Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga Reflection
1) Were you able to completely devote yourself to this person? What did you do to demonstrate your devotion? What did you struggle with?
After taping a picture of my grandfather to the wall, next to a picture of a cargo ship, I gently knelt down onto a cushioned-surface, tightly cupped my hands together in front of my face, and closed my eyes. While I positioned myself in this prayer position, I whispered five sentences in Swedish and repeatedly mumbled them for a span of forty minutes. These five sentences I was repeating were lines from a poem that I created. The reason I wrote them in Swedish was because I wanted to develop a closer spiritual relationship with my grandfather during that moment, since he is indeed from Sweden.
My poem read:
Tack för din vilja och beslutsamhet.
Du har lärt mig så mycket.
Jag har lärt mig att aldrig ge upp.
Även när det verkar vara för svårt.
Man kan alltid övervinna i slutet.
This basically translates to never giving up. Even when things seem their toughest, one can still overcome them with enough determination. Though this was a calming exercise, I found it difficult to remain in the same posture for forty minutes straight without any interruptions. What I took away from this yoga practice though, which fascinated me the most, was that after repeating the same lines over a prolonged period of time, I found myself inevitably repeating them without being aware of it. This must have occurred because I had grown so accustomed to saying these lines over and over again.
2) Did the person you devoted yourself to feel loved? How do you know?
While my grandfather was not present during my practice, he would have certainly enjoyed the entire ritual I made for him. Ever since youth, I have looked up to my grandfather in many ways. He inspired me to never forfeit my aspirations; that I should always strive towards my goals even in the harshest of times. I believe that he would have greatly
1) Were you able to completely devote yourself to this person? What did you do to demonstrate your devotion? What did you struggle with?
After taping a picture of my grandfather to the wall, next to a picture of a cargo ship, I gently knelt down onto a cushioned-surface, tightly cupped my hands together in front of my face, and closed my eyes. While I positioned myself in this prayer position, I whispered five sentences in Swedish and repeatedly mumbled them for a span of forty minutes. These five sentences I was repeating were lines from a poem that I created. The reason I wrote them in Swedish was because I wanted to develop a closer spiritual relationship with my grandfather during that moment, since he is indeed from Sweden.
My poem read:
Tack för din vilja och beslutsamhet.
Du har lärt mig så mycket.
Jag har lärt mig att aldrig ge upp.
Även när det verkar vara för svårt.
Man kan alltid övervinna i slutet.
This basically translates to never giving up. Even when things seem their toughest, one can still overcome them with enough determination. Though this was a calming exercise, I found it difficult to remain in the same posture for forty minutes straight without any interruptions. What I took away from this yoga practice though, which fascinated me the most, was that after repeating the same lines over a prolonged period of time, I found myself inevitably repeating them without being aware of it. This must have occurred because I had grown so accustomed to saying these lines over and over again.
2) Did the person you devoted yourself to feel loved? How do you know?
While my grandfather was not present during my practice, he would have certainly enjoyed the entire ritual I made for him. Ever since youth, I have looked up to my grandfather in many ways. He inspired me to never forfeit my aspirations; that I should always strive towards my goals even in the harshest of times. I believe that he would have greatly