Five strategies for intuitive living
Authors Sonia Choquette and Amisha Ghadiali explain how to access your inner wisdom using your senses and emotions, so you can make decisions and take action with confidence
Listen to your body.
‘Every morning, place a hand on your heart and ask, ‘What is my guidance today?’ Listen to what arises without judgment. Then, check in with your body. Intuition has a particular signature – your body relaxes. It can feel a little like putting a key in a lock. By contrast, if you’re overthinking, your body feels agitated and your mind spins,’ says Sonia Choquette.
Focus on what feels true.
Build on the above exercise by focusing on a particular dilemma, while saying aloud: ‘My head says…?’ and ‘my heart says…?’ A common fear is getting it wrong. ‘I say the world of right and wrong is a faculty of the intellect,’ says Choquette. ‘Intuition comes from a different place, a third space which is what feels true for me, for now. You step into a doorway of what feels true.’
Set a yoga intention.
‘Ask a question in the form of an intention before you start your yoga practice,’ suggests Amisha Ghadiali. ‘Begin by stating that you would like to find out X from the wisdom held in your body, then invite the question in and move through your sequence. When you come out of it, see if an answer has landed in your mind.’
Identify your intuitive style.
‘Some people receive it as pictures in their mind, for others they may hear guidance or even taste it,’ says Ghadiali. To identify your intuitive style, journal about a perfect Sunday that you enjoyed recently. Describe it in detail and either write it down or record it. Notice what feeling words you use most – visual, auditory or kinaesthetic. This should give you a valuable clue about what form of intuition you should pay most attention to in the future.
Start an intuition journal.
‘Write down your hunches and collect data that can help your rational mind work with your intuition. How did you feel? Where did you feel it in your body? What was the outcome? That way, you start to collect how information comes through for you and distinguish between the voice of your ego, mental chatter and overthinking,’ says Ghadiali.