Every day is full of choices. Some choices are in significant, like deciding what you want to have for breakfast or if you should bike or drive to work. Then, there are much larger decisions like choosing to move to a different state or choosing the right partner. We are intuition based beings and we were born with the ability to make instinctual choices. We often know what we want and where we want to go right away. What tends to happen is our emotions and ego come into play, and we start to question whether or not we are making the right choices.
The truth is, we typically know right away. That “gut feeling” really does exist, and when we do all we can to ignore it, we are ignoring our intuition. Of course, there is not shame in this. I personally do this all the time because my intuition is often telling me to do something that I don’t really want to do. However, the older I get the more I have come to realize that when I do go with my intuition, I am led to what I want much more quickly than I am if I don’t, even if the path seems unclear or a bit off in the beginning.
“You never know how the cards may lay.” -Erykah Badu, “Didn’t Cha Know”
Why it’s important to make intuitive choices.
We are all manifesting our lives on a daily basis, and we are constantly being inspired to make choices that in the grand scheme of things will keep us on our path towards our desires and what makes us feel good. When we make intuition-based decisions, we are following our true selves and living in alignment. The quickest way to manifest is when we are in alignment. When we go with our intuition, we aren’t resisting the flow.
Emotion based designs are typically a bit more risky when it comes to manifesting out desired outcome. This come back to the infamous “r” word, resistance. Our minds are really good at talking us out of what our intuition knows to be true. Our minds tell us to do things a certain way because our brains are problem solvers.
For example, you may wake up and know deep inside that you need to leave your job, but then your brain starts to talk you out of it. You begin to create a story that proves to you that your intuition is wrong. You may even start to develop fear around the decision. All of these things hold you back from following your intuition, trusting the universe, and being open to receiving what comes.
The thing is, we still get what we want. You may need up leaving your job eventually, but odds are you spend more unhappy days in a place that doesn’t fully serve you and you take a much longer route to get to where you were going.
A break down on the difference between emotions and intuition. 
Many times we don’t even know the difference between intuition and emotion. When we aren’t sure what we are feeling, it can be a lot harder to know what to do.
Below, I have given some helpful examples of how intuition appears in comparison to emotion based decisions.
Intuition
- A deep knowing
- A sensation in the gut or chest
- A clear yes or a no that usually comes immediately
- No judgment or emotion involved in the choice.
- A decision made in a split second, it’s usually the first thought that occurs.
- Isn’t always the easy decision to make
Emotion
- A judgment of self or the situation is often involved.
- The mind has a lot to say about the situation or decision.
- There is a sadness of guilt involved in the decision making.
- You may be choosing something based on what others think or do.
- There are a lot of “should’s” involved. “I should do this”, “I should feel that”
- There’s a lot of going back and forth.
- It takes a while to figure out if it’s a yes or a no and there is indecisiveness involved.
- Feeling as though you have to consult with others before making a decision
- Acting out of anger or from a place of sadness
Practice makes Perfect!
Now that you have an idea of the difference between intuition and emotion, try it out! Start small and get used to what it feels like to make intuition-based decisions.
Is your intuition telling you to turn left on the way to work today or stay on your normal route?
If your intuition telling you to save the money you were going to spend on food or not?
Making small intuition-based decisions is a great way to practice for the big ones.
I do this a lot and it definitely helps me to understand what my intuition feels like in my body or sounds like in my mind.
Another way you can tap into your intuitive side is through the practice of yoga in all of it’s forms. Yoga allows us to tap into our breath and our physical being. It helps us to be more deeply connected to our energy bodies. When we meditate, practice pranayama or do asana, we are opening up the energy channels in our body so that everything can flow freely through. Cultivating these connections can help open a doorway to tapping into our intuition.
Intuition is most deeply felt in the body, and when we are familiar with how our body feels, we will have a much clearer sense of when our intuition is speaking to us. Some of us may have had experiences that lead us to disassociation which means that we leave our body and cannot experience sensations due to trauma. If this is something you experience, be patient with yourself and it takes time, but it is still possible for you to find your way back to your body.
May you become empowered in trusting your intuition so that when you come across a big decision, you’ll have a tool that will help you choose what feels right for you.
Love and Moonlight!
Life by the Moon Yoga 