Are You Mindfully Listening To Your Intuition?

Have you ever just had a feeling about someone or a situation that you couldn’t put a logical explanation to?

This “feeling” is your intuition – your gut instinct – a sensation – but what is it exactly?

Your intuition is “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.”

It’s something within us that either guides us through our path in life or throws a “hunch” our way when something is off. It can help us read people or situations – kind of like an internal safety mechanism.

How does intuition relate to Mindfulness?

Well let me tell you my friend…

Mindfulness, when practiced regularly, can increase an innate stillness, a calm demeanor and the ability to make clearer decisions.

Practicing mindfulness is especially useful during stressful times or when faced with significant challenges.

These events can erupt intense thoughts and emotions within us. And let’s face it, we all have challenging moments or even days. Some more than others. As much as we may feel alone during these tough situations, we are absolutely not alone.

That’s because we are all human. We all have emotions and we all experience stress. The differences lie within our perspectives (how we see the world around us), because as much as we are all very similar in some ways, we are also very different. That is what makes people so interesting.

What am I getting at here?

Mindfulness is very simple in nature. All that it requires is consistency, a shift in your willingness to learn more about yourself and to being open to change.

Being open to raw emotions, illogical feelings and sometimes some that are so deeply rooted within.

BUT this is a good thing because it comes with a much needed release.

We need to let these emotions out – have you ever shook a bottle of pop then opened it right away? Stupid isn’t it? It just makes a big mess everywhere and everyone around you isn’t too happy about it – well this is very similar to what happens when we ignore our intuition and our emotions that come up. Over time, when our thoughts and feelings are bottled up inside, there will eventually be a blow out. Not fun.

When practicing Mindfulness, you gradually learn to “let go” of all your baggage.

Acceptance and forgiveness towards yourself creates room to enable you to let go of the thoughts or feelings which aren’t positive in life.

Everyone already has intuition within themselves…

First we must learn to stop, breathe and pay attention to what is happening in that very moment to notice it – without trying to change or fix it. Just letting it be what it is.

Life is meant to be full of mistakes, lessons to learn from, challenges, joy, love and growth. We are constantly evolving, whether you are aware of this or not. Practicing to live mindfully has the profound – and natural – effects of changing how you experience the world around you, how you think, and ultimately, how you feel about everything you notice.

This eventually leads to increased gratitude, self-compassion, improved patience and satisfaction of life period. It gives you the innate curiosity to live fully, without judgment. To feel fully, with better understanding towards yourself and others. And it teaches you what loving unconditionally really means.

These characteristics developed through practicing mindfulness allows for our intuition, and the capacity to “listen” to it, to grow and become stronger over time.

Mindfulness is both simple and complicated…

Complicated because people over think everything. To be mindful, you must stop the habit of always needing to find logical explanations for things. This is not too easy when you live in a fast-paced, technological world where you can find answers at the click of a button.

It is simple in a way that it can be practiced literally anywhere, anytime and any day.

All you need to do to practice is:

1. Stop & take a few seconds
2. Take a deep breath through the nose; pay attention to the pause between the inhale and exhale; then slowly release your breath through the mouth.
3. Purposely pay attention to your breath and to the pause between your breaths.

Stop, breathe, listen, and repeat.

That’s it… Stop, breathe, listen, and repeat.

It’s your choice how long you do this for and where you practice. It’s whatever works for you. It’s that simple.

Even doing this for a few seconds to a few minutes each day is possible; it’s manageable and attainable, for literally anyone.

So now ask yourself, if Mindfulness can help you in your life in any way, but you’re still hesitant to make an effort to practice – What are you afraid of that is causing you to resist or ignore your intuition?

Do you trust yourself enough to follow your instincts? Even if it leads you in a direction that you never planned for yourself?

Follow your intuition – It’s your gut feeling, and it’s there for a reason – if you choose to listen.

Remember: Life plans are just guidelines with many unexpected detours and flat tires, but the scenery on the way is amazingly beautiful and breath-taking. You just need to take a moment to savor it.