NC State’s Bhakti Yoga Club introduces students to meditation and mindfulness. Members of the club have been setting up tables around campus to share information about club meetings and what the club is all about.

Bhakti Yoga is an ancient tradition associated with the Bhagavad Gita, an important Hindu scripture. The primary practice of Bhakti Yoga is mantra meditation, and club president Veda Reeves said Bhakti Yoga is considered the “yoga of love.”

“We have one senior Bhakti Yogi who, before there even was a club, used to come on campus and sit with students and teach them how to meditate,” said Reeves, a third-year studying horticultural science.

According to Kaily Doody, the social director of the club and a fourth-year studying science, technology and society, meetings begin with an icebreaker and a mantra meditation.

“We start with just a regular meditation with a mantra, where you would repeat the Maha Mantra,” Doody said. “Then, we do music meditation, which is basically the same words, but with music.”

The club offers students a way to relax and destress, and is interactive with the members. Members can bring or play instruments during music meditation, and there is a vegan meal at the meetings where members can socialize.

“We started to hand out instruments, so if you feel musically inclined, you can get a drum or an egg shaker,” Doody said. “We all like to play music, we all sing together and it’s really nice.”

Following musical meditation, there is a discussion about mindfulness and spirituality, and the supervisor of the club gives a presentation.

“We’ll have a philosophical discussion and talk and have a presentation on yogic philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita, which is a spiritual text,” Reeves said. “So, discussions are based on that, but it’s mostly about how to focus your mind, what is the purpose of life, and other deeper questions in [the Bhagavad Gita] that we’ll talk about.”

Because Bhakti yoga emphasizes deep relationships, many friendships are created through the Bhakti Yoga Club. 

“There are different loving exchanges that we try to participate in, such as sharing food, revealing your mind and giving and receiving gifts,” Reeves said. “It’s all about deep, loving relationships and living for a higher purpose rather than moving through the world aimlessly.”

All students are welcome to join, and anyone who is interested in joining the club can attend a meeting or reach out to the club via Instagram (@bhaktiyogaclubncsu) to get more information. 

“I’ve met some really great people through that club,” Doody said. “I’ve made a lot of friendships, and it’s nice to see people regularly once a week and then bump into them on campus.”