What is Bhakti Yoga? | The Yoga of Devotion Benefits

Many people wonder whether yoga is an exercise, ideology, religion, or philosophy. Some consider it to be all four. The literal meaning of the word is “union”. Fundamentally, it refers to a path that guides you to reality. Practicing yoga will help you understand what it means to exist and the nature of your existence. Yoga frees you from ideas of individuality and opens you up to the idea of universality.

There are many different ways to do yoga, but there are four primary types that are practiced today. Read on to know more.

Bhakti (Devotion) Yoga: This is a group of practices that helps you cultivate the love and expression of the Divine. In his book Bhakti Yoga, Swami Vivekananda explains it as, “Bhakti Yoga is a real, genuine search after the lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in love”⁽¹⁾. It can be done in the form of regular prayers, singing, devotional chanting, ceremonies, dancing, and celebration. Bhakti yoga has both spiritual and physical healing qualities. For example, Kirtan Kriya, a form of devotional music, can effectively improve the memory of people suffering from cognitive decline, which is one of the most prominent effects of senility. This has been noted by a noteworthy research article⁽²⁾.
Karma (Action) Yoga: This type of yoga encourages selfless services for the benefits of others, often the less fortunate. It is practiced in many religions across the world. In ashrams or monasteries, unconditional service to others is practiced as a timeless tradition. Many yoga training programs encourage learners to serve others in the form of voluntary cleaning and cooking, or any other method. We have seen famous examples of this set by Mother Teresa, who dedicated her entire life to the service of the poor and underprivileged. Through this, she brought the Almighty’s compassion to mankind.
Jnana (Knowledge) Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge is a path to acquiring wisdom and intellect. The practice of Jnana Yoga requires reading of sacred texts, philosophical discussions, intellectual debates, and introspection. Socrates is one of history’s most famous jnana yogis. Today, leading scholars like Ravi Ravindra and David Frawley practice this form of yoga.
Raja (Royal) Yoga: Also known as the Royal Path, Raja Yoga is a journey that leads you to true enlightenment. It can be mastered through dedicated practice. In his book “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,” Patanjali, a proponent of Yoga, quotes that “Everything is sorrow for the wise.” So, raja yoga involves the practice of all of the three above mentioned forms of yoga in combination with the eight stages, or limbs, of yoga. These stages are Yamas, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

In this article, we will explore the Yoga of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and its practice.

What is the Bhakti Yoga of Devotion?

The Bhakti Yoga of Devotion is a process of using your emotions to reach out to the Divine, the Ultimate, or a form of God. We humans are made up of four essential parts: body, emotion, mind, and energy. Emotion is considered to be the most intense aspect of your existence. It may not be the most dominant one for some people, but emotion still drives us and helps us navigate life⁽³⁾.

Our emotions come in many different forms, and they can reach very high intensities. Even if people may not have experienced intense love or care, they may have at least felt intense anger at one point of their life. This intensity of our emotions enables us to reach out to the Divine. Through your emotion, you demonstrate your devotion for the Creator. A published study ⁽⁴⁾ shows that Bhakti Yoga can positively reduce depression and anxiety, too.

Bhakti Yoga, or the Yoga of Devotion, can be achieved through different practices, which help you to learn to love nature and all beings that were created by the same Almighty who created you. The Yoga of Devotion is not bound by nationality or religion. God resides within us. He belongs to all of us equally. The grace of the Divine surrounds us and we can access it through

Keeping spiritual company
Reading and listening about God
Singing praises of God
Repeating the Divine’s name
Being devoted to God

Bhakti Yoga is practiced by varied means across different religions, languages, castes, lineages, sects, regions, and communities⁽⁵⁾.

According to Hinduism, every believer must embark on a spiritual path that leads to enlightenment or Moksa. One of the most impactful ways to achieve this is to practice Bhakti Yoga. Hinduism teaches you to selflessly love, trust, and devote yourself to a particular deity. To be able to fully do this, you must listen to stories of God, recite devotional mantras, sing religious hymns, embark on pilgrimages, and worship at temples or at shrines in your home. Bhakti Yoga teaches you to not only commit to the devotion of God but also to love all the devotees around you and all that is created by the Almighty.

‘Bhakti’ refers to not only the ultimate enlightenment but also to the path that leads you to it. It requires you to leave behind all worldly desires that may distract you from the Almighty. According to the Bhagavad Gita, it is possible to be unified with God by practicing different forms of yoga, including the Yoga of Devotion. The scripture instructs that if you remain concentrated only on God and show complete trust in the worship of the Almighty, you can be saved from the struggle and cycle of life and death. This is what is called enlightenment or Moksha.

The Sufis, devotees of Sufism, practice spiritualism as a way to reach the Supreme. Multiple meditational techniques help to achieve the goal of Sufism; they involve being a responsible part of society and spiritually devoting oneself to God. One common method is mantra meditation. Here, you repeat the name of the Almighty to establish inner peace and a connection to Allah.

In Sufism, Zikr/Dhikr, literally meaning remembrance, is a way to reach Allah. A few other techniques include tafakkur, heart meditation, breathing meditation, bond of love meditation, walking meditation, gazing meditation, and more. Sufi whirling or spinning are also forms of bhakti yoga, which involve nuanced dancing and music.

The form of devotion that is practiced in Christianity is that of contemplative prayer. This involves contemplating inwardly to morally purify oneself, which leads to an intimacy with God and a better understanding of the Bible. Contemplative meditation includes praying, reading, and meditating or focusing the mind, soul, and heart on God through continuous repetition of a spiritual sacred word and sentence. It helps you to become one with God and experience His love.

Buddhist deities are worshipped through prayers, as in the Vajrayana sect. The practice involves reciting types of mantras or chants that bring you closer to the deity. It allows your mind to become silent and peaceful, encouraging virtuous and pure thinking.

Benefits of Bhakti Yoga

The Yoga of Devotion offers myriad benefits like diminishing your sense of presumption and increasing your sense of self and understanding of God. Bhakti Yoga takes your worries and fears and replaces them with knowledge and devotional peace. It has the ability to reduce stress through the positive energy of devotion and pure love⁽⁶⁾. With regular practice of Bhakti Yoga rituals, you can become emotionally, mentally, and physically healthier. When you accept the Yoga of Devotion as a way of life, it transforms you spiritually and brings you one step closer to enlightenment.

What’s next?

Looking to get started on your yogic journey? Ruhgu app offers divine music, chants and mantras with their meanings and lyrics, which will help you to transform your emotions towards positivity to develop a devotional nature. According to a research article⁽⁷⁾, a weeklong practice of yoga can reduce negative emotions effectively. Download the app today to begin your communion with the Ultimate for inner peace and lasting contentment.

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