It is clear to see that the popularity of spiritual practices is on the rise. We’re seeing crystals lined up on desks, energy healers on speed dial and more of us are choosing to swap out post-work drinks for breath work. Whether you’re engaging in these practices or not, there’s one word that’s always mentioned and written about, but seems to escape many of us, and that’s intuition.

It’s not as illusive as you might think, nor are we divided up into groups of those who are intuitive and those who aren’t. We’re all intuitive and our intuition is basically our internal GPS, that guides and steers us. You might be surprised to know that you have the same ability to utilise your intuition as a medium, psychic, healer or tarot reader can. The only difference? Most of us are just disconnected from our intuition, as a result of living in such a digital age, which doesn’t really allow for stillness.

Tuning in and boosting your intuition is not only for the mystics out there, it has a myriad of benefits for all of our daily lives. Our intuition shifts us back onto the right path and helps us to live in alignment with our purpose. A great way of explaining it, is through the familiar feeling that we’ve all had, when nothing seems to be working out. Then we have a little voice that tells us to course-correct or gives us the advice that we couldn’t see before. That’s your intuition.

The Clairs

To gain more of those helpful insights, there’s different ways that you can start to develop and harness your intuition. Firstly, you’re unique, so your intuition may not communicate with you in the same way it does for a friend. Some of us feel emotions in our bodies, that classic gut feeling, while others might have a clear knowing of something without being able to explain why. These are called the Clairs and understanding them and working out your dominant sense is a great tool to see which of your senses your intuition will use to come through to you.

You’ve probably heard about clairvoyance, which is clear seeing and this is when you might see visions, images or colours in your mind’s eye. Your intuition may give you guidance through visions in meditation or when you daydream. Clairsentience is clear feeling and it’s the ability to strongly sense emotions in your body, such as that immediate instinct you might get in your gut when you meet people. You might also feel other people’s emotions or energy too, for some people who are clairsentient, their intuition might send cues through goosebumps or chills, and all of these feelings could be positive or negative.

Clear hearing is clairaudience, where your intuition might connect to you through words or sounds, while claircognizance means clear knowing. This deep knowing is when you might have knowledge about a situation or person that you wouldn’t have known about, but somehow you “just know”. It’s like waking up and just knowing exactly what to do in a situation you were struggling with.

Once you’ve recognised your dominant senses, here are some ways to boost your intuition.

Get still

Stillness is always the first step. Take a step back from the busyness of daily life and create some space to reconnect to yourself. Even if you don’t have a meditation practice, stillness is all about taking a few moments to yourself to just breathe and be present. You can start small by spending 5-10 minutes during the day closing your eyes and focusing on your breath or repeating a mantra. Before you begin, just set an intention that you’re open to receiving whatever you need most right now.

Write it out

Journaling is a great practice for tuning in to your intuition. Start a morning or night routine by opening up your journal and just free-flow writing. There’s no right or wrong here, just consider it a bit of a mind-dump. Allow the words to flow and see what comes up. This is a space for you to explore all of the things that you’ve been overthinking, your worries and how you can best navigate a situation. We always have the answers, sometimes you just need to write out what’s coming up and give your intuition the space to give you the clarity and guidance that you’re seeking.

Check in with your body

Connecting with your own body is the best resource for boosting your intuition, as it will give you mini alert system when something is happening. The best way to do this is through a body scan exercise. When you’re feeling any kind of emotion, be it happiness or anxiety, take your time to scan your body for any sensations, moving from head to toe. As you bring your attention to each body part, notice how it feels, so you can start to pinpoint where that emotion resides in your body.

For example, you might notice that your hands start to tingle and your stomach aches when you’re sad or stressed. Or you might feel warmth over your heart when you’re happy. Everyone will feel it differently, but being armed with this information can help when you when you want to connect with yourself on a deeper level. Also, if you commit to doing the body scan regularly, then you get asked to make a big decision at work and you’re unsure of which direction to take, you might remember that every time you’re uncertain or have a bad feeling you feel it in your stomach first. Then you can use this information to help you in your decision making.

Honour your intuition

As you start to develop your intuition more, it’s important to start honouring it by using and acting on it on a daily basis. When you receive an intuitive nod through stillness, journaling or checking in with your body, follow through. By using your intuition in smaller areas of your life, it will help to build up the trust muscle. Instead of going for your usual coffee or lunch order, check in with your body and see what your body actually needs to feel nourished today. Always head to the same machines at the gym? Check in and see how your body wants to move. Breaking out of your routine and moving from more of an intuitive space, sends a signal to your body that you’re listening to it. So, when you’re faced with those bigger life decisions, you’ll find it easier to trust your intuition.

DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions and information expressed in this article and on Victoriahealth.com Ltd are those of the author(s) in an editorial context. Victoriahealth.com Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or for any consequences arising from the use of the information contained in this editorial or anywhere else on the site. Every effort is made by the editorial and content team to see that no inaccurate or misleading information, opinion or statement appear, nor replace or constitute endorsement from medical bodies or trials unless specified. Victoriahealth.com Ltd accept no liability for the consequences of any inaccurate or misleading data, information, opinion or statement. Information on Victoriahealth.com Ltd and in the editorials is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website or in the editorials for diagnosing or treating a health concern or disease, or for the replacement of prescription medication or other treatment.