The definition of intuition is, “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning”. In other words, it's the bridging of the gap between our conscious and unconscious minds. For example, have you ever had an unexplainable feeling in your gut that instinctively told you when something you were doing was right or wrong? That was your intuition speaking. Now imagine what your life would be like if you were able to access that inner guidance system whenever you needed it. That sounds amazing, right? Who wouldn’t want more of that? Listening and trusting that little voice is a marvelous thing on its own, but working to develop that little voice can make it even more powerful. We all have the sacred ability to grow and strengthen our intuition. The more we use it, the more it can expand and evolve. Imagine your intuition as a muscle that needs exercise and nourishment to flourish. Let’s take a look at the 11 ways to get in tune with and develop your intuitive gift! Meditate: Most people are aware that meditation is beneficial, what they don't know is that it is a practice that allows for practice, in other words, no one ever gets "good" at meditation, it evolves with us. Meditation is simply a practice that allows us to continually learn to be still and listen to and feel beyond our senses.
Let's take a look at mediation through the lens of helping us tune into and grow our intuition: For most people, intuition has a very soft voice. If our minds are busy with the stresses of daily life, it can be very hard to hear that little voice. Meditation is a great way to clear the mind, quiet the constant inner dialogue and make room for our intuition to come through. Try this basic meditation to help you listen and tune into your inner spirit! -Set a timer for 10 minutes. -Find a relaxing and comfortable place to sit. -Close your eyes and stay quiet. -Listen to and feel your breath (really pay attention to it) without trying to change it. -Just observe the breath. Notice any sensations that arise. Just BE present. -When your mind wanders, visualize that thought flowing out with the exhale of your breath and focus on the inhale. I tend to visualize white air flowing in through my nose (the nose is a filter for the air we breathe) and on the exhale I visualize pink air releasing out through my nose as well. When your timer goes off, slowly open your eyes and take a moment to write down any important thoughts, messages, feelings, or insights you may have received during your meditation. Dreams: During our waking hours, our cognitive brain is in control. It uses logic and reasoning to override our subconscious mind. However, during sleep that conscious mind rests, allowing our inner subconscious to shine through. We can learn a lot about our internal blocks or problems by listening to this inner consciousness. Keep a dream journal. Keep a notebook and pen right next to your bed, and immediately upon rising try to record everything you remember about your dreams. Dreams begin to fade from memory immediately upon waking, so make sure to grab your dream journal before you do anything else. Like most things, this takes practice, you will get better over time at interpreting and recording these dreams. You will be able to see patterns and occasions where your inner consciousness is trying to help you solve problems or guide you in the right direction. Before going to bed, visualize yourself remembering your dreams and asking for guidance through your dream state. Asking for guidance during our dream realm allows our higher self to work through us when we are unaware. Picture yourself waking up and recording these dreams in your journal. Try to keep this thought in your head as you fall asleep. This will help imprint the practice in your mind and make it easier the next morning. More nature: Spending time in nature, away from technology, is one of the best ways to quiet the mind. Nature is a great way for us to get in tune with our ancestral self and feel our connection to something bigger than ourselves. This is where we come from, our ancestors relied on their intuition for everything. For finding food, avoiding predators, and finding the right path, intuition was one of the most important aspects of life. Anytime we immerse ourselves in nature's beauty, we have an opportunity to dip our toes into another world, a world where intuition rules. Get creative: Do something creative! Paint, draw, build, sketch, anything that elevates your creative mind. When we are young, our inner voice is loud and not hesitant to shine through. As we get older that inner voice is pushed down with responsibilities and the stresses of life. Tapping into this creative part of our brain can help re-ignite those pathways and amplify our intuitions. Get in tune with all your senses: Your intuition can flow through any of your five senses. It may come as a strange or loving sensation you feel physically within your body, or as a thought, that seems to appear out of nowhere. It may be triggered by a certain scent or even taste. Start noticing and paying attention to all of your senses. When was the last time that you concentrated on your breathing, your sense of smell, your taste? We have all heard the phrase, “stop and smell the roses”, but it really can help in developing your intuition. The more you practice getting in tune with these senses, the more your “6th sense” can flourish as well. Follow your hunches: A surefire way to develop your intuition is to test out your hunches. When you are going about your daily life, keep a journal and write it down every time you have a hunch. When that little voice chimes in, be sure to write it down, so you can record and see how these hunches play out. It can be as simple as seeing the weather reporting rain for tomorrow, but you have a feeling it will be sunny. Maybe a friend's partner gives you bad vibes, write down your feelings and see if it plays out. Follow your hunches and see what you can learn about your intuition. Switch up your daily routine: The conscious brain, also known as the ego, loves routine and order, but the more regimented your life is, the further your inner voice is pushed down. When the mind is busy it can be especially hard to hear that little voice. Switching things up can throw your cognitive brain for a loop, and let your intuition shine through. Escape the daily routine, slow down and do something different. Your intuition will thank you. Replay past events: Sit down and try to think back to a situation where things didn't go as planned or didn't go as you wanted. Visualize yourself back in that situation, and notice any feelings or moments where you felt as if something was wrong. Was there an opportunity to go a different way? Did your inner voice speak up for a moment, only to be overtaken by your cognitive mind? Try to evaluate some of these occurrences and look for patterns, look for ways that you could do things differently the next time. Look for