How to Practice Bhakti Yoga

by Lauren Lalita

What is Bhakti Yoga?

Bhakti Yoga is the spiritual path of love and reverence for the divine. You don’t have to be a super yogi, advanced meditator, or chanter of Sanskrit to bring these simple rituals into your life. It doesn’t even require a yoga mat or yoga poses. 

Why would we do this? The more we live with reverence towards something higher than ourselves, the more love swells within us. The more time we spend in love with all of creation, the more joyful and loving we become. 

Learn more about yoga as a whole and all four paths of yoga.

Bhakti yoga is one path of yoga in which we seek union with the divine through devotion. It is the yoga of the heart. It is all about what you feel. We seek the vibration, the feeling of awe and love that wells up inside us. 

The bhakti yogi enters into a relationship with the beloved divine. Your beloved divine can be a diety with a specific name and form. Or your beloved divine can be a general idea of the universe as energy. The particular shape that you give to the divine is up to you. 

Some people think of the divine as a mother, nurturing all of creation, like the goddess Durga, who rides on a lion. To some, a fatherly Yahweh resides up in heaven. The divine energy of creation can be a devoted lover like Shiva or an innocent babe like the Christ child. For Rumi, the Sufi mystic, the divine was the Friend. 

The mystic Sri Ramakrishna said “Many are the names of God, and infinite the forms that lead us to know Him. In whatsoever name or form you desire to call Him, in that very form and name you will see Him.”

It’s hard to know the unknowable. To make it easier, we give a personality and a face to the divine, then tell myths and stories about them. Choose what inspires you. No matter the form of divinity, they are each a valid manifestation of universal consciousness. 

I’ve walked down many paths, but I’m busy these days. Done regularly, woven into my daily life, I have found these simple bhakti practices to be sweet and swift, an open road to spiritual experience. 

1. Establish an altar

Create and adorn a dedicated sacred space where the energy of your Beloved can reside. Perhaps add an image or form that reminds you of the divine and inspires you. Your altar is a place to meditate regularly, where you can always come to be in a relationship with a higher power. 

2. Sing or say the names of the divine

Saying, chanting, or singing the names of God as devotional practice shows up all over the world - from Benedictine monks to dreadlocked rishis in the Himalayas. Repeating mantras on a mala as meditation, praying the rosary, or singing the names of God is a beautiful way to connect to our Beloved Divine.

Singing, chanting, praying, or playing an instrument, all help raise your vibration. Whether a traditional kirtan song, a church hymnal, or a folk song, choose a tune that moves something in your heart. You don’t have to sing well. Let the feelings well up. It does not matter what it sounds like, all that matters is the emotional quality, the bhavana. Get out of your thoughts and step into your feelings. My shower has received a lot of divine vibration over the years in the form of devotional shower singing!

Rather learn how in a group? Look for a local kirtan - simple call and response singing. Or join me on retreat in Bhutan or Greece to lift our voices together. Sing in the car or join a church choir. There are many ways to sing love songs to God.

3. Make offerings

Offer the best of what you have: fruits, flowers, food, incense, and candles to God, either on your altar or out in nature. Puja, a ceremony of offering to the divine, can be as simple as lighting a candle or pouring water over a stone. Make your offerings with love and intentional care, giving a treasured gift to your Beloved. If your offering is edible, you can eat the leftovers afterward and draw the raised vibration into your body as a yummy bonus.

4. Pray

Whether sitting down at your altar, before you fall asleep, or any old time of day, try out old-fashioned prayer. The world over, talking to a higher power is one of the most time-tested traditions of bhakti. Praying is one of the most straightforward ways of entering into a relationship with your Beloved.

5. Bless your food or say grace

Make a regular practice of taking a few deep breaths and sending out a prayer of thanks for the abundance before you. Eat every meal in the spirit of joy and gratitude. 

6. Nature as a spiritual experience

Go into wild places and hold reverence in your heart for the beauty and splendor of creation. Focus on your feelings of awe and wonder. Let the feelings grow. Seek those landscapes and terrains that have always inspired you. For me, it is in the mountains, the high places. It could be a deep, lush forest or even the sky that lies open above you. Spend time there. Meditate there. Let it fill you up. 

This is one of the most powerful parts of doing our physical yoga practice and meditation on retreats. Taking our practice to a pristine coastline or a mountain top, it is easy to connect to that higher vibration. 

7. Let go

Don’t overthink your little rituals of bhakti yoga. Trust your instincts and your feelings, as this is a feeling path. Get out of your thoughts and move into the eye of your heart. Then continue on, even through the inevitable phases of doubt. 

Remember, the most important relationship we are seeking is our relationship to the divine within us. The Beloved exists as much in here as out there. The goal of bhakti is to establish the kingdom of the divine within our own hearts. 

The more love we give, the more we become love. 

LOVE,