Learning to surrender ... Bhakti, Kirtan, Devotion

Leading Kirtan this past Sunday was an extraordinary experience for me.  The voices of our group and the expression of love infused within the sound of the chanted names, was pure joy. We were transported to a space of perfect peace and I long for the next opportunity to share that group experience. Bhakti Yoga, of which I am a new student, has allowed me to open to higher levels of self-understanding. It serves as a tool with which to work through fear, insecurity, and yes, those bits of self-loathing that we all seem to hold in a deep pocket.  Chanting the names of Sita, Ram, Hanuman and others, brings to the forefront, our highest sense of self, opening us up to the memory that we are pure and gentle beings. When we chant with a group, we feel the connection we have with one another, with all things good, and peaceful, and true.

Since discovering Bhakti Yoga and consciously trying my best to live each moment as a devotional practice (all things for a higher purpose), I have been less inclined to put energy into negatively charged feelings and ideas. What works best for me?  When I sense a bit of negative self-talk coming, I instantly bring mantra to the conversation, “Sita Ram, Sita Ram, Sita Ram …" chanting internally or out loud if need be, until I get to the to the point where I feel, physically, the loving presence of the deities in me, around me, all-encompassing. It has become easier and easier. The calmness, the awareness of peace, the knowledge that spiritual assistance IS there is so reassuring.
By allowing myself to open to this practice, what have I come to notice above all? I am learning to surrender.