Rebecca Anstett's Yoga Blog

Posts Tagged ‘devotion’

Bhakti Yoga

Monday, November 17th, 2008

I’m no closer to settling on a topic for my masters thesis (of metaphysical science). However, one topic that I have been given some consideration to is Bhakti Yoga. The end goal of this practice is union with the divine. It attempts to awaken the mind through the heart and therefore, it is for the devotional type of person who usually responds best to the idea of love. In this practice, love in the ordinary human sense becomes divine love through through this practice. Through this love and devotion, a unity between the conscious mind and the heart centre of the unconscious is established, and this unity culminates in an experience of the Absolute. In saying this, I can’t help but wonder: is Bhakti Yoga therefore not a part of every religious tradition? Standing, kneeling, dancing, chanting… they are all toning and aligning the body and the mind while the adherent pays homage to the object of their devotion?