In 2000, when I began my yoga journey, one of the first teachings confronting my “rationally” trained mind was this — if we seek wisdom and truth, we cannot count on our ego to provide and protect. Instead, we need to open ourselves to intuition from which right thoughts, right words, and right deeds emerge. A voice deep inside me said “Yes!,” and I turned my mind and heart toward exploring and practicing intuitive being.
Like me, you might have looked up the definition of intuition to ease any doubt — the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference; immediate apprehension or cognition; knowledge or conviction gained by intuition. Breaking the habit of using rational thinking, as my primary mode for understanding myself and thus life, took practice, trust, and time. When I look back on how I developed and refined my intuition, it was my yoga practice that gave me the necessary tools and experiences. For still-doubting yogis, the following quote defines the five traits of highly intuitive people: A higher sense of empathy, self-awareness, observation, focus, and the ability to live in the present are some of the greatest characteristics, which make an intuitive person succeed in life. Just like any other skill, the intuitive feeling can be cultivated and nourished with dedicated practice.
Two and a half decades later, my intuitive yoga practice (Vijnanamaya Kosha), is primarily responsible for enabling me to accept change graciously and to write poetry. The poem below titled Spirit Sight (or Intuitive Sight) can be found in my soon-to-be-published fifth poetry book. You can listen to my own reading of this poem by clicking on the audio file below.
Spirit Sight
What is essential and enduring?
Is it standing naked in authenticity,
shedding the burdens of a fear-based ego,
spilling joy into the world?
Is it innocent trust awaiting the next unfolding,
saying “Yes” to what life presents
even amidst uncertainty, distraction, and misdirection?
Is it ever refining intuition and integrity
where patience rejects impulse and
incubates fulfillment?
Is it the creative flame rekindled,
released by a heart wide open
in service to truth, beauty, and goodness?
In each journey, may we see
where the light of spirit guides.
For more yoga actions and teachings, click here. Namaste.
