We are all familiar with that "gut feeling" and the push from within that urges for action in one direction or another. Though more current science indicates that there is explanation and validity to this sensation, most speak of it as purely esotheric or at best, a psuedoscience. I question... How often do you honor those little urges or feelings? What happens, more often than not, when you don't listen and chose with logic alone? Those situations usually end less than optimally with self talk saying... "I KNEW it!"
Our bodies have an amazing ability to communicate without words. Here are some ways that you can tune in to and learn to trust your innate - that inner guidance:
"Your Intuition is a muscle, to develop it, you must listen" ~Phil Good
Meditation: Meditation and other practices of mindfullness can help you to gain clarity in things, work through problems, heal old wounds or come up with ideas around what's next and how to get there. This is a key way to access our subconscious and really tap into our intuition. We host a few different meditative and mindfullness practice classes. EFT (emotional freedom tapping technique) is the first Tuesday of every month. Max Meditation systems TM is the Second Monday of the month. We also teach Chi do (movement meditation), breath work and offer other modalities to support you being able to find that quiet pond.
Alone time: Think about this... when do you have your best, most creative thoughts? For me... the shower. It has been some of the only time I have had alone since having kids (and my son is turning 17 in a couple of weeks). I do now prioritize time alone every day, even if for just 5 minutes. Taking this time, in quietude, mind wandering without outside distractions, screens, etc... opens the door for our creative mind to speak to us. Being alone allows us to tune into ourselves and listen for what our needs, wants and desires really are. Could you find 30 minutes of the day to spend in quietude, alone with your thoughts? If not 30... could you find 15 mintues to just be with your thoughts? I invite you to try to do this and write down every thought that pops into your head in that period of time. Without judgement or any attachment to this exercise, it will show you a lot about your self and where you are at in life. Even 5 minutes per day is a good start.
Be Creative: What are your outlets? Do you like to paint, build things, play music, organize things, make lists, charts or graphs, clean & rearrange, color, draw, sing or dance? Finding ways to allow our creativity to flow will feed our desire to have it flow more. It is in creativity that our spirit speaks and manifests in the physical. It doesn't matter if you are alone or with others on this one - make sure that if this is a shared experience, you share it with those that will not restrict, judge or criticize your expression. This is an area that you don't want to hold back or limit yourselves.
Listen to your body: The body will give cues as to what is going on. Whether it is butterflies before public speaking or your ears ringing - these are signals of something going on within the body. I have said for a long time that pain is an acronym: Pay Attention Inside Now. How often do you ignore what your body is telling you? How often do you think, "this will pass, it's no big deal"? Are you constipated? Having Headaches daily? Do you wake at 2:34 every night? Did you develop a patch of skin on the leg that has been dry and itchy for the past 2 months? Do you find yourself feeling bad everytime you see a certain person? These are all signs that you body is speaking to you and to develop your intuition, I urge you to tune in and listen. (Often times, these are signals that you should be checked by your doctor - us or your PCP).
Observe more: Do you spend time just watching what is going on around you? I know that I used to spend all of my time in action. I didn't want to watch, I wanted to play, to participate, to lead, to do. I spent more time as a human doing than I was a human BEing. Observation can show you a lot about patterns, triggers, hesitations, reactions, joys, sorrows, insecurities, confidences, strengths and weakness and so much more. It can help to reveal your priorities and how closely you are living into those priorities. This practice can also improve the way that you relate and connect to others as it allows you to listen more. To see things from outside of a circumstance rather than from within. It gives the 30,000 foot view rather than the 3 inch view. This gives perspective. Perspective and listening are keys in building strong relationships (whether with yourself or with others). Being in the present and observing my environment has allowed me to really master some internal ques. This has helped me to provide service in the ways that I do while also learning more about what each of you needs on an individual basis - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Keep a Dream journal: Your dreams are a window to your subconscious mind and often times can help you to dump the mental minutia from clouding the important pieces of information that you need. Dream time is a very special time in terms of our intuition. This is the time to release the happenings of the day, it is when the body rests and repairs from stress, it is also a time when you can cross the veil of the conscious mind.
Schedule in down time: Having planned time that is not scheluded into will allow for some space for any of the above mentioned things. When you live on the go all the time, your social life and personal relationships suffer. Celebrate yourself but setting up some down time to dream and vision what life could really look like for you if you took the steps to implement from this list!
Listen to that inner voice - often! As always, don't hesitate to reach our if you need assitance, have questions or just want to check up.