Intuition, Ajna, and Intelligence

The Ajna chakra is the yogic energy center considered to be the seat of intuition. Located at the third eye, it is often associated with the pineal gland, which has the sole function of producing melatonin. Light stimulates its secretion which triggers our circadian rhythms. While enLIGHTenment is endlessly fascinating to meditators, intuition is a vast subject that turns out to have a lot of resonance in the business and gaming communities which has prompted much brain-based study.

Intuition is the primary decision making mode of most upper level executives who site using their gut instincts 80% of the time. The gut part of intuition has tremendous power. The enteric nervous system is responsible for 90% of our serotonin production, which controls our sense of wellbeing and stabilizes our mood. I am just surmising here that higher levels of reliance on intuition, particularly if it leads to positive outcomes, feels easy and good.

Intuition is a survival mechanism, a fast moving decision making process that seems to operate beneath the scrutiny of the conscious mind. It negates the need to process massive quantities of data methodically, relying instead on pattern recognition, past experiences, and emotional dynamics. The problem with intuition is that without high levels of know-how the conclusions we come to are often wrong. One study about hiring practices, for example, demonstrated that in relationships we skew towards patterns of knowing that are more about us than the candidate. Another study of high level gamers showed that exquisite expertise (and therefore strong intuitive skills) in one area, did not cross pollinate with other less skilled parts of ourselves. In those cases, critical thinking, though slower, led to better decisions.

So what hones intuition?

The caudate nucleus, a structure of the basal gangalia, turns out to be the storehouse of expertise. It resides below the cortex responsible for conscious perception and analysis snf has many tendrils interlinking the two structures. The experience of our caudate feels like knowing without knowing how you know. With the highly skilled, the caudate nucleus lights up during intuitive processing in ways that it does not in beginners. To a certain extent intuition is like the brain's version of muscle memory. You have to know how to play well to play well without knowing. 

The caudate nucleus is also responsible for choosing movements that you want and eliminating those that you don't. It has a role to play in Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases and is particularly influential in eye movement. Most curiously, forming positive habits, goal setting, attention, focus, and where you place your gaze are all influenced by the same structure in the brain. I don't believe there is a single yoga pose or sequence that can directly light up the caudate but I do have a theory about why yoga can feel so connected to intuitive knowing. 

Yoga has high degrees of pattern recognition coded into the system. Think of bridge pose, bow pose and camel pose and you can see that these three poses are basically identical in shape but exploring different relationships to gravity. Drishti or the yogic practice of directing your gaze, the language and lessons of cueing, the goal setting of sequence, and the intense attunement to body organization further stimulate all the functions of the caudate nucleus. With that in mind, regular practice can create a tautology between movement and mind continuously reinforcing the basic skillset required for productive intuition. 

Besides, it's nice to know that all that time on the mat is giving your cortex a break and who couldn't use that?