Refreshing our interpretation of the word ‘intuition’ offers a simple reminder that it means learning from within rather than without.

Intuition is the faculty within us that encourages us toward what we consider to be right action, feelings and thoughts.  Intuition teaches us and helps us to be true to ourselves and to live according to our aspirations and highest aims.  It tends to develop as a dominant faculty particularly with females and has a vast potential to aid all of us in the art of living. But in order to be aware and receptive to this inner guiding voice, we must be sensitive to it and learning to trust it takes a little practice.

Awareness of intuition may vary with each of us, sometimes occurring with a subtle but repeated or sustained feeling about something or someone. Sometimes like a bolt out of the blue we may feel compelled to act upon a strong ‘hunch’ when we seem motivated by an inner shout rather than a subtle whisper of what to do.  Some of us may choose to be ‘deaf’ to the inner voice, and can only find trust in logical thoughts as they arise from a familiar basis.

However, we are most likely to benefit by our inner guidance and wisdom, if we are conscious of the existence of the faculty and are prepared to listen to our own inner counsel.

The result is of benefit to us in several ways – by the expansion of our sensitivity and awareness of everything around us and in our lives; by increased perception of factors in our relationships that allow greater exercise of compassion; it offers a means of trusting ourselves and gaining greater self confidence;  and discovering and utilizing intuition allows us to know that we are capable of accessing inner wisdom as to how to direct our lives constructively.

Learning to appeal and to listen to this inner voice of wisdom and to apply it will invite direct proof of its value.

Yoga is well known to involve personal undertakings regarding self culture of body, emotions and mind. In concert these represents our whole outer personality. The purpose aims at excellence – a concept determined by the individual’s perception of the ideal.

Once we understand and can govern the personality we are better able to demonstrate the deeper expressions of our soul. As we further aspire to spiritual understanding we open our consciousness to the limitless spheres beyond – the Universal Consciousness or God.

Various methods of concern for physical health and fitness have been developed over the many ages of human civilization. That branch of the ancient Vedic system is that known as Hatha Yoga. The way to reduce selfish emotions and to open our hearts towards loving Life itself is called Bhakti Yoga.

Beyond good health and emotional happiness there are further rewards for practising Raja Yoga in learning to develop the skills of a healthy intellect and a clear, creative mind. The follower of RajaYoga chooses the most difficult path but one made lighter by intensity of aspiration.

The first exercise in our personal trials to obtain a degree of conscious control over our restless thoughts involves attaining mental quietude by reducing the superficial activity of our mind and creating a state of stillness of both body and mind in meditation. The more actively one uses the mind, the more difficult this exercise will prove to be at first but as with all things, practise makes perfect.

So much of our life story is associated with the way we think. Father Dechanet, a Catholic priest who has written several books on Yoga explains how he found that Yoga can train a Christian to align his feelings and mind to such an extent that he becomes more capable of devoting himself exclusively to what he believes is in the service of God. This is true as in every other religion or philosophy.  Traditional methods present us with a well trodden path.  The acceptance of our personal tool of self discipline enables each of us to achieve in our aspiration to become a better person.

Disciplining the physical body is difficult enough as we all will agree. Emotional self control is subtler and more difficult still. Those who achieve self mastery of the mind are exceptional and understandably scattered less obviously through society. Because of the high level of difficulty in controlling our own mind, this path is named as the Royal Path. However, the principles are integral  in the beginner’s programme as in any advanced level of training.

Yoga practice begins with the practice of stillness. This allows negative energies to drain away and provide a fresh opportunity to re-establish the link with one’s deeper soul self, capable of reflecting our essential wisdom and in time, the light of greater spiritual Intelligence than our own. If the mind can be made to be still it will allow what the mystic describes as…..‘the practice of the Presence of God’  or as the scientist asserts ‘The presence always and everywhere of Law universal.’

This is the ultimate link with God that motivates the Raja Yogi. It comes through a gradual spiritual growth that diminishes the importance of the petty or lesser personal ego that is transitory as it simultaneously increases our wider understanding and consciousness of our immortal nature and of Life itself.

