Bhakti

One of the most important things in the Natha tradition is stability. Bhakti (devotion) is expressed in stability; bhakti happens when we sacrifice ourselves, our body, our breathing and our mind to Alakh Niranjan. Alakh Niranjan is manifested in us, as well as in a Guru. Stable adherence to a Guru, stable asana, stable breathing and stable consciousness, rooted in God – these things are important for the yoga adept.

Faith (shraddha, bhakti, vishvasa, etc.) is a congenital state – sahaja that has a direct relation to our true nature, we derive our strength from it when we have difficulties. Sahaja enlightens our dark mind and clean it. When the mind is enlightened, it sees everything in this world the way it is, we achieve the right vision and knowledge, and when we have the knowledge, we have the strength to overcome any difficulties. That’s why faith is necessary for a life in this complex world.

Bhakti is the heart and the mind often fails people. Mind connected with fluctuations, the clinging to worldly changes that can be attractive sometimes and sometimes repulsive. But pure bhakti is stability, it is not raga and dvesha. It is important to be stable for Nath yogi; we, imperfect creatures, must try to constantly step over our mind, our habits, all the extremes, for our way. There are many true things in the Natha tradition, and when you hear that your Guru teaches the same things as Gorakshanath, you should follow this.

True Guru teaches according to the texts written by authoritative yoga masters. If there are not many such Gurus or their teachings are not enough qualified, then you have to learn the best that they have, and also cultivate devotion to your Tradition, devotion to Gorakshanath, you must see him in all Devatas. You need to learn more about Gorakshanath, embody the teachings of other authoritative teachers in your life and improve yourself according to all these recommendations.

There is such a thing as service for Guru, it’s an expression of devotion to Guru. There is also the concept of karma yoga, which implies a sva-dharma (perfect fulfillment of your life's mission), usually it’s in the form of what you have to do in society. However, not everyone finds his mission immediately, something that is close to your heart. Obviously, this requires a great acumen, striving for something higher (bhakti).

My Guru tells that heart is very important, even more than the mind, because it is something alive, something that pulsates, but the heart must also be cleaned from mercantile sanskars, vasans. The mind is purified through a clean heart and peace (vishranti), besides we perceive consciousness as Shakti. Awakened, flexible, alive consciousness is awakened Kundalini. We all need this state to be adequate in the society.