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