You know the feeling you get in your gut that something feels off. Maybe you hear a voice in your head saying "this doesn't feel right." Learning to listen to your intuition, is the first step to avoid something you may later regret.

If you’re like me and you struggle with listening to your intuition, join us for a retreat. Being away from your daily routine will clear away the clutter. Your voice will come in loud and clear.

I could tell you about the times in my life (disasters – truly) where I had an intuitive feeling about something and I RATIONALIZED it away. Big mistake, every time. Then I can tell you about the times I LISTENED to my gut…and things went amazingly right.

Intuition doesn't tell you what you want to hear, it tells you what you need to hear. ~Sonia Choquette

Years ago I had a feeling that something was off about a woman I had met. My intuition was telling me not to engage, but I rationalized it away. She's so fun, what could possibly go wrong? Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. This is my cautionary tale, I'm sharing it with you so you can avoid a similar situation.

Signs that your intuition is right include: you experience a strong gut feeling, you find a sense of clarity about a situation, you feel a sense of peace after making a decision based on your intuition. If you've had past experiences where your gut feeling proved accurate, that's a sign that listening to your intuition works.

Turn Your Intuition into a Powerful Tool

Be still and Listen – It’s hard to think about anything, if your life is constant motion and your brain is on fast forward. Your intuition will not send you a message on social media. You must PAUSE and listen. Take time in meditation, journaling or silence. Take a break from social media. Find yourself in nature and tune into your source. We are nature, so when we immerse ourselves in nature, we are able to find our natural state and our intuition.

Get present in Your Body – One of the most powerful things I’ve learned in yoga is our body is always in the present moment. While our brain might be looking to the past or thinking about our future, our body is always in the here and now. Every moment of every day. When you notice things about your body – muscle tenderness, hunger, thirst, fatigue – you connect with the present moment and to your body. Many of us DON’T listen to our bodies because we are too busy. We don’t eat when we are hungry or sleep when we're tired. How messed up is that? Once you begin the process of listening to physical sensations, you’ll notice your intuition.

Meditation – Meditation is a powerful tool. It can help you control your thoughts, clear the clutter and find clarity. Get started with easy step by step instructions or listen to a guided meditation.

Stop Thinking and Start Feeling – We have up to 50,000 thoughts per day. No wonder it’s so hard to control our thoughts (and yes you can – your mind is like your body – you CAN control it). Author Martha Beck suggests most of us don’t know the difference between thoughts and feelings. If I asked you what you’re feeling right now would you know? A sensation is a feeling, something  you feel in your body, not hear in your head. Read more here.

Listen to Your Gut – It’s that feeling you get…it might say “This feels right” or “This feels wrong.” It usually comes up when faced with a decision, maybe something as minor as which way to go to work or as major as a life change. Your intuition is a valuable tool in relationships, careers, opportunities and so much more. Your intuition may tell you something completely opposite of what you’re “supposed” to do or what you want to hear. And that’s where the challenge begins.

Don’t Rationalize What Your Intuition is Telling You (About Anything) – There are seemingly millions of reasons why you should or shouldn’t do something. Don’t let your “rational” mind or your “well-meaning” friends tell you something is a bad idea. How does it feel to you? Does it feel a little scary? Does if involve getting out of your comfort zone? Those are not reasons to skip out on something. That’s your mind saying “Holy Shit – this seems too hard.” I’ve had those moments. Put your head down and keep moving forward. Getting out of your comfort zone is where the good stuff happens.

Consider the Source – Is someone telling you what you want to do or not do is a bad idea? Before you listen, consider the person. Who they are to you. Do they have your back? Could they be jealous or insecure? Do they lift you up? Or drag you down?

Let Go of Fear – Life is about stepping into your fear, when what we really want to do is run the other direction. Fear is good, it can motivate you, but if you let it, fear can cripple you. Make a list – on your phone, in your journal, in your head – of what could happen if you jump right into the thing that intuitively feels right. Figure out what’s the worst that can happen. Then find a way to live with that, come up with Plan B or decide to take baby steps.

The science behind intuition is fascinating.

Learning to listen to your intuition is a skill we all have, but I believe we have been taught to disregard our own intuition and listen to "experts" or others in our lives. I encourage you to practice listening to your intuition on the small things. Then when it comes to something big in your life, you'll have the skills.

Let your intuition guide you. Watch everything fall into place.

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