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Volume 4 Issue 9 October, 2003 |
Integration—Intuition & Logic |
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At about 9 am the phone rang. I was sleeping in. I had no class and it was snowing, really, really snowing. Howard was on the phone. He worked for a telesales company that hired the handicapped. He was selling light bulbs. We chatted for a while and I bought some light bulbs.
Now I was awake, I may as well get out of bed. We lived next to a golf course. It would be great for my dog, Tucker, and I to walk around it. The snow was up above Tucker’s belly, but he was excited to be out and playing in the snow. I was having a good time, too. The snow was falling so we could barely see 500 feet. But, ahead of us I saw what looked like a reindeer. Then another. Hmmm, I thought, are they keeping reindeer on the golf course for an upcoming Christmas parade? It seems like something like that would make it in our small town newspaper. Now I could see even more reindeer. But, they weren’t reindeer, they were elk. It turned out to be over 50 elk who had wandered onto the golf course. They had been traveling blind due to the snow and were following an old migration trail. They were relying on their parents’ memories. The subdivision I lived in was called Elk Run. As the snow cleared somewhat they could tell they were obviously not in a place they wanted to be. Tucker and I were right up with them at this point and followed to see where they would go. Most went off to another part of the golf course, about 20 decided to head up a wooded hillside. They didn’t know what was up there. I did. Tucker and I ran up the hill behind them to see what they would do once they saw the houses and streets. Before Tucker and I were halfway up the slope the elk were running back down. I heard Tucker’s dog tags ringing as he ran away in the opposite direction. I was too close to even think about running. I hid behind a tree and elk ran by me, close enough for me to touch. I could see the fear in their eyes. Tucker and I ran home to get a camera and call the ranger station to see if they knew the elk had wandered into the neighborhood. At my street we encountered a TV crew from Phoenix who had been shooting picturesque shots for the evening news. They had a shot of Tucker and I running with the elk. I guess this was my 15 seconds of fame, we were interviewed and had our exciting adventure on tape. I recently took a workshop that was designed to help me get more in touch with my intuition. So often when making decisions we make our lists of pros and cons and don’t ask our hearts what is needed. In the workshop the leader, Patty Williams, told us that we needed integration, that to rely totally on logic alone or on intuition alone would not produce the best decisions. The elk had relied totally on intuition to get themselves through a blind spot. It had placed them in an uncomfortable situation. Intuitive insight comes from the heart, from your higher self. It is a body wisdom. It is generated internally through relaxation, meditation, receptivity to feelings. Logic comes from the mind. It can be positively influenced from external sources and definitely can be improved through learning. When receiving intuitive messages we must look at their relationship to what we already know. Our intuition is never wrong, however our interpretation can be way off the mark. We must apply what we already know to each insight. See where the two working together can take us. A month after talking to Howard and running with the elk, I received 2 boxes of lightbulbs from 2 different companies. Apparently Howard had quit his job that day and begun a new one soon after. He placed all his last day’s orders he had taken for the first company and also placed them with the second. Quite a clever man. He brought me light many times over.
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POSE - COUNTERPOSE
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An important concept in sequencing of asana is that of pose and counterpose. Counterpose takes the spine into a position that helps ease any strain from the preceding pose, aids in the squeeze and soak of organs, and redirects the prana. These sequences are highly intuitive. We usually know them without being told. We are not surprising lessons. Here, though, is a time when intuition can be mis-interpreted. The counterposes for backbends are forward bends and twists. When we come out of a particularly intense backbend we might find ourselves desiring a forward bend. However, you must ask yourself why the forward bend is desirous at this time and if the timing is right. If your practice is to proceed with more backbending you want to keep the spine extending at this point. It is not the time for a forward bend. Is your spine asking for a forward bend now because you have overused the lower back muscles? If this is so, then use this information to create a more intelligent back bend. Discover what needs adjusted in your backbends. A forward bend immediately following a backbend should be mild. Relatively speaking, a forward bend as a counterpose for an intense backbend could be Tadasana. The spine in Tadasana is forward bending compared to a backbend. After Tadasana then move into progressively more intense forward bends. The backbend-forward bend counterposes should actually originate from the hip hinge, attempt to keep spinal alignment throughout. Keep your safety net out, keep some distance from intuition, or any instruction, we receive so your rational mind can look at the many possibilities of the message you are being given. Remain open while maintaining a critical mind.
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