Getting to Know Your Intuition

Getting to Know Your Intuition

Imagine tapping into the guidance of your intuition — an extraordinary tool that always has your best in mind. Unlike all the people you probably trust and rely on for advice, your intuition is designed to help you navigate life's intricacies with your soul’s purpose at the forefront. Anyone else is tethered to another worldview and agenda. They can’t help it, it’s the way humans work.

Listening to the inner bestie — and then actually acting on that advice — is often challenging. It can be especially difficult for those of us with linear, analytical, action-orientated brains that are focused on external validation and tangible proof of success.

Intuition vs. the Monkey Mind

You have two inner forces always vying for your attention and trying to control how you approach life. You need to know the difference.

Intuition goes by a few other names: one is "gut instinct." This is usually a strong feeling that may or may not make intellectual sense at the moment. It is often not politically correct or worried about what other people think. If you have a very strong feeling about something, trust it. It might be for you to decline an invitation to an event (when your mind and other people are pressuring you to go), or to bring a specific item on a trip (when your mind doesn’t believe this makes any sense). It is common that someone will have a strong feeling about a person they are interviewing or that they just met and then later say, “My gut told me I could not trust that person, but we hired them anyway.”

Start paying attention to how your intuition speaks to you in everyday life. Any small signals from your inner self may be your intuition trying to guide you. Remember that intuition is subtle; it only pings you a few times and only does so when it matters.

Monkey Mind is a phrase to label the way your brain can function when it’s highly focused on a situation, a real problem, or even a perceived problem. Some characteristics of this are non-stop thinking, often accompanied by a panicky feeling that if you don’t DO something about this issue, something will go wrong. These thoughts are rapid-fire, and many are about how you can prevent, control, or manage the situation.

The sensations in your body differ between these two internal processes, so much so that when you acknowledge what is what, the awareness will help move you to a higher reliance on intuition because it feels better. It does not create anxiety or stress. And when you learn to listen to it more, your stress will be reduced. You will gain back all the time and energy you wasted swirling through the fear and anxiety-laden thoughts that were not helpful.

Here are simple methods to help you tune in and develop a profound sense of trust in the wisdom of your inner bestie, intuition:

Schedule time to be completely alone and quiet.

In order to hear your intuition, you need to be able to be still and completely quiet. This means turning off distractions like a computer, TV, phone, or music. Sit in a comfortable position and take 4 very deep breaths. Try to fill your body with oxygen, allowing your lungs and body to expand to accommodate it all. Just listen to whatever comes up that you usually can’t squeeze through during your daily hustle.

Learn to accurately interpret sensations in your body.

Your intuition speaks to you through your body. Most likely, you are aware of the strong sensations you get when you are angry or nervous. You may know what it feels like when you are sad. Pay attention to any physical sensations you're feeling. Do you feel tightness in your chest? A knot in your stomach? These can be signs that something isn't right.

Meditate.

Meditation is a great way to quiet your mind and connect with your intuition. There are many different ways to meditate, so find one that feels right for you. There are apps created for this specifically. Experiment with different techniques and see how they affect you.

Get creative.

Creative activities like painting, drawing, or free-flow writing will also help you tune into your intuition. When you let go of your logical mind and allow yourself to be creative, you open yourself up to intuition.

Walk in nature.

Nature can be a great place to connect with your intuition. Spend time observing the world around you. Listen to the sounds of the birds, the wind, and the leaves. Let nature guide you to a place of stillness and peace.

Taking the time to tap into your intuition and follow what your inner self is telling you can make all the difference in your life. You’ll never find the answers you are looking for if you rely solely on outside ideas and opinions or allow your mind to keep creating more stress than necessary.

You don’t have to go it alone, however: we are so fortunate now to have access to resources from people who have been through similar experiences and share their knowledge in order to help us all reach our highest potential.

If you want transformational change quickly, consider joining the free AVVI Collective Membership. In addition to helping you gain clarity on your deepest desires, the membership offers exclusive events and tools that facilitate Deep Work Fast — a powerful combination of mindfulness principles, coaching, and ancient healing techniques combined with neuroscience research for powerful results.

It's time to try something fresh and new in order to move forward!