Taking Time - Listening To Your Soul
I wanted to add a little more to my last post, but figured creating a new blog entry about how to listen to your soul - and, in turn, the Universe - would be more valuable for my clients.
So often we rush from task to task with little space for rest, until overwhelm and burnout force us to stop. It’s crucial to recognize the early signals your body sends, and to understand your own personal cycles, so you can gently intervene when overwhelm is beginning - and eventually before it begins - rather than waiting until it’s at full strength and the only option left is an abrupt, unavoidable break.
When it comes to listening to your body’s signals, it’s important to feel into ourselves and our emotions instead of avoiding them or attachment to them, pushing them away or clinging to them - becoming that emotion. In Buddhism, the way to do this is through detachment and gentle observation: notice what is happening, allow the feelings to flow through the body, and simply name what arises. For example, if we find ourselves feeling stressed from work, we stop at the moment we notice the tension, take a deep breath, and say to ourselves, “I feel stressed because of work” or “because of that incident at work.” It sounds easier than it is, but with practice this allows the emotion to be acknowledged and to enter and exit more freely. By shifting our language from “I am stressed” or “Work is stressing me out” to a more distanced phrasing, we remove the personal ownership of the emotion and create space, which helps us detach from the feeling and the situation. In Shamanism - I study Quechua traditions from the Andes, primarily - this approach is often called Taking the Middle Way. Life frequently presents dualities, a perceived “good” and “bad” approach to things; what we often miss is the path between those extremes. The Middle Way offers that path: the stance of the observer, a way of not becoming entangled with any circumstance while still recognizing its polarity and learning from both sides.
An exercise for becoming aware of emotions as they arise - a process that unfolds slowly and patiently, like any true and lasting achievement - is to sit and meditate. I often tell clients who tense up at the very mention of meditation, or insist that it feels too difficult, to drop the word entirely from the practice. Don’t frame the following exercise as “meditation” or even as “journaling”; consider it instead a gentle invitation to get to know yourself more deeply, or simply a quiet moment to sit and re-center. Letting go of the judgment attached to the practice itself softens resistance and opens your heart, making space for more of your soul’s information to flow in and be seen.
Sit down in a comfortable position in a quiet space where you will be uninterrupted. You can light a candle, hold a crystal, or whatever else might feed your soul. Eventually, you should be able to speak to your soul well enough where you can simply ask it what it needs before starting this exercise.
Notice your breathing. Don’t try to change it, simply allow it to be as it is, noticing the depth of breath, the amount of air you are taking in, the temperature of the air, etc. This noticing will tell you where you are currently at and bring you into the present moment.
Once you find yourself in the current moment, take a couple relaxing and deep breaths. Completely fill your lungs in the inhale, hold for a few seconds (2-4 seconds is a good starting point), and release with a slow exhale. The slow exhale has your body fully relax and release the stress, sending your body into a “rest and digest” mode by activating your parasympathetic nervous system. This will also allow yourself to open up more to any messages coming through (see next step)
Now that you are relaxed and open, you may begin to ask questions to your soul, the universe, your inner child, your higher self, or you may simply allow messages to flow through you. Writing this down or speaking into you phone via a voice memo could be beneficial here, as you’ll be able to read or listen to the answers or message that came through. This will tell you your deepest desires in life and give you clear guidance on where you are meant to be if you take the time to look at what is being said.
After a these deep breaths, thank yourself for giving you the time to complete this exercise - to look within on a deeper level. This step can be lengthy and intimate, or just be a simple “thank you spirit”, whatever you feel comfortable with.
You may repeat this daily, weekly, or as often as you feel the need to. Remember there is no right or wrong answer, and that our emotions are simply directors and guides into what our soul wants and what our purpose is in life.
If you feel called or would like further guidance, please feel welcome to reach out to me for a consult and we can explore any blocks or deeper guidance you may need. I can help clear energetic blocks—allowing you to open more fully—through a reiki session, or we can invite spirit together to reveal what your soul truly needs and clarify your purpose during an intuitive guidance appointment.