Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion, & Kirtan
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Fans embrace Kirtan movement in the Midwest
Namasté! The deepest translation of this word means “the essence of me bows to the essence of you.” It is the common greeting in India, their version of “hello.” To me, this simple greeting is such a perfect reflection of the birthplace of Yoga.
For those of you who know yoga to be exercise or stress relief, I would love to introduce you to the deeper, more foundational aspects of this ancient tradition. “Yoga” is a Sanskrit word that means “yoke” or “union.” The power of yoga is the 8 limbs that are meant to bring us into alignment with our deepest potential. Asana, better known as body postures, is only 1 of the 8 limbs of yoga.
In the West, we tend to think of yoga as Asana. But there is so much more to be known about this ancient way of experiencing life. There is also yama: universal morality, niyama: personal observances, pranayama: breathing exercises and control of prana (life force), pratyahara: control of the senses, dharana: concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness, dhyana: devotion, meditation on the divine and Samadhi: union with the divine.
For now, we are going to focus on dhyana: devotion. Another Sanskrit term for this practice is Bhakti yoga. Bhakti yoga simply means devotion to the divine. It can take many forms: prayer, meditation, service, singing, etc. Kirtan is a form of Bhakti yoga. Kirtan is a folk music movement that was birthed out of India, where people repeat various names of the divine in order to praise, clear and elevate their consciousness. Sanskrit is the primary language used in Kirtan. Sanskrit is an ancient language, (over 4,000 years old), and those tones and vibrations connect our hearts and brains to primal, soothing, organic sensations.
...Read the full article, and others like it at: http://edgemagazine.net/2012/06/bhakti-yoga/
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