How To Listen To Your Inner Voice.
And the importance of not ignoring life’s whispers.
Recently, I have been working on fostering my intuition or claircognizance with my coaches. Claircognizance means having an inner knowing or when you just know things without direct logic or reason.
Oprah brilliantly said, “Difficulties come when you don’t pay attention to life’s whisper. Life always whispers to you first, but if you ignore the whisper, sooner or later you’ll get a scream”.
I always used to tell my clients that one’s health is like a glass window; there are always communications happening throughout one’s body and the art of mindfulness or body consciousness is simply getting back to listening to those voices. For at first it’s like a small pebble (imbalances) being thrown against the glass (one’s body), and then it evolves into a stone, then a rock, and so forth — most people have become so disconnected from their own bodies or inner voices, that they often don’t hear it until a brick comes shattering through their glass window. But the power is in becoming a better listener and hearing the imbalances at the pebble phase, not ignoring or repressing them until it shatters the glass.
Your intuition is similar to that glass widow and learning to reconnect with its strength is beyond powerful. In doing so, it allows for more flow or fluidity in your life and less push or resistance. When you listen to your inner voice, life becomes a magical pull or as some refer to it as a “calling”.
Shel Silverstein similarly said, “There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long, “I feel this is right for me, I know that this is wrong.” No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what’s right for you–just listen to the voice that speaks inside.”
But how do you listen to the voice that speaks inside you? In a culture that is often over-rationalized, how does one go about reconnecting with one’s inner voice or knowing? Like most anything else, practice. You have to flex the muscle over and over again, in order to strengthen its presence. It, intuition, only works if you work it.
One of my coaches recently took me through a powerful process of helping to do just that; to familiarize myself with my body’s natural response or inner voice. She asked me to think of a time when I was an absolute ‘no’. A personal example is choosing not to surround myself with or spend significant time on people that don’t lift me up or energize me. With this in mind, I was asked to visualize that firm ‘no’ in detail as to get myself back to that very feeling. Where did I feel that ‘no’ in my body? What were the body sensations, emotions, thoughts and images associated with that absolute ‘no’?. I feel the absolute ‘no’ in at the base of my spine, almost at my root chakra, and it feels like a cool buzzing vibration. My breath is slow but shallow, only reaching my chest. Emotions that arise are claustrophobia, restraint, anger and fear. Thoughts and images aren’t as strong in my system, but this gives you a sense of things. Now, I know what an absolute ‘no’ feels like in my body and am able to better listen to that sensation the next time it arises.
Subsequently, I was prompted to think of a time when I was a strong and excited ‘yes’, without a doubt; like going on a vacation to a warm beach in the middle of Jackson’s long winter. Yes, 100% yes! I feel that in my stomach, like butterflies floating around propelling me forward, with emotions of glee, joy, playfulness and warm-heartedness. My breath is long and slow, into my bellow, creating a cascade of warmth flowing into my lungs and belly. Thoughts and images of a green pasture with wildflowers like the Sound of Music arise. Now, I also know what ‘yes’ feels like in my body.
Finally, I was asked to think of a time when I was initially a ‘no’, but it wasn’t very firm, so I was willing to try it and ultimately became a willing ‘yes’. A ‘yes’ that I was glad I ultimately gave into. An example here is paragliding, as somewhere who is afraid of heights and very conscious of my own mortality as a gymnast and athlete, my mind said ‘no’ but my body was saying ‘yes’. So I did it and was so glad I did. Once in Oman and again recently off Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming with my family. Even while running off the mountain with a guide attached to me, my mind was saying no, no, no — it’s counterintuitive to run off a mountain, but then once in flight, it was so incredibly peaceful and rewarding. I now know what an initial ‘no’, but eventual ‘yes’ that still aligns with my true self feels like. It feels like alternating hot and cold over my palms and feet, with an increased heartbeat and shallow but connected breathing. Images of a white bird flying out of a cage appear and thoughts of being freed or unburdened come to the forefront of my mind.
This exercise helped me to distinguish between (1) a firm ‘no’, (2) a strong excited ‘yes’, and (3) an initial ‘no’ that becomes a ‘yes’ in my own body. Now, when faced with a question, no matter how big or small, I have access to my inner voice and am better equipped to hear life’s whispers long before they become a scream. My body and heart can answer for me, and I can be an observer to it’s alignment rather than rationalizing with my mind, social pressure, or what I think I should answer. Deepak Chopra says “You are a spiritual being having a human experience. You’re not a human being having a spiritual experience.” And in learning to listen to your inner voice, you’re better able to stay in your heart and soul as a spiritual being having a human experience.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs
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