Recently, the Bhakti Recovery Group (BRG) celebrated the five-year anniversary of its support network for devotees seeking healing through bhakti and the Twelve Steps. To commemorate the milestone, members from across the world gathered online for a heartfelt celebration. On a softly lit Zoom call, faces from Berlin to Bengaluru filled the screen. Some smiled, some cried, and others simply listened. Founder and guiding force Jiva G. watched from her home altar, overwhelmed with gratitude. “I started to cry,” she said. “To hear devotees say this helped them rebuild their relationship with Krishna, that was everything.”
Since its humble beginnings during the pandemic, BRG has grown into a worldwide fellowship where faith and recovery meet in shared vulnerability and service. Under Jiva’s leadership and with the guidance of Radhanath Swami, the group has built a spiritual bridge between the Twelve Step process and the path of bhakti. Five years on, Jiva reflected on what she’s learned, how far the movement has come, and what she envisions for the future.
Early Days: From Personal Need to Service
Jiva remembers the moment her life turned toward healing. “After getting released from jail, dope-sick and desperate, I had lost everything,” she recalled. “Then one night in Germany, standing in the snow, I realized it didn’t have to be this way.”
Her first experiences with recovery came through Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, but lasting sobriety only took root when she began practicing bhakti-yoga. Through the guidance of her spiritual teachers and her own lived experience, she noticed how many devotees struggled silently with addiction, emotional pain, or unhealthy coping patterns. “We needed a place for radical honesty, a space where we could bring our struggles to Krishna,” she said.
Encouraged by Radhanath Swami to “use your creative intelligence,” she began facilitating small gatherings that blended the Twelve Steps with devotional practice. Those meetings soon attracted devotees seeking a similar path. “Our desire is that no devotee seeking recovery should ever have to be alone again,” she explained. Out of that intention, the Bhakti Recovery Group took shape.
Jiva G. smiles over her shoulder, embodying the joy and gratitude that have helped to carry the Bhakti Recovery Group through its first five years.
Building Credibility and Overcoming Resistance
Earning recognition from both the recovery world and ISKCON took persistence. Some in the secular Twelve Step community hesitated to embrace a spiritually specific approach, while a few devotees found it difficult to discuss addiction or powerlessness within a devotional framework. Jiva faced these doubts with patience. “Trying to fight this fight alone is pretty arrogant,” she said. “But only Krishna is more powerful than Maya.”
She developed a clear meeting structure that honored both traditions. Sessions opened with the Serenity Prayer, included readings from Twelve Step literature and Srila Prabhupada’s books, and closed with chanting or gratitude sharing. “We talk about what really gets in the way of our relationship with Krishna,” Jiva said. “The steps simply give us language for surrender.”
Over time, acceptance grew. One member described it this way: “The BRG has been my safe place for about a year now. I can talk about my struggles openly and honestly and be seen and heard lovingly.”
Growth and Milestones
From those early online gatherings, BRG has expanded into a global network with regular meetings across several continents. Its retreats in places like Alachua, Florida, and the United Kingdom have become milestones for many members’ recovery journeys. One attendee shared, “I attended the UK BRG retreat and found it to be one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Everything was just perfect, the location, the food, the people, the energy.”
The atmosphere at these retreats is one of deep honesty and support. Imagine a quiet hall at dawn, chairs set in a circle, soft kirtan echoing through the room, and mugs of tea warming devotees’ hands. Stories of struggle unfold with rawness and courage. There are tears, laughter, and moments of stillness that feel like prayer. “People shared how much the Bhakti Recovery Group saved their lives,” Jiva said. “I started to cry.”
This year’s fifth-anniversary celebration carried that same spirit. From dozens of screens, devotees offered gratitude and shared milestones, thirty days clean, six months sober, or renewed service in their temples. What connected them all was the same realization: recovery and bhakti could thrive together.
A collage capturing moments from Jiva G.’s journey over the last five years.
Current Landscape: What BRG Looks Like Today
Now functioning under the Jagai-Madhai Foundation, a registered nonprofit organization, the Bhakti Recovery Group has matured into an international network that supports regular meetings, training programs, and retreats. Participation is always free, reflecting the group’s core commitment to recovery through devotion and service.
“The BRG has given me a safe space to share my material struggles without fear of judgment or condemnation,” said one participant, describing the atmosphere of trust that defines the community. Today, BRG hosts online and in-person meetings across multiple time zones and organizes workshops to train facilitators and community leaders to guide others in recovery. The group also produces a podcast where Jiva and guest devotees discuss the Twelve Steps and bhakti, exploring how honesty and humility nurture spiritual growth.
Through these combined efforts, BRG has become a steady, inclusive space for healing within the broader ISKCON community.
Looking Ahead
Jiva’s vision for the future is both practical and inspired. She hopes to establish four major retreats each year – one on every continent – and to train leaders who can sustain meetings in their own regions. One of her priorities is expanding male leadership within the program. “Addiction takes many forms, and some men need to speak to men about their struggles,” she said.
While women have carried much of the service in BRG’s early years, Jiva believes male facilitators are essential for addressing challenges such as pornography, sexual addiction, and the emotional burdens men often hide. “It’s about making sure everyone has someone they can relate to,” she said.
In the next phase, BRG aims to deepen its retreat structure, strengthen its mentorship programs, and bring recovery meetings into temple communities and university campuses. “When one person’s life changes, you’re doing the work,” Jiva said. “Everything else is Krishna’s magic.”
Personal Stories of Change
During one meeting, a young devotee shared that she realized she had been “using chanting as a drug.” She was following all the external practices of bhakti but felt disconnected inside. Through BRG, she learned to chant with vulnerability and sincerity. “I’m not just sober,” she said. “I’m conscious again.”
Another participant spoke about emotional eating. “For years, I was talking to food instead of my sweet Lord Govinda.” Through the Twelve Steps and bhakti practice, she began transforming her cravings into prayer and learned to see her body as a tool for Krishna’s service.
These stories reveal the heart of BRG’s impact. Week after week, devotees gather to share their experiences and support one another’s progress. Every tale of recovery becomes a story of renewed faith.
A Living Legacy
This fifth anniversary offered both reflection and hope. What began as one devotee’s effort to find spiritual recovery has become a global community of healing. “I started this out of desperation,” Jiva said. “Today we lead out of hope.”
BRG continues to remind devotees that openness and surrender are strengths, not weaknesses. As the movement enters its next five years, it stands as a living example of compassion in action, a reminder that with sincerity and guidance, healing and devotion can walk side by side.
Deepen your Bhakti-yoga practice, harmonize relationships, and receive guided coaching — all at Vedavarsity.com
