Practices To Ignite Your Intuition

Not too long ago, I was asked by a coach who witnessed me in a master coach demo:

How have you developed such a deep listening ability and intuition?

I didn't have to think about my response, I simply offered what came....and here is what showed up:

The deep listening into one’s intuition begins with trusting the sensations and imagery (in my case) that comes to me up from my embodiment that I share in connection with my client. There is an energetic field that exists between us at all times. We simply have to practice seeing it and feeling into it. Tapping into this "space between" invites new awarenesses to be experienced and shared.

The strength of those energetic waves vary depending on the vulnerability and openness of both people or within a group of people. As I enter all my conversations, I am soft yet remain grounded in my #trust that whatever comes to me is what the field needs me to present for the benefit of the learning — for both the client as well as myself. I often find the parallels that exist between me and the client — either in the moment or in our lives are unique and serve both of equally.

Some practices you might find useful to connect more fully to your own intuition and beginning to trust these cues are:

Daily somatic movement with attention and intention — this can be walking with intention and complete awareness of how each step feels under you feet, noticing the sway of your body, sensing the depth of your breath, noticing the emotion/mood that is showing up as you carefully turn you view inward...and then widen the sensing one more degree and notice the chatter in your head—the narrative, the conversation that you are having with self as you are engaging.

This can be a 5-10 min practice daily or multiple times a day. And you can modify and make it a running, dancing, tai chi, cleaning —whatever serves.

Tuning into sounds and images — creating a space where you can listen and write, doodle and/or draw. Opening oneself to nature and with the sole purpose of expanding your vision while staying present, open and focused on attending with intention. You could listen to water cascading down a stream, listen to birds in the early morning, music that is inspiring and up lifting. You might look at images that move you or maybe those that don’t move you....again, as you do so notice what is sparked...where you feel it, what is opened or closed for you. Make notes. See if you can metaphorically connect this experience with an experience in your life — is this sound or this image how you might describe it to someone else in order to create resonance?

Going to the mat — mindfulness teaches us to observe our own behavior and thought process totally devoid of judgment. It creates a space where we can acknowledge our feelings and thoughts, then release them. It teaches us to be present in and embrace the moments of life, rather than be suffocated by the constant self-criticism and anxiety that so often plagues our minds. You can practice mindfulness in many ways--yoga and meditation being my personal favorites. When done in combination, I am able to more clearly sense where I am closed to receiving the gifts my intuition and wisdom has to offer. Here are a few others:

Sketch a doodle — grab a notepad and pencil, find a subject, and get sketching. Don’t write this one off believing yourself to have no artistic talent. Anyone (yes, really, truly anyone) can draw. It only takes practice. Choosing a subject is simple — you can even draw the the cup that is sitting on your desk.

Or...begin drawing by choosing a point on your subject to start drawing from. Then, follow the lines of the object with your eyes and pencil. Study the subtle indentations, the gentle curves, and the shadows cast by the cup. I have found sketching is a great study in mindfulness, requiring concentration and awareness which opens me to feel into an experience and see the "space between". Plus, your sketch can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like, serving as a great short or long break from constant screen time.

Meditative mind dump — dedicate 10–15 minutes to sitting down with just a pen and a pad of paper. Use this time to write out any and all thoughts that are swirling about in your mind. Not only will writing down your thoughts help clear your mind and relieve built-up stress, but you also may stumble upon some genius ideas that were previously buried. This practice allows you to eliminate what is no longer needed that clogs our intuition pathways.

Free writing for 30 minutes 3x week — begin with a poem or a score of music, notice the word that comes up for you and use it as a prompt for you 7 minutes of free writing. The rules are no editing, don't lift your pen from the paper, and if you don't know what to say, write I don't know what to say. Set a timer and begin. At the end of the 7 minutes, identify the 3 words that stand out to you and use these as your prompt for your next 7 minutes. Set a timer and begin. Again, select the 3 stand out words. Now you have 6. Select the one that stands above the rest. Make a few notes about what about this word speaks to you in this moment...and allow this word to be your talisman for the next 24-48 hours. Allow it to be with you in mind, body, spirit as you engage in life -- professionally and personally.

Trying it out...you won’t know until you practice with another human...I encourage you to “test” it out...notice what you notice and document the experience. The more you leap into it the voice of intuition will arise more quickly each time — why? because you are fully and completely trusting the messages and cues that are being offered in that moment — and even if they are “wrong” — they are so right. 

Her response to my offering

I think it’s a reference that I will need to come back again and again as I try it out. The initial 3 key words that came up for me as I read your description of the practices are “trust”, “mindfulness” and “space” - creating the space to allow whatever happens in the moment to sit there and trust that it’s right. On this last point, I think this is an area I want to get better at.

Based on your sharing below, I think I will start with practicing listening to the birds in the morning as we are blessed with many. As you suggested, I will make notes of what sparked, where I feel it, what opened or closed for me, how I can metaphorically connect this experience with an experience in life and how I might describe it to someone else to create resonance. Yeah...! Sounds like something fun to try out during this locked down.

Thank you so much Angela for offering this precious practices.

Which of these practices speak to you? How will you begin getting in touch with a part of you that we often take for granted and/or forgot how to access with ease?