Most of us when young first undertake to focus upon cultivating our earthly personality ego and talents. As we grow older it is usual to have a growing sense of our participation in an ongoing subtler journey as we await the final revelation of our spiritual identity. Within the natural law of growth we come to vibrate in synergy with the Universe just as the lotus soul opens in the sunshine to become aware of the great expanses of Life above and beyond radiating around us yet secure in our own place and purpose in that existence.

We await the simple destiny of each individual human being – the wondrous spiritual realization of the Oneness of all life – the final spiritual truth.

Gerrit Janssen, Spiritual Teacher – address to the Naturopathic Convention, Sydney, Australia 1967.

Individual life is only satisfying when we understand our own nature and our place in the scheme of things. So ‘Know thyself !’ remains a classical directive to assist us in the art of living.

Vision of any material goal in life differs widely with each person according to his desires, needs  and any previous experiences. But the spiritual goal remains the same for us all, not only by the fact of our inevitable shared future fate of leaving the physical world, but because of the shared natural urge within us to be aware of our Creator and a higher purpose to life.

We need a starting point for our personal efforts in self knowledge.  One route is popularly taken in the study of our inherent characteristics both good and bad.   These positive and negative traits are indicated in our astrological birth sign and more explicitly in our personal horoscope which describes in detail all the influences and ingredients in our  personality make-up.

We must apply honest insight in observing and understanding our personal behaviour and observing the need for self censure. This is not always easy as our personal habits may charm us, even though proving irritating to others.

One method seeks help in analysing one’s personality by questioning your intimates by asking what they consider are your good qualities, negative traits and bad habits. But we must be brave in order to make such a request and it is not always advisable, particularly if your loved ones are of honest disposition!

However, these considerations are in regard to your personality only.   Our inner nature or true soul self usually known only to ourselves. It may be quite different in its inclinations and motivations than your outer personality expresses itself.  It is wise to harmonize our inner nature with the outer personality if we seek to develop into a person of some integrity.

Developing insight into other personalities, relationships and dealings with other people is also advantageous and widens our understanding of human nature.

Graduating from the admirable purpose of self understanding and understanding of others, we then seek to focus upon our own specific aspiration to the desire to philosophically consider human living and the spiritual aspiration to understand more about the Universe and the supreme Consciousness of the Creator.

For this higher insight we must discover how to listen to our inner voice of Intuition in which we seek to place our trust and be receptive of its guidance.

The yogi focuses in meditation upon the heart in order to increase his love and come to universal understanding.

He focuses in meditation upon the point between the eyebrows where his spark of higher consciousness is anchored. From this point he seeks greater insight into spiritual truths.

Concentration is our main faculty we use when learning or reading and when we are in a receptive listening mode. We use this faculty called dharana to help us focus upon important personal interests in everyday life. We also use it to deliberately programme our own mind and so develop its ’grooves’ of opinions and attitudes as well as conditioning our responses to external surroundings and conditions.

Developing concentration through yoga techniques aims to achieve pin-point concentration or ekagrata upon any particular selected focus. It is believed that if one can concentrate, one can succeed in using mental powers to the full.  Concentration is mind power.

It is obvious that if you keep your thoughts upon success, you will most likely succeed. If you concentrate upon failure you will do doubt succeed in failing. If you concentrate upon power, you will become powerful. If you concentrate upon love, you will become loving and so on. Each of us attracts circumstances by the power of our mind’s concentration.

Stillness of the mind is a necessary preparation to allow concentrated and purposeful thought. It may seem to be a simple aim, to still the mind, but in fact this is usually very difficult. Our thoughts are notoriously difficult to control with their general hyper-activity often likened to a monkey in continual movement. However, with practise, we can learn to subdue this activity.

Concentration is then used as the tool to programme our mind. There are certain methods and techniques employed for this purpose. Conscious effort of thought is required to build mental ‘muscle-power’ or strong mindedness, just as effort is needed to build physical fitness. There are many interesting mental exercises to strengthen the mind employed in yoga as well as in other schools of mind training. It is usual that only a chela or student who has formulated a clear spiritual purpose is given the key to deeper concentration.

Concentration can also be used as a tuning-in device similar to tuning the radio. This analogy holds true in meditation when we wish attunement to ‘receive’ inspiration or intuitive guidance.

Mind power is also built up through dharana for use in meditation when it can be directed towards a higher sphere much as a rocket fuel supplies energy for lift off.