ways your intuition was trying to guide you and the things it was trying to tell you. Breathwork: Hands down, breathwork is one of the best ways to quiet the mind and get in tune with your inner voice. Try this 4-7-8 method to allow your intuition to shine through and bring your consciousness to the present. -Start by emptying your lungs of air. -Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. -Hold that breath for 7 seconds. -Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds. -Repeat this process 4 times. This 4-7-8 technique will not only help with intuition but is also a great way to mitigate stress and lower anxiety. Think less, feel more: Our cognitive brain thinks, our intuition feels. Our minds, our egos, are always reasoning, questioning, and thinking their way through the day. After so many years of this, we don't even realize it's happening. If people could hear all the questions, our cognitive brain is bouncing around all day, they would think we are crazy! Try to slow down and “feel” more. Feelings that are grounded in your body, are also grounded in truth. These feelings will never lie. Learn to listen to them more. Pay attention to those little signals that our body gives us. Heart beating faster, that knot in the pit of your stomach, feeling hot, feeling cold, or a tingling sensation. You know the situation; you meet someone and immediately know something is off about them, you can just feel it. Maybe they are lying to you or treating someone poorly, your physical body can feel that and alert you. If you pay more attention to these physical cues, you could avoid many uncomfortable, painful, or awkward situations. This is your intuition speaking and it's trying to guide you in the right direction. Practice “sensing” people before meeting them: This is a great way to test and grow your intuition. Put yourself into a situation where you can sit and observe someone before meeting them. Imagine yourself in line at the coffee shop, try to imagine what the person behind the counter will be like before you speak to them or meet them. Take in everything you can about them just by looking at them and trusting your feelings. Try to create a mental picture of what they will be like, sound like, are friendly, are sociable or not? You can use this in almost any situation to test your intuition. This is a powerful and actionable way to help you get in tune with your senses, your body, and your inner voice. Have Gratitude: In this day and age, it's easy to look at the negative aspects of life and forget about all that we are blessed to have. We all do it! It can be so easy to overlook our health, the love of our families, food, and water, our home, or our community. Take time, every day, to recognize and give thanks for a few of these amazing things that we are lucky enough to have in our lives. This simple practice can open us up to a higher frequency and allow more of life's wonders to find their way to us. -Gratitude improves relationships, sleep, physical health, self-esteem, enhances empathy and reduces aggression, psychological health, and aids us in seeing situations differently The benefits of practicing gratitude have been scientifically researched and proven to be powerful, real tools. Think about just how much a few of those positive benefits could drastically change our daily lives. Gratitude can truly open a plethora of doors to a more fulfilling life, which in turn, will help our intuitions flourish! Intuition is a tool that all of us have. Some people suggest that it’s mystical power. Others would suggest that it’s merely our subconscious trying to tell us something. Regardless of the source, we all have that little voice that tries to tell us things from time to time. Being in touch with your intuition can help you identify and solve the challenges in your life that are causing stress. It also releases your imagination and creativity. Your intuition is a great resource, but it’s important to nurture it. Start with smaller things. When your intuition has proven reliable, use it to make bigger decisions. Intuition is a tether to the subconscious. It’s your ultimate source of wisdom and creative energy. Make life easier and richer by utilizing all of your resources. How to Trust Your Intuition Developing intuition starts by realizing you have it already. If you’ve ever had a hunch about something, that was intuition. Intuition is just your mind using more than what you are consciously aware of.
Try to find areas in your own life where you naturally intuitively operate. What is something that you are just naturally good at without studying? What is an area where you trust your gut and it is almost always right? That is your intuition speaking, continue to listen and nurture it.
Of course, intuition can also be a warning device. When you get the sense “something isn’t right here” that is your intuition talking and you’d be smart to pay attention.
Have you ever considered purchasing a car and then you start seeing them all over? Looking for and recognizing a thing trains your mind to find more of it. The same process will happen if you watch for your intuition – you’ll start to see more of it.
Unfortunately, a strong hunch can be for irrelevant reasons too. If you were hit by a yellow taxi as a child, you might have “intuitive” hunches not to get into yellow taxis for the rest of your life. So even learning to recognize your intuition and encourage it may leave you wondering when to trust it. Start questioning your hunches. Study your strong feelings about that taxi, and you might say, “Oh, it’s just my fear of yellow taxis.” Get in the habit of paying attention to and studying your intuitive feelings.
Where does your intuition work best? If you’re always right about your intuitive stock picks, give a little credence to them. On the other hand, if your hunches about people are usually wrong, don’t follow them. Just pay attention more, and you’ll be developing intuition about your intuition.
Your skill, knowledge, and experience determine the potential effectiveness of your intuition. Learn enough about a subject, before expecting good hunches about it, or before trusting the hunches. Work in the area you want more intuition in. When enough information is in your mind, it will go to work for you with or without your conscious participation, so feed it well.
Recognize your intuition and you’ll have hunches and ideas more often. Study it and you’ll learn when to trust it. The more you begin to allow your intuition to make choices in small areas, the more you will sense what intuition vs. thought feel like and can start building from there. The more you see that you have been "right" about your intuition, the more you unlock within you by trusting yourself. It is a fun way to play with the universe and to learn more about the unseen things because the universe has always spoken to you through this, it's just been waiting for you to open up to all your gifts and insights!