The Blame Game: The Greatest Obstacle to Your Intuition is...You

I woke up this morning with a particular radiant smile in my consciousness. Spending 10 years living in a spiritual community gave me the opportunity to meet many Masters and beautiful people who have committed themselves to this path of awakening that I call Beloved Yoga. Every path invariably involves cultivating a deep sense of self-love and self-acceptance. This process brings us to a unique balance of spontaneous creative living and applied intellect through a lens of compassion. Of the many Masters that touched my heart one of the most profound was Byron Katie.

Many years ago she came and did a small workshop from the living room of our home. We had done many but none attracted the crowd of people this one did. Not only was it the most people we who had come to our community for a workshop of this kind but they were not the typical spiritual seeker. These people were not particularly drawn to yoga or meditation or any specific form of contemplative or spiritual practice. These folks were hard-working "regular people" (mostly women, of course) who had recognized for one reason or another that they needed some support on this journey towards being happy.

I watched as Byron Katie shared her profound interpretation of self-inquiry called The Work. I'll never forget that experience, how simply and elegantly she applied her massive psychospiritual depth to the challenges of everyday life. "Ask four questions and turn it around." I can still here her axiom ringing in my ears. She held such a profound presence that you felt as though you were in her embrace from the moment your eyes fell on her. She called everyone "angel" in such an authentic way that you knew she was addressing each person's inherent radiance unmoved by the shadows of fear and unworthiness each of us clung to.

Byron Katie is a spiritual innovator who can help usher in the end of the Blame Game as we learn to take responsibility for everything we think and feel in our lives. This is the first in a new blog series I will be writing where we will embrace The Work and conquer our greatest barrier to intuitive living, us. Our reactive nature, the story we tell ourselves, in short the blame game robs us of the creativity, simplicity and joy that is our birthright. For today, pay attention to your story, observe your reaction and rather than being an active participant in the blame game become part of the audience. The best is yet to come!

Namaste,

Steve

Yogi Jayanta

Messages from Mother Earth: Awaken Your Intuition

We have become disconnected from our intuition because we have become disconnected from the earth. The vast deep wisdom that is our intuition has often been described as the voice of the Great Mother Earth. Anything we can do to restore our connection to the earth will improve our intuitive abilities. As we improve our ability to listen closely with mind, body and heart our intuitive faculty will develop. Practice reconnecting to the earth at these three level and watch your life change for the better.

Thinking as One

By thinking about the fact that our bodies are composed from the earth it may help us recognize that we are not separate from nature but an integral part of nature. Contemplating a philosophy of unity will help uncover your intuition. Namaste is more than just a greeting we use at the beginning and the end of our yoga class. It is the active awareness that the essence within me is the same essence within you. It is a subtle acknowledgement of the interconnection of all beings. You can mentally greet life with this beautiful word, Namaste as you pass people, animals, trees and all manner of beings. Each time recognizing that you all arise from the same Source.

Feeling Grateful

From a heart perspective we can tune ourselves to a deep sense of gratitude for these bodies and for life itself. Spending time in gratitude every day releases tension and the residue of stress in the mind and body. These subtle (and not so subtle) stresses keep us separate severing the connection to our intuition. Deep feelings of gratitude always inspire a deep sense of relaxation in the body and both help restore your intuition.

Core Movement

A regular mind-body practice whether yoga, tai chi, dancing or some other form of movement that is done with an awareness of the breath and body helps to strengthen our connection to the earth through the body. In this day and age most of our attention is at the mind-level, this is evidenced by the fact that even our movements tend to originate from the head. It is very important for our physical health, alignment and ultimately for our intuitive faculty to begin moving from our core. The core is a set of muscles at the lower part of the abdomen and the pelvic floor. This 'navel' area deserves a great deal of attention and can be considered the center of power in the body. This is the location of the third chakra in the yoga system and the dan tien in Tai Chi and Chi Gong.

As you are moving through your day be aware of the soles of your feet and that base connection to the earth. Hold some attention at the core as you move feeling grateful for the earth beneath your feet. By strengthening your base connection to the earth you will be amazed at how your perspective can shift and the wisdom that can spontaneously arise within.

Intuition is not something that happens outside yourself but rather it is that subtle inner voice that speaks from a place of unconditional love. It is not a function of the intellect nor is it related to the instinct. It is subtle, ancient and an integral part of who you are. Practice reconnecting to the earth and you will discover you are reconnecting to your intuition.

Namaste,

Steve

Yogi Jayanta

Discover Your Intuition: First Thought, Best Thought

Many times have I heard my teacher remind us of this old axiom which may first have been shared in the West by the Tibetan Master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, "First Thought, Best Thought". Allen Ginsberg used this phrase as he sought, through his poetry, to inspire his readers or drag them kicking and screaming into the simple ecstasy of NOW.

