Everybody seems to be talking about the power of the subconscious.

Dr. Oz. Oprah. All the magazines.

Is there anything to this stuff? Or is it just New Age psychobabble?

Have you ever gotten that feeling that a certain somebody or life situation just wasn’t right for you from the get-go?

Maybe it was a hard pain in the stomach during a job interview?

A first date that left you so exhausted drained you downed a handful of cookies and plopped onto the couch for the rest of the evening?

That never-fail jolt of panicked adrenaline upon receiving telephone call or text from a certain (potentially toxic) friend or acquaintance?

Did you heed your body’s warning, or, at the very least, examine it further? Did you charge full-speed ahead?

When I look back on life decisions which were, in retrospect, wrong for me, I realize my subconscious often tried to warn me early on.

Sometimes, the warning was soft and subtle. Sometimes it was like a five alarm fire.

I would be willing to venture that most of us have been taught to ignore or override our own intuition at times, to sacrifice the quiet musings and grumblings of the essential self at the altar of culturally-designed path to success.

Sometimes, we are afraid to stand out. It seems much safer to fit the mold! Get good grades. Get a good job. Marry this kind of person—and not that kind. Have this many kids by your 30s. Stay in shape. Live here. Not there. Post it all to Facebook.

The perception of scarcity can cause us to make poor choices or embrace a less-than-optimal situation. This can cause our quality of life to deteriorate. Let’s not judge ourselves. Instead, let’s learn from our patterns!

We yogis and yoginis can become better friends with our intuition!

Yoga can help us to diminish ego. It assists us to remain open and sensitive to our surroundings, all of which can help develop connection to intuition.

How can we develop our own ‘sixth sense’ in a few minutes a day?

1.) Alternate Nostril Breathing.

2.) Vipassana Meditation

Develop pratyahara—the ability to draw the senses inside.

3.) Balance Poses (like Tree) and Forward Bends (like Uttanasana).

4.) Taking mini-breaks throughout the day (especially when somebody or something really gets your goat!) instead of reacting or going on autopilot, ask yourself:

What just happened?

Why do I feel this way?

What would the harm be if I was honest about what I want/need/feel?

5.) Tuning in to small flashes of insight:

What do I want to wear this morning?
What kinds of foods really appeal to me today?

Turning inwards can help us to feel a greater sense of purpose in the cacophony of our modern world. Here’s to tuning in!

 

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Ed: Kate Bartolotta