By Robin Renée
There are many profound aspects of yoga, but the one that has always spoken to me most is that there is a way in for nearly everyone. Most are familiar with yogic practices having to do with the body. We take Mountain Pose (Tadasana) or Downward-facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), make adjustments, and remember to breathe. There is the path of the intellect and study, on which learning scriptures and the focus of the mind are at the center of the practice. While some paths may see the emotions as unreliable and a distraction from deeper truths, the path of Bhakti Yoga dives right in. Bhakti is the Yoga of Devotion, and its expression centers on the heart.
Rather than shun our very human impulses like love, passion, and an existential longing for connection, Bhakti Yoga employs these feelings as a springboard into the depths of Spirit or True Nature. Kirtan chanting is a primary way Bhakti is practiced. Kirtan is the chanting or singing of The Holy Names – names for gods and goddesses in the Hindu tradition, usually in Sanskrit. Traditionally, it is done as an act of devotion to God or guru, a spiritual teacher seen as the embodiment of the Divine, and of spiritual Realization. The call-and-response pattern and relative simplicity of most kirtan encourages peace, blissfulness, a centered stillness, and ecstatic feelings of interconnection as the chant goes on.
One of the great strengths of kirtan is that it can be done by anyone. There is no need to be a yogic scholar or hyper flexible on the mat. Like sitting meditation, just showing up and being in the experience is the center of the practice. You don’t need a stellar voice. You can sing along with your favorite recording, or join a huge gathering. Over the fifteen or so years since I first discovered my affinity for kirtan, the aspect that has grown most in importance to me is this: Kirtan is not dependent on a particular belief system. If you don’t know the stories of Radha and Krishna, of Shiva or Ma Durga, the practice of joining in the song is all that is needed. The sounds, and the repetition of them, do the work. As in silent meditation, the practice of kirtan creates an opportunity for the mind’s chattering thoughts to rest. If we open ourselves to the flavors of Love expressed in the essence of The Names, we slowly but surely get closer to the direct experience of that Love.
When I first encountered chanting, I found it very silly. It was a few years later that I, in search for an outward expression for my spiritual longing at that time, happened to visit a friend who was attending an event and that day, for whatever reason, I allowed myself to be deeply moved. I have found myself singing The Name when I was feeling balanced and open, when I was tired, bored, skeptical, or angry. I’ve been in the midst of singing “Sita Ram” when suddenly I understand something new about life and love just beyond the grasp of language. I’ve encountered spiritual abuse and shied away from all practices for a time. I’ve found the courage to come back to rediscover and reclaim the joys and challenges of my own Bhakti path and to garner strength from pain from the past. Whatever presents itself in life, there is clarity and growth to be found in pouring heart and mind and song into devotion.
You may find you resonate with worship and a particular form or forms of The Divine. That form, for you, may be literal, personal, remote, abstract, or metaphorical. You may seek after what you call Oneness, God, Goddess, True Nature, connection with Source, or something else. Such representations may hold no meaning for you. It doesn’t matter. If you encounter and delve into Bhakti Yoga, your journey is your own. I invite you to think of Devotion as trust in the process of opening to Love and Truth, and the diligence of immersing in and deepening the experience of Love and Truth, in whatever guise it shows up for you. Love, sing, and see where it takes you.