Bhakti, Kirtan & Sangha: Many Paths, One Heart
- Jessica Lohrey
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
At Oxford Community Yoga, we talk a lot about practice—how it shapes our bodies, calms our minds, and opens our hearts. But yoga is not just postural practice. It’s a rich, ancient tree with many branches, and each of us finds our way into it through different leaves, textures, and pathways.
On Friday, November 21 from 6:30–8:00 pm, we’ll gather at the studio for something new to our space: Kirtan, a joyful expression of Bhakti Yoga, and a beautiful way to experience yoga off the mat through sound, devotion, and community.
What Is Bhakti Yoga?
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion—the yoga of the heart. It invites us to cultivate love, reverence, and connection with the divine, however we understand that word. Bhakti isn’t about belief; it’s about feeling. It softens us. It reminds us that our longing for peace, connection, and wholeness is shared by all beings.
What Is Kirtan?
Kirtan is one of the central practices of Bhakti Yoga. It is call-and-response chanting, set to music and shared with others. You don’t need to know the words, hold a tune, or “be spiritual” in any particular way. You simply come as you are.
Something powerful happens in kirtan:
Sound becomes meditation.
Music dissolves self-consciousness.
Breath links us together.
The heart opens naturally.
It can be uplifting, grounding, emotional, clarifying, or deeply peaceful. No two people experience it in the same way—and that is the beauty of it.
What Is Sangha?
Sangha means “community” or “spiritual gathering.” It is the circle of people who practice with you—those who show up with open hearts, who breathe beside you in class, who sit with you in silence, who chant with you in joy.
A sangha is a refuge, a reminder that we don’t have to walk the path alone.
How Bhakti and Hatha Complement Each Other
Most of us come to yoga through Hatha Yoga—the postures, breathing, and physical practices. Bhakti Yoga reaches us in a different way, through emotion, devotion, and connection.
Together, they create balance:
Hatha grounds the body; Bhakti softens the heart.
Hatha strengthens and aligns; Bhakti opens and expands.
Hatha helps us feel ourselves more clearly; Bhakti helps us feel our connection to something larger.
So Many Branches, One Tree
Yoga has many branches, and they all share the same roots: awakening, clarity, compassion, and freedom.
A few of the key branches include:
Tantra Yoga – the path of weaving together all aspects of life as sacred, embracing the fullness of the human experience.
Jñāna Yoga – the path of wisdom and self-inquiry, asking “Who am I?” and exploring the nature of reality.
Karma Yoga – the yoga of action and service, offering our work in the world without attachment to outcomes.
Bhakti Yoga – the yoga of devotion, love, and heartfelt expression.
Hatha Yoga – the physical practices that prepare body and mind for deeper awareness.
Each branch has its own flavor, but they all nourish the same tree. And just like any tree, it is healthiest when all its branches are allowed to grow.
You don’t have to choose just one. You may find that chanting lights you up, or that meditation steadies you, or that movement grounds you. You may change from day to day or year to year.
What matters is simply that something opens in you.
Join Us for Kirtan
We invite you to come experience this heart-centered practice with our community. No experience needed—just your presence and your voice (even a whisper counts).
Friday, November 216:30–8:00 pm with kirtan group, Shakti & Bhakti at Oxford Community Yoga
Come breathe, chant, rest, listen, and be part of something that has moved human hearts for thousands of years.
The tree of yoga is wide and welcoming. You belong on it, exactly as you are.
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