Mantra Meditation and Bhakti yoga

A central practice of the bhakti yoga is mantra meditation. There are two types of mantra meditation, Japa and Kirtan. Japa is private, meditation kirtan where God’s names are chanted softly on prayer beads called mala. The main purpose of the beads is to keep track of the number of mantras chanted. Bhakti yogis decide on a minimum number of mantras they want to chant each day. The focus while chanting is to hear the sound of the mantra. Japa turns the powerful benefits of kirtan into personal development. Kirtan is the singing of mantras with others.