This week we will concentrate on intuition or intuitive wisdom as a gift and a goal of our Beloved Yoga practice. Meditation is undoubtedly a potent tool in cultivating intuitive wisdom as it supports the process of creating space. You may consider this space to be the space between thoughts. Spend time cultivating this space by allowing the mind and body to simply be as you shift your perception into that of the observer. Find a group to sit with (we meet on Wednesday evenings at 8pm at the Milo Boathouse in Yarmouth) or commit to yourself to spend 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night to simply breathe with awareness.

In order to practice, First thought, best thought, we must become adept at identifying that first thought. This can be a bit like identifying the first star in the night sky. The one that you will make a wish upon. The second you identify one it seems that almost immediately you are looking at dozens more. Moreover it seems as though you were already looking at all of them so then which was first?

The mind moves quickly through thoughts that are inspired by sensory inputs that, in turn trigger, emotional responses that, in turn create more thoughts pulled from memory or manifested from fantasy. First thought, best thought requires you to wield the sword of detachment in order to drop fantasy and memory in favor of the intuitive wisdom of NOW. Is it necessary to adopt a philosophical position as to the nature of intuition in order to enhance your ability to perceive it? I look at intuition as a flowing river of wisdom like an underground river that flows beneath the surface of the mind. Dig deeply and you will discover it.

What is this process of digging? It is more akin to letting go!

Let go of the intellect and the thinking process,

let go of the conditioning that keeps you

In the box of who you think you are,

Let go of the past and the future,

Let go of ambition and lethargy,

Let go of desire and indifference,

Let go of joy and pain,

Let go of everything in favor of nothing

And intuition will surely fill the void.

Namaste,

Steve

Yogi Jayanta

Awaken Your Intuition: Here and Now!

Hello All,

One of the most thrilling aspects of establishing a regular yoga + meditation practice is the awakening of your intuition. Receiving superconscious wisdom from deep within can provide simple joy that comes with clarity and a sense of knowing. Many of the great innovators of our time have acknowledged the roll of intuition in their work. Einstein made it crystal clear when he said, "The only real valuable thing is intuition."

In this age of information overload and its accompanying confusion arriving at clarity can bring tremendous relief. Practicing yoga + meditation helps to restore our connection to that ever-flowing quiet wisdom we know as intuition. When we talk of awakening our intuition it is more like waking up to our intuition. We access that intuition when we settle into the present moment that is here and now. The chatter of the mind and the ego's tendency to indulge in numerous desires keeps us from being present and receiving the flow of wisdom that is our intuition. This flow never stops but rather our ability to access it is impeded by our over- identification with thought.

Take time this day, maybe even right now, to sit and let the mind be. Unplug yourself from the busyness and connect deeply with awareness, with the witness. Allow everything to simply be as it is, arguing with nothing. Notice the mind's tendency to complain, to judge, to compare. Acknowledge the beauty and power of those functions but choose to be the witness. With time you may notice thoughts arise that seem inspired by a deeper sense of wisdom and they are often accompanied by quiet feelings of gratitude. You may want to write those ones down because they may just be the fruits of intuition.

Namaste,

Steve

Yogi Jayanta

The Edge

Hello All,

My trip to the United States continues as does all of our trips. Mine is moving through Maine with three generations, very different ways of approaching challenges and opportunities. The spiritual path has been termed the Razor's Edge because the path of authenticity and compassion is such an infinitely fine line. Integrating the concepts of intention and surrender may also be termed the Razor's Edge. On the one hand we have the planning of details based on our best concept of how things will proceed. On the other hand we have the allowing of whatever comes our way.

There is a story of a great yogi who was sitting in meditation having achieved absolute control over his senses to the point where he conquered all his desires. His body was emaciated and skin was like leather after living in the forest for many years practicing intense austerities. In his younger life, he spent years giving in to all of his desires and realizing that path did not bring a lasting peace or happiness. In this moment a boat was passing in a nearby river and a woman was playing a stringed instrument. In that moment the yogi realized, like the stringed instrument, if we are too tight attached to our plans, the simple joy of being will elude us; if we are too loose and without focussed intention we will be forced to endure unnecessary hardships for lack of preparation and grounding. This realization lead the yogi to practice the "middle way" and he eventually became the Buddha.

I have existed on both extremes in fairly dramatic fashion; I have been the Type A "plan and execute" and expect everyone around me to perform at the highest level. I have also been the free flowing individual devoid of intention altogether except to be aware of the breath and the simple presence of life. Neither was sustainable. A regular yoga practice gives us the chance to live on this Edge balancing alignment and force with presence and relaxation.

The path is not easy but the dynamic interplay of planning and allowing comes up again and again so there is no shortage of opportunity to practice your response. I can't wait to be on the Edge with each of you at our next yoga class.

Enjoy the Edge.

Namaste,

Steve

Yogi Jayanta