By Anya Goode, M.Sc., author of Awakening Your Soul’s Truth: A Powerful Guide for Transformation, Healing, and Consciousness Growth
It’s easy to fall into a deep state of relaxation and self-awareness in yoga class or during meditation. Everything seems to make sense during regular spiritual practices, and we leave the experience feeling peaceful and certain about life… that is, until we get back to life and the chaos floods back in.
When our spiritual and meditative practices only extend to certain scheduled daily or weekly activites, programs are created in our body and mind that actually make it easier to relax and tune-in on cue when the conditions are met. We enter the yoga room or sit on our meditation pillow, a switch gets flipped, and clarity ensues. Finding ways to access the wisdom of our higher guidance can feel extremely challenging in real-life circumstances, though, when we don’t have the time, space, or environment to tune into our inner knowing.
What if we want to extend that clarity, that deep sense of peaceful inner knowing, beyond the yoga room? The good news is, the more we practice accessing our inner wisdom in all circumstances, no matter how challenging or chaotic, the easier it becomes.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 practices for accessing your higher guidance in real-life that you can start doing today.
1. Ask your heart a question.
Your heart is the gateway to your truth. Sit down with a pen and paper and ask your heart a question or how it is feeling. Once the questions are asked, begin writing the answers from the perspective of your heart if you were to allow it to talk. You might be surprised what you learn about yourself and what guidance comes through.
2. Take the Lean Test.
If you are having trouble making a decision, no matter how important or how simple, your body can help you channel your inner wisdom. Stand straight with your arms at your side, then one at a time, ask if each option is in your highest good. You will find that your body leans forward for a “yes” and back for a “no.” While this method isn’t foolproof, as uneven floors and a strong breeze can get in the way, it is an option that can be tried anywhere.
3. Ask yourself what your inner child would be excited about.
We spend most of our lives making the decisions that would be approved by society, culture, and even our parents and teachers. This is your life though, and it’s your job to make choices that make your heart sing. When we are bogged down by the expectations of others, we might not even remember what makes us happy. When you need a reminder, think of your inner child and what would make them happy and proud of you. In many ways, children have far more wisdom than adults, and your inner child can make an excellent guide for living a happy and authentic life.
4. What does your gut say?
We hear this phrase all the time, but it isn’t as cliché as we think it is. The gut and the solar plexus energy center are connected to the mental body, so when we think about certain things, we will actually feel a reaction to those thoughts in our gut. When you think about different options, people, or circumstances in your life, take a pause and notice how your gut feels. Do you feel tension, a nauseous feeling, anxiety? Do you feel ease, peace, or excited butterflies? Notice what your body is telling you, as it has a lot of wisdom to share and can help you decipher what might be good for you and what might not be.
5. Fear or Love
Many times we get caught up in the logistics of a situation and dive deep into our minds trying to sort everything out. One of the easiest ways to get out of this mess is to take a step back and ask ourselves which option is the more loving option for ourselves, and which option is based in fear. It can be difficult to make many decisions in life, but knowing which leads us to more growth and which leads to more fear-based living can make those decisions far easier to make.
6. Ask yourself if you are making choices for others or for your own empowerment.
We can get very caught up in the opinions, expectations, and advice of others. It can feel very challenging to make decisions for ourselves when we know it might upset another person, or cause judgment, disappointment, or challenge in our lives. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that you are not responsible for others’ reactions to your life decisions. It is your responsibility to live your best life and empower yourself in your own life. So next time you feel stressed and anxious about actions you are taking or decisions you are making, ask yourself what the most self-empowering path forward is. The universe will work out the rest.
7. Visualize the energy of your choices.
The mind and intuition are powerful things. Sometimes we don’t need all of the answers explained in spreadsheets and charts, and the mind’s eye can easily give us a representation of what we are dealing with. Next time you have a choice to make, close your eyes and intend to picture a representation of the first choice. Make note of what it looks like to you, no matter how abstract it is. Then do the same thing for the second choice. Which looks like the better option to you? This is an easy way to access your intuition and see the truth behind the circumstances you are working with. The hardest part of this exercise is trusting what you see. If you can trust yourself, though, this is an extremely beneficial tool to help you make the decisions that are best for you.
8. Ask yourself what you are trying to control.
It’s easy for us to mistake our ego for our inner guidance, especially when there is an emotional charge to a situation. In these cases, we can take a step back and ask ourselves what things we are trying to control about a situation or challenge. We can learn a lot about our insecurities and fears by asking this simple question, and we can also learn where our ego is acting out, as it is the ego that tries to control everything. Once we figure out what our ego sounds like, we can easily push past that voice and look at the other options, and perhaps work on some fears we have, too.
9. What if it all works out?
Many times when we are in stressful situations, it is easy to go down the rabbit-hole of negativity and try to make decisions based on the worst-case scenario. What if we give equal attention to the best-case scenario, though? The entire situation takes on a different appearance when we open up to the path where everything works out the way that would make us most happy. We might not know the details of how we get there, but it can be very helpful to shift out of making decisions based on potential negativity and into decisions that help guide us to our best life.
10. Make a wish.
The battle between our ego and our heart is one many of us are familiar with. It can be very difficult to distinguish between the two, but one effective tool for doing so is to make a wish. The caveat is that the wish cannot control the behavior or decisions of others’, and it has to be based in reality-land and not fantasy-land. Unfortunately, flying away on a Pegasus isn’t an option. This practice can help us access what our hearts’ desires are and help bring the clarity we need to step out of the heart/ego battle.
No matter how developed your intuition is, and no matter how chaotic or challenging a situation may be, these 10 tools are excellent options for anyone seeking more clarity, peace, and joy in their lives. We can access that tuned-in state no matter where we are, and it doesn’t require striking a lotus pose in the middle of the grocery store. Next time you find yourself struggling to hear your inner wisdom, try some of these practices and see what works best for you.
*** Author Bio
Anya Goode, M.Sc. is a renowned energy healer and spiritual teacher with over 20 years of experience in the intuitive healing arts. Anya offers e-courses and meditations on metaphysics, energy healing, and spiritual development topics. Her book Awakening Your Soul’s Truth: A Powerful Guide for Transformation, Healing, and Consciousness Growth is available through major book retailers worldwide. For more visit www.anyagoode.com.