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We can find the steps for following Jnana Yoga from this answer, similarly, what are the steps to be followed for Bhakti Yoga? How can someone choose which tradition of Bhakhi is suitable for him/her?
Moreover, is Bhakti open to all or those only belong to the particular Bhakthi Sampradaya can practice bhakti?
Bhakti Yoga is about surrendering yourself to the supreme lord. Be lost in his Bhakti. Lost to a point where you loose all worldly desires.
Ramanuja and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are prominent examples of Bhakti Yoga.
You can do Bhakti for Ram, Bhakti for Krishna, and many other deities.
Chanting of the name is one important aspect of Bhakti Yog.
Let me tell you on a logical level how Chanting of the name works. Suppose you have mala in your hand and you keep chanting the name of your favorite God, and if there comes someone who is shouting on you, saying you bad names, but you are so submerged in the chanting the name you don't pay attention to him and keep on going. Just think how good impact it will make on that person, he would realize the mistake he is making and would have some respect for you.
Bhakti is open to all, anything and everything is open to all and this is the beauty of Hindu tradition or I like to call it beauty of "Dharma". Now "Dharma" is another aspect of Bhakti Yog. You have to follow Dharma. I am not sure if its defined on this platform or not, however Buddhism lists down some points about following Dharma (Coming from Hindu tradition) , which can be applied in easy form by any person following Dharma. The five precepts listed are.
However its not the end, its a start. Dharma is very big and vast. This is a very small part of Dharma but anyone can understand them easily. Slowly as you move on the path of Dharma things will be more and more clear like:-
The kind of Job/work you do, should not harm any being. The people you mingle with should not promote adharma or wrong doings. As you keep following the Dharma, it will reveal itself.
In contemporary times there are lot of Bhakti Yog followers follow krishna.
You can do Bhakti of the person who resonates with you the most. Like Ram is a simple and straight forward man, he just follows what is given to him and does things as per circumstances suggest. He stops wrong doings and kill demons along the way.
Where as Krishna is a person who is clever, he outsmarts other people intelligence, he moulds things, sometime he does things which may look not right from one perspective but he knows what he is doing. None of them are motivated by false ego. in Bhagavad Gita it is written.
One who is not motivated by false ego, whose intelligence is not entangled, though he kills men in this world, is not the slayer. Nor is he bound by his actions.
You can do Bhakti of hanuman, he is a savior. He helps people in need. He is very powerful yet Benevolent. His powers remain in dormant state, however when he is remembered about his power and wisdom and he can do most difficult work on earth.
You can do Bhakti of Kali, Saraswati, Laxmi and many other Devis.
