called the "Yoga of Devotion," is a path that invites us to open our hearts and experience a deep, soulful connection with the Divine. For those new to yoga or seeking to understand this practice, Bhakti Yoga offers a simple yet profound way to cultivate love, gratitude, humility, and a sense of awe in our daily lives. It is the most widely practised form of yoga, although many in the West may be unfamiliar with its name.
What is Bhakti Yoga?
Bhakti Yoga focuses on love and devotion to the Divine. It encourages us to see the sacred in all things and to recognise the Divine presence in everyone and everything around us.
Sutra 1.23 from the Yoga Sutras tells us, “Boundless love and devotion unite us with the Divine Consciousness.”
In essence, Bhakti Yoga teaches us that we can find inner peace and a deep connection to something greater than ourselves through unconditional love and heartfelt devotion.
The Two Hearts of a Woman: A Unique Connection to Devotion
In exploring Bhakti Yoga, we can consider the unique way women are connected to their hearts. Every woman carries not just one but two hearts within her. One is the heart that beats within her chest, and the other is her womb heart—a sacred space of creativity, intuition, and potential. This duality symbolises a woman’s innate capacity for deep love and connection.
For those who become mothers, this can expand further to a third heart, which beats for her child. However, the concept of two hearts is not exclusive to motherhood; it represents a woman’s ability to feel deeply, love profoundly, and create life in its many forms. Bhakti Yoga taps into this innate capacity for love and devotion, encouraging us to nurture both physical and spiritual hearts and live in a way that honours both.
Connecting with the Heart: The Power of Gratitude and Humility
In Bhakti Yoga, feelings of gratitude and humility are not just emotions but powerful tools that help us connect to our hearts. When we practice Bhakti, we cultivate a sense of thankfulness for every experience, seeing them as opportunities for growth and understanding. This gratitude opens our hearts, allowing us to experience moments of awe and wonder at the beauty of life.
Bhakti Yoga encourages us to expand our hearts to embrace all of creation, finding the Divine in every encounter and experience. Just as a woman's two hearts — her beating heart and womb heart — connect her to both the material and spiritual worlds, Bhakti Yoga invites us to see the sacred in both our inner and outer lives.
Bringing Bhakti Yoga into Daily Life
You don’t need to be in a temple or on a yoga mat to practice Bhakti Yoga. It can be as simple as starting each day with a moment of gratitude. Take a few deep breaths, and silently express thanks for the new day, the people in your life, or even the challenges that help you grow. This simple act of gratitude can shift your perspective, allowing you to see life through a more loving and compassionate lens.
Another way to bring Bhakti Yoga into your daily routine is to practice humility. Acknowledge that we are all part of a larger whole and that there is much we do not know. This humility fosters a sense of awe, encouraging us to remain open and receptive to the wisdom of life.
As the Chinese proverb reminds us,
“When you drink the water, remember the spring from which it came.”
By honouring the source of all that nourishes us, we cultivate a deep sense of respect and reverence for life itself.
Embracing Bhakti Yoga Today
Bhakti Yoga is an invitation to live from the heart, to see the Divine in every moment, and to approach life with love, gratitude, and humility. Whether you are new to yoga or seeking to deepen your spiritual practice, Bhakti Yoga offers a path that is both accessible and transformative. By embracing love and devotion in our everyday actions, we can experience a profound connection with the Divine Consciousness that resides within us all.
Join me in exploring this in class from 17th September.
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