BHAKTI IS WHAT CONNECTS
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Every day since arriving in this Maritime city there has been interviews with journalist students and radio broadcasters with the university. Not a flood of them mind you, and not prominent outlets but humble and meaningful endeavours by students of Dalhousie University and King's College.
Mandee, for istance, is a yoga teacher and runs a two hour radio show weekly on the subject. She frankly admitted that the term 'yoga' is so much misunderstood. The common public impression is limb stretching on a yoga mat. "It goes much deeper", she explained to me 'off the air', and she asked me to clarify that 'on the air'.
In brief, the Bhagavad-gita, the most authoritative yoga book reaffirms that yga with all its different levels culminates with the principle of bhakti. Bhakti means intense devotion or feeling for the Absolute. Regular yoga practice tends to lightly touch the heart aspect of the yogi.
To put emphasis on bhakti, I conducted another session of "9 Devotions" at Dalhousie University. As an opener, I informed the group of attendees that nine processes or ways to improve your life and allow you to move ahead were the recommendation of a very young person. It is said often that great things come in small packages. Well, here we have a small five year old boy, who conjured up these remarkable methods beginning with attentive listening and clear responding. The boy was actually a prince who's name was Prahlad. The story of his life can be found in the book Srimad Bhagavatam, also known as Bhagavat Purana.
In many respects, the 9 methods of devotion is the target of all yoga practices which have the aim 'to connect' as Mandee, the yoga instructor, puts it.
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