Get to Know Your Intuitive “Green Lights”

It’s 2018 and a bright blue-sky day as I drive from Kill Devil Hills towards Nags Head in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

I’m tired and hungry. As I make the drive back to my motel, I decide to play a game. As an intuitive coach and teacher, I encourage my students to practice their intuition in playful ways. It’s important to strengthen our intuitive muscles in fun, non-threatening ways so when the time comes to make big, life-changing decisions, we trust our intuitive wisdom.

The game is this. When I have a decision to make that I want intuitive guidance on, I ask myself an either/or question then notice the sensations in my body.

In this case, as I’m driving past beachy shops and boutique plazas, I ask myself, “Is it in my highest and best good to have dinner at the Blue Moon Beach Grill or pickup a salad at the grocery store and enjoy it at the motel with Sienna and Smeagol, my dog and cat.

As I rolled these two options around in my mind I imagined the Blue Moon option was my left hand and the grocery store salad option was my right hand. Then, I checked the energy sensation in each hand. I felt a tug to my left towards the Blue Moon. Interesting. I pondered the Blue option a bit more, and tuned into my whole body. The energy around my shoulders and chest felt light and open. And, when I held the grocery store salad in mind, it felt flat. Not horrible, just flat.

Still, I was tired and stopping at restaurant to eat a meal by myself felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable. The more I travel alone, the less this bothers me – unless I’m tired. When I’m tired, I tend to retreat into my own space. Grabbing a meal and having it at the motel was a familiar option and hence seemed like it would be more relaxing and less of a bother. All this is to say, I didn’t quite trust the intuitive answer I received from my body.

“Are you sure?” I asked my higher self again.  And, tuned into my body again. Yes, the left side felt light and bright and the right side didn’t. If my body is a traffic light, it has just given me the green light. “Oh, all right,” I said to myself, put my blinker on and I made the turn to head towards the Blue Moon Beach Grill.

Since I was eating alone, I sat at the bar and ordered a spinach salad. To my left was a young man about my son’s age. I soon learned he was a diver in the navy. We ate and chatted for what seemed like a couple of hours. Six year lately, I honestly can’t recall the details of our conversation. I just remember it being entertaining, light hearted and fun. I drove home feeling uplifted by the encounter and grateful that I heeded my intuition.

If I had grabbed a salad at the grocery store, I’m sure I would have had okay time in my motel room, but I had a great time at the Blue Moon. This is the difference we can experience when we make use of the intuitive wisdom we all have access to through our bodies.

Your Body is an Energetic Antenna

The body is one big intuitive antenna that is connected through our aura to, well, everything! This is why when we ask ourselves a question such as: “Which place is best for me: Montana or Maine?” or  “Which job is best for me: Company A or B?” or  “Which movie will I enjoy more: A or B?” and then tune into the sensations in our body, we gain spot-on insight that will guide us to our highest experience. The body never lies. But it does take practice to pay attention to its subtler sensations. Once you get good at it though, you can do it on the fly – or while driving 😃🚗.

Life Coach Martha Beck teaches a process to help people recognize when their body is giving them positive or negative signals. You can try this yourself. First imagine a recent happy or fun experience. Allow yourself a moment or two to relive the experience. When you are fully in the memory, notice the sensations in your body. When I do this, the sensations in my body feel light and my heart and chest area feels open and expansive. A recent student of mine described hers as warm and embracing. Now, do this yourself and write down your own sensations: ________________________________. I call these “green lights” – Your intuitive body wisdom is giving you the green light to pursue that experience.

Next, imagine a recent unpleasant experience, not the worst experience in your life, just a recent negative experience. Perhaps you had a fight with a loved one, or got stuck in traffic, or messed something up at work? Choose a negative experience and drop into the memory. Allow yourself or minute or two to relive the experience in your mind, then as you do, notice the sensations in your body. When I do this, I notice my shoulders and chest feels tight and I feel myself hunching over a bit as if to protect my heart. I contract. A friend said her sensations feel like a wet blanket has been throw over her and things are dimmer. Your turn, do this yourself and write down your own sensations: _____________________________.

Now you have a trusty “tool”, your own body-wisdom, for helping you make choices and decisions. This is just one of the many ways we can tap into our intuition. I encourage you to play with this. Have fun using it for minor life decisions, like which place to go for dinner, which movie to see, or which friend to hang out with. Notice your ‘green lights’ and follow the breadcrumbs of ever expanding joy!

Much love,
Natalie

PS: I can’t wait to hear how it works for you! Drop me an email and share your “green lights” or reach out with any questions.