When most people think of yoga, they think of Hatha Yoga, the physical poses and breathing exercises done on a yoga mat.  But Hatha Yoga is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the totality of the 5,000 year old art and science known as yoga.  Let me introduce you to another form known as Bhakti Yoga, or, as I call it, the Yoga of Love.  

Bhakti Yoga is music, singing and dancing in praise and devotion to the Divine, in whatever form you deem that to be. 

When you attend a church or temple service and sing hymns and prayers, that's Bhakti Yoga.  Clapping along to a gospel tune, moving in your seat, tapping your toe, dancing, all of this is Bhakti Yoga. 

In it's traditional form, Bhakti Yoga is sung in Sanskrit, which is a vibrational language.  What's that mean?  That means that even if you don't understand what the words/sounds mean, it's felt on a vibrational, cellular level, and it causes your body, mind and spirit to relax.  It's not a head thing; it's a heart thing.  Singing the ancient names of the Divine in a sacred language affects your entire state of being.

Kirtan is a call-and-response form of Bhakti Yoga.  The leader sings a mantra, and the audience sings it back.  A song will usually start out slowly, build up to a crescendo, and then slow down again.  It's like a spiritual roller coaster, with the audience participating in the music's creation.  It ends with silence in order to savor the sweetness of the moment. 

In Bhakti Yoga we sing just for the sheer gratitude of being alive, for having breath.  We dance in celebration of the freedom to sing from our hearts to that which is most Beloved to us.  We open our hearts in order to be filled with the only thing that really matters in this world, and that is love.    

If we are to change the course of the world, it has to be done through love.  Anything else will create more of the same: chaos.  If we are to evolve beyond our current set of circumstances, from chaos to cosmos, love is the only way.  For centuries, kirtan has lead the way to revolution, the love revolution of Bhakti Yoga.  

How to Get Started:

• Listen to mantras sung in Sanskrit on Sacred Sounds Free Internet Radio while surfing the Internet, for background music around the house, or before going to bed. 
  
• Create your own Pandora station. Start with artists like Girish, Krishna Das, Deva Primal and go from there.
• Watch YouTube videos of the above artists and look for referring videos.  Here's a video of my new girl group, Maha Shakti.
  
• Search the Internet for kirtans in your area.  Kirtan groups are springing up all over the place!  If you can't find one, start one!  If you're in Orange County, see the Meetup Group notice below.
  
• Just put your favorite music on and sing your heart out!

Find your way to peace for you and peace for the world though the Yoga of Love, Bhakti Yoga!

Namaste,

Debbie

9:35 - 10:55 am
Soul at Home, Tustin

Join Debbie this Saturday, October 2, at Soul at Home in Tustin (17th and the 55).  She'll be subbing a Power Yoga class.

First class is free!  Mats provided or bring your own.

"Power Yoga is an fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga for the advanced beginner or intermediate yoga practitioner. Strength building repetitions are utilized to build muscle and stabilize the joints. A fun, athletic class for those ready to break a sweat!"

For directions visit Soul at Home.

New Beginning Yoga DVD, Vol 2!


This DVD is a live, one-hour class, so you feel just like you're in class.  It provides easy-to-follow instructions for a beginning Vinyasa Flow practice.  Good for beginners and advanced yogis alike.

Order yours today! Only $25 plus $3 s/h   

Grounding Techniques Made Easy!



Get your autographed copy of Debbie's book, "The Deeper the Roots, the Juicier the Fruits! 8 Spiritual Practices for a Juicy Life!"  Order your signed copy now!

"The Deeper the Roots, the Juicier the Fruits! 8 Spiritual Practices for a Juicy Life!" 
$7.95 ea plus $4 s/h.