The word ‘intuition’ comes from the Latin word ‘intueri,’ which means ‘to look inside’ or ‘to contemplate.’
The dictionary describes intuition as the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.
To me, ‘intuition’ is a combination of both of those definitions: honoring a feeling from within without needing conscious “proof” of why or how to act on that thought or feeling.
The more work I have done myself, and with my clients to remove limiting decisions from their timelines, the more I see the connection of these limiting beliefs and their ability to cloud our intuition and the ability to hear those inward thoughts. Our past experiences that have been left unhealed and resolved create that bias, both conscious and unconscious that often prohibits us from the “ability to understand and act on something immediately.”
I love to watch how my clients have moved forward in their lives and make new decisions that often come from them following their intuition. For me, the journey has led to me being here right now writing this blog article for you. I went back to school and kept learning and certifying in different techniques until I knew I had the information I needed to start my business. I trusted that the feelings I had were real and truly could guide me to what was next and that is exactly what has happened. And the clients I work with, somehow found me at the right time they needed support. How would that have happened without me acting on my intuitive thoughts? Or even with my clients following theirs to reach out to me? Its been a powerful journey with consistent reminders of how powerful our intuitive thoughts are.
So, how do we connect more with our intuition? What things are we consciously in control of that allow us to be present enough with ourselves to feel and “look inside?”
Here are five steps to becoming more intuitive:
1. Practice Stillness
Stillness can be hard in a busy world especially when there seem to be so many demands on our time, and we feel spread thin. Looking back on my days as a young mom, I can see that I rarely had any time to be still, lol. But I also look back and see that there were things I could have done to support raising little kids had I had known about them. Stillness can come in many ways, no matter what stage of life you find yourself in. My favorite ways to experience stillness throughout the day are:
- Waking up eve 10 minutes early to sit and breathe, pray and/or meditate. I have come to love the early mornings and find peace starting my day on my terms before I check emails, texts, social media, and go about my morning taking care of my family. Once you are consistent with 10 minutes earlier, try going for 20 minutes and extend your morning stillness.
- Set a few alarms on your phone to practice breathing for even just sixty seconds. Even if you are doing something else when the alarm goes off, you can intentionally connect with your breath. I got this idea from my Apple Watch that actually has a breathe app that comes on each hour for one minute. Sit and breathe and allow your brain to clear for a moment.
- Get outside in nature. This isn’t the time to check messages or scroll Instagram. I try to not even answer my phone if it rings while I am out. This is the time to connect to your surroundings and use all your senses. Our brain stores all memories using all our senses, so as we create awareness of using our senses to be present, our brain will quiet, and we will connect with ourselves on a deeper level.
- EFT tapping! If you have read any of my other blogs, you know I am passionate about tapping to help calm and center the body. Each of the 9 tapping points we use in the sequence is connected to the release of specific emotions. We can experience a shift within us in as little as sixty seconds. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS MY FREE TAPPING COURSE to learn how tapping can help you! When you are just getting started, I recommend tapping at least once a day. Use the link above to get access to your own tapping points PDF and printable tapping script.
- Intentional breaks from social media and media in general. Check out for 24 hours and use that time to connect with nature, loved ones, and yourself.
Self-Care Time. I love to take an Epsom salts bath with candles and passionfruit tea. I allow myself to breathe slowly and relax from the day and become as present as I can.
2. Journal
I love journaling,especially open-ended journaling and gratitude journaling. I ask my clients to journal in the evenings as the body and mind are preparing for sleep.
- Open-Ended Journaling is great to clear your head and allow yourself to use your imagination. Set a timer for a certain length of time (I suggest 10 minutes) and write whatever comes up. You can choose a topic or just start free writing. Your pen does not stop the entire time. You might even find yourself drawing pictures. Whatever shows up on the paper is exactly what you needed at that moment. The longer we write the more we are allowing our subconscious and unconscious parts of our brain to show up and share and release.
- Gratitude Journaling is a beautiful way to end the day. I suggest starting simple by writing down just three things you appreciate about the day. As we do this, we are allowing our brain to recognize and honor good parts about the day which can support the release of unmet expectations and disappointments. I sleep so much better the nights I write down my gratitudes before bed.
3. Be Curious
For our intuition to flow more and more, we need to first listen to the thoughts that come. To avoid the fight that often comes with the conscious brain when that idea comes from within, we want to allow ourselves to explore them with curiosity. Allowing ourselves to be curious often can take away the conscious judgment that likes to show up. When we ask ourselves questions, like the ones listed below, we are allowing our brain to answer them without judgment. Here are a few things you can ask yourself when you get a thought that your first instinct is to dismiss or judge:
- Isn’t that interesting that I feel inspired to….
- What would that feel like if I….
- Who would benefit from me doing….
- How would that improve my life If I followed through with….
- What are the long-term rewards for investing in….
- Short-term, How would…. improve my mood?
- What blessings could come my way when I….?
- What are some things I might miss by not listening to….?
4. Get Creative
Edward de Bono said, “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” Practice doing things that get you in the zone where time seems to fly by and the activity is leading you. Here are some of my favorite ways to get creative:
- Dancing (I actually do take an adult tap class weekly and I absolutely love how it allows my mind to release)
- Painting
- Drawing
- Writing
- Taking an online class for something you are interested in
- Photography
- Cooking
- Yoga
5. Act
You already have everything you need to act on the intuitive thoughts and feelings that flow inside of you. Acting on the ideas is the best way to become more intuitive and connected to your thoughts and ultimately yourself. When I was in my NLP course I learned: There is no failure, only feedback. Learning this has blessed my life immensely. What If we can’t fail but just receive information back on what went well and what we can do better? It’s powerful and we will never know what is on the other side of our intuition unless we act!
I hope you will take these five steps and put them into regular practice. Get cozy with your intuitive thoughts and experience the beauty that comes from living a more intuitive life.
Eastern Body Western Mind is a powerful book and resource guide to understanding the chakra system and refers to our intuition throughout. It states: Intuition is a leap toward wholeness from fragmentation.
When we: Practice Stillness, Journal, Get Curious, Get Creative, and Act, it is allowing us to become whole. The fragmentation often comes from the conscious and the unconscious parts of our brain not feeling like they can work together. So, the more we do the things that support that unity within ourselves we will experience more wholeness.
xoxo,
Leanna
