Meerkatji, it's far less important what MY approach to bhakti yoga is than what God and His true devotees, i.e, the Masters, saints and sages of all religions have recommended for millennia. But what I can say is this, that by following those recommendations along with heaps of unearned grace, the result is an undeniable increase in spiritual knowledge, devotion and contentment.
That said, I can lay out a few methods which have served me very well. First and foremost, I attest to the efficacy of chanting the Holy Name(s) of God, that is the use of mantra--the divine dispensation you might say for Kali Yuga. Maan means mind, tra means beyond. A chattering, undisciplined mind is the bane of advancement on any spiritual path. Mantra is the way to tame it. If one does not yet have a guru to guide and give a personal mantra, then the safest mantra (and extremely efficacious! Extremely, I tell you from personal experience with it) is one which can be chanted by and taught to anyone, anywhere, at any time. In fact, no other mantra can be chanted safely while a woman is in the first three days of her menstrual cycle. Taraka mantra is the exception--OM Shri Raama Jaaya Raama, Jaaya Jaaya Raama. I doubled the vowels where indicated to show which syllable should receive the accent. Accenting the correct syllable is important in mantra. Ramaa is another name for goddess Lakshmi, for instance, and while Kali is "evil," Kaali is the Divine Mother responsible for destroying it! So it matters. Also, your own soul will come up with a "melody" which sounds just right to you as you "chant." Wake up with it, do your day with it, go to bed with it. It's not just for use during your "meditation time." The micro-second you feel yourself going off-center or feeling anxious, you name it, pop the needle of your attention on your mantra.
Secondly, the Bible (for instance) says unequivocally that, "The pure in heart shall see God." You can take that literally and that statement is not contra to the scripture of any other religion, either. A bhakta believes in the possibility of seeing God, yearns for it and after having that experience, yearns even more for it. Purifying one's heart means addressing and defeating the six demons and their bouncing baby offspring residing in one's psyche: kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (infatuation), mada (arrogance) and matsarya (jealousy). Lust as used here is not just referring to sexual desire. One can lust after money, or food, or entertainments, etc. Taraka mantra (see above) is a very potent weapon against these inner enemies.
Thirdly, purification of the body (bhuta shuddhi) is important. This means keeping keeping it, its orifices and adjuncts clean. One must learn which foods promote health, both spiritually and physically. Abstain from foods whose principal gunas (qualities of Nature) are rajasic (passion inducing, like meat) or tamasic (lethargy producing like mushrooms or foods which grow in the dark or moldy food, including cheeses deliberately made so, and spoiled food). One's body (along with mind and intellect, etc.) can be compared to a light bulb. If the body and/or mind is filled with toxins by wrong eating and thinking, you might say it is rated as only a 25-watt bulb. But God's Light and Energy is so much more, say 1008 watts. If one does not prepare for that flood by purifying the body and its instruments, grave physical and mental harm can and will be done to the light bulb.
(There are those who say meat is tamasic but I beg to differ. Spoiled meat or food eaten on the third day after cooking it is tamasic. However, the deal with bloody meat is, just prior to and in the instant of its slaughter, the cow's blood is flooded with adrenaline, the fight or flight hormone. The human ingests that hormone, which creates anxiety and, well, passion, a quality of rajo guna. These emotions are the antithesis of the peace one is seeking through spiritual endeavor. Examine the warring, aggressive nations; you'll find most are heavy meat consumers.)
These three practices are only the tip of the iceberg, but I'm running long here. Self-surrender, acknowledging one's ignorance, praying sincerely for God's darshan (divine vision, either through opening of the third eye or through a heart-opening experience) are all keys to success, as well. Live your life in such a manner that you "catch God's attention," that is, make yourself eligible to receive God's grace. As I like to say, start with gratitude. Gratitude greases the wheels of grace.
