Recognizing, Trusting, and Taking Action on Your Intuition

The problem with control is that we also limit the possibilities of what may happen when we try so hard to be in control of things.

You might think that the only solution is “X” but, what if letting go means that you set off a new chain of events that leads to an unexpected and even better solution? Wouldn’t you want that instead? Letting go and letting your intuition lead you is the way to set off the new chain of events that leads to those fortunate coincidences and door opening opportunities.

Intuition is knowing without words, sensing the truth without explanations. It operates beyond time and space and is a link to your higher self. Intuition knows that past, present, and future are simultaneous, and can see the whole of any event. It often speaks to you as the playful child that would lure you away from a harder path to a more joyful one. Your intuition is always leading you toward aliveness and joy, and out of stuck places. Your intuitive mind synthesizes information in a flash, giving you answers to problems and decisions. It shows you the most effective steps to take to achieve your goals and dreams.

Often intuition comes to you as fleeting feelings, thoughts, or sensations that you barely notice until later, when you look back and think, “Yes, I had a feeling to do this, or not to do that.” You can make these intuitive feelings more visible, so that you notice them and can act upon them. You can learn to distinguish between the quiet voice of your intuition that is showing you a good choice or direction, versus the often louder voice of your fears and doubts that want to stop you from doing new things and taking risks.

As yogis, we are already intuitive, and are probably receiving intuitive guidance in many ways. Your body may be speaking to you, giving you hints of the healthy and healing foods it would like to eat. Your emotions may be speaking to you, telling you to follow your heart, take a risk, and do something you love in some area of your life. Your mind may be speaking to you, bringing you intuitive messages and dropping new ideas into your head. Your spiritual intuition may be guiding you to explore new inner places and to try out new spiritual practices.

As you review each area, notice if one stands out for you. Ask yourself if there is something you are getting a feeling to do differently, or to change. Have the intention for your inner guidance to become clearer to you, so that you can recognize what it is showing you. The only action you need to take right now, if you are not sure what to do, is to ask that your intuition become stronger and clearer so you can take action on it.

Listening to, trusting, and acting on your intuitive inner guidance is an art. Like any other art or discipline, it requires a certain commitment. It is an ongoing process in which we are always being challenged to move to a deeper level of self-trust. For most of us, the practice of allowing our intuition to guide us is really a new way of life, very different from what we have been taught in the past. At times it may feel uncomfortable or even a bit frightening. If we have been conditioned to try to approach life entirely rationally, to follow certain rules (or to automatically rebel against them), or to do what we think other people want us to do, then beginnng to follow our own inner sense of truth is a major shift.

Learning to follow your intuition can sometimes feel a bit like “living on the edge.” In a sense, it’s learning to live without the false sense of security that comes from trying to control everything that happens to us. It’s recognizing that as we follow our inner guidance, wonderful things are going to unfold for us, things that we may not yet even imagine.

Gradually you become less afraid and more comfortable with uncertainty. You can learn to enjoy not knowing! And perhaps it might even become a very exciting, alive feeling. Learn to move into the unknown with the confidence that you have a guiding force within you that is showing you the way.