Last week I was out riding my bike and decided to take a rest near a lake.  This lake was used by the native American Indians.  This to me is a sacred place.  A dragonfly came up and sat down next to me.  He told me stories and messages. 

Dragonfly lives near water, in fact he will hatch and live in the water until he matures. As an adult, he flies away and gains his vibrant beautiful colored wings. As your animal totem, Dragonfly is an indication that you may be ready to experience your own transformation and change. He needs you to get in touch with your deep positive emotions in order to grow. Dragonfly, with his graceful movements in flight, is able to view his world through many different perspectives. His message to you is that you will find your true path by seeing through life’s illusions and finding the perspective that fits for you. Dragonfly also teaches you that when you do find your inner light, let it shine for all to see. Savor every moment of your life and live with joy.

What is your spirit insect or animal?  And do you recognize them when they are near you?  

 

What role does technology play in developing intuitive intelligence. In order to explore that, we have to look at how it is used. Technology is a broad term so in this blog I will concentrate on the topic of the sheer amount of information that is at our finger tips.

First, we have to look at what is intuition. In the psychological literature, intuition is often explained as one of two general modes of thinking, along with analytic reasoning. Intuition generally refers to a brain process that gives people the ability to make decisions without the use of analytical reasoning, the researchers suggest. Inutition is a combined outcome of many thoughts and feelings about something. These thoughts and feelings are not necessarily re-constructible. Intuitive thinking is described as automatic, fast, and subconscious. Analytic thinking, on the other hand, is slow, logical, conscious and deliberate.

Despite widespread acceptance of this idea by psychologists and the public, scientists have lacked a reliable test to gather objective data on intuition and even prove its existence. For the first time, researchers devised a technique to measure intuition. After using this method, they found evidence that people can use their intuition to make faster, more accurate and more confident decisions, according to the findings, published online in April in the journal Psychological Science. The study shows that intuition does, indeed, exist and that researchers can measure it, said Joel Pearson, an associate professor of psychology at the University of New South Wales in Australia and the lead author of the study. The study showed that information subconsciously perceived in the brain will help with decisions if that information holds some value or extra evidence beyond what people already have in their conscious mind.

However a recent meta-analysis https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bdm.1903 shows that the two modes of thinking are not correlated and could actually be occurring at the same time. However, based on the subconscious nature of intuitive thinking and our awareness makes it difficult to determine when it occurs.

The major downfall of intuition since it relies on evolutionarily older and automatic processing which may give rise to misguidances. One example of a misguidance would be cognitive biases. The increased information at our fingertips makes it easier to validate our insights from our intuition. It also allows one to become a subject matter expert. Typically if one is not an expert then one resorts to analytical thinking. The more expert one is the more one has to use gut instincts to then use information to validate the hunch.

Click to access 12%20movement%20form%20reminder%20notes.pdf

Theoretically, Daoyin Yangsheng Gong is guided by the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine such as the concept of holism, the theory of diagnosis and treatment based on differential analysis of symptoms and signs, the ancient theories of Yin and Yang and the Five Phases and Energy Circulation through Channels, and the aetiology and pathology of diseases and related studies of modern medicine. It also involves the stimulation of key acupressure points in the body while enhancing mental development and spiritual awareness.

Daoyin Yangsheng Gong is now part of the Chinese National Fitness Program. The Chinese Olympic Committee recommends it for its athletes and the Chinese Wushu Association considers it to be a premier healthcare system.
This system is unique in its specificity. Many other systems are quite general in their overall approach (one system to cure many different ailments). Daoyin Yangsheng Gong has specific movement patterns to activate the flow of energy according to the particular needs of the patient or practitioner. Thus, there are specialised forms for the Heart, the Spleen, the Kidneys, and so on. In cases of specific health issues versus general health maintenance, varying combinations or sequences of these form practices which can be ‘customised’ and prescribed according to the patient’s condition and how it progresses.
Daoyin Yangsheng Gong is designed to work on three levels. First, it can be used for health maintenance, to improve vitality and prevent disease by keeping the immune system strong. Second, it can be utilised directly as a primary or adjunctive treatment for chronic disease or certain acute conditions. Thirdly, it can be utilised as a recuperative therapy for those in a recovery phase.

“The art of inner body awareness will develop into a completely new way of living, a state of permanent connectedness with being and will add a depth to your life that you have never known before.”

Eckhart Tolle

Mind, Body and Spirit. The holy trinity to health. Which one should I start to work on first. Body Awareness is described as a person’s awareness of their body parts and knowing where their body is in a defined space. Mind, Body and Spirit. The holy trinity to health. How we occupy energetic space determines what we perceive in energetic space.

From my first steps onto my yoga mat until present day I am feeling sensing how my body awareness is one of the most important tools I use to utilizing intuitive healing if my my mind and spirit are continuing to integrate.

My body awareness has personally developed faster by concentrating on doing slow movement exercises such as tai chi and qiqong. In addition, I have been working really hard on combining breath with the movement. When I first started yoga I was like most beginners and tried really hard to push my body rather than let the breath take me deeper into the postures.

Body awareness is about grounding also. So to that extent in addition to flowing into asanas using the breath I use grounding asanas. It is almost as my practice has taken two paths. Oh, the grounding asanas yet the flowing ones from one pose to another. Which one do I choose. I have promised I would write this blog from my experiential present moment.

Pantajali. Sthira and Sukha: Steadiness and Ease

Most of the asanas in the Hatha Pradipika are not about flowing. There are certain Western exercises such as skate skiing where there is no difference. Movement creates the stillness the steadiness the ease. How many people can sit in an hour of meditation.

I urge people to just take the time to retreat into their breath. Get away from all the distractions. Five minutes. Forming a habit is important.

My First Plunge into Yoga

Being an avid cyclist and runner I started my journey onto my yoga path as a way of releasing my aches and pains. Soon I started reading yoga books and attending classes. At the time I did not realize that most of these classes were just asana classes. But I wanted to learn more. I found myself enrolling in a 200 hour training course for teachers. Now 20 years later I am no longer a teacher in a studio but perhaps teaching in a less traditional way.

Anyone who knows true yoga knows that the traditional yoga was not taught in a classroom but in a teacher student one on one relationship. I believe that this methodology was the best tool because it created a unique relationship. It allowed a transformation using the “yoking” of the mind, body, spirit, and heart of the student through the teacher’s observation of what a particular student required. This is why I was so imbued after each yoga teacher training session. It was as if my teacher was guiding me. I know my class was limited to a small number of students. While I did not realize at the time that I had developed that one on one relationship.

The challenge for a teacher in any yoga class is trying to teach the theory of yoga not just the asanas so that students can “yoke” their own mind, body and spirit. The odds are against the teacher since most students want only the asanas and that is we are paid to teach asana. So I stopped teaching because I just could not seem to teach yoga the way I wanted. I really do regret it because I feel I now with all I have learned I could have somehow reached my goal of teaching my idea of true yoga. But the beauty of yoga is that there is not just one type of yoga. Students come in through different doors but eventually if they are true students like myself realize how yoga can transform them.

I believe yoga is all about self study. The teacher maybe there to guide you but you have to do the work. One of the goals of this blog is to use the intuitive intelligence each of us have to reach your health, well being and spiritual goals. I hope to impart some of the other doors through which we can open to reach this goals. Future topics include different systems to hone intuitive intelligence including qiqong, energy medicine, and psychology of the mind. But first let’s talk a little about intuitive intelligence.

The natural healing force in each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. – Hippocrates