Bhakti the path of love...

"During a certain phase of the journey, we are not open to understanding the parts of ourselves that play against our own happiness. We are not really willing to get to know ourselves - we just want to get rid of our symptoms that bring suffering. In this phase, prayer and devotion are like a bargain that we use because they meet our needs, It is natural to start off like this, but at some point we must let go of this bargaining in order to continue along the path of love, Devotion is not meant as an occasional practice; only when it is firm and steady can it lead us to the experience of oneness. what builds this steadiness is self-awareness" ~ Sri Prem Baba

I started the Bhakti portion of this Yoga Challenge at one of my favorite temples here in my sacred town. It is my intention to engage in some form of prayer, worship everyday for a minimum of thirty days, but if the results are anything like the rest of this practice it will become as much as part of my world as eating food and drinking water.

"When speaking of Bhakti we could be referring to an emotion, a practice, a school of philosophical thought, a popular movement, or state of consciousness. The common thread that connects all of these uses of term is its relation to the souls dormant love for God that is seen as the very essence of our being. The idea that the very purpose of human life is uncovering that essence is found throughout the worlds spiritual traditions" ~ Radhanath Swami

For me it is a a bit of a step back, back to the source of my love for this quaint little town. This temple is where I was introduced to my first Hindu God. I live in the town where Krishna was born. He is known throughout Hinduism as the ultimate enjoyer. The lover of love, silly and carefree, strong and bold but the core of my learning in relation to this being is the purpose to life is to enjoy, to enjoy every moment of every day and in truth isn't that what we all are really craving?