Friday, January 25, 2013

One Day You Just Get It

Have you ever had a friend tell you about a situation they were in and how they're dealing with it, only to say "If it were me, I would've done..."? Of course you have. We all have. Each of us likes to think that we have all the answers and that what we would do in a situation is the "right" thing. During my training to become a yoga teacher, I learned that everyone's reality is different. The reality that each of us deals with is based on where we were born, what our life experiences have been, and how we perceive the world around us. No two people's reality is exactly the same.

This morning I found out that a friend of mine's daughter is pregnant. One thing I realized while talking to her about it is that more than likely there are people coming at her from all sides telling her what she should and shouldn't do. More than likely they've never been in the situation that she's currently in, yet they feel as if they can be the voice of authority. I've been guilty of this with friends and family members. It's easy to sit back and say "Do this. Do that." when it's not you and it's not affecting your life. While talking to my friend this morning, I suddenly got it. Unless you're magically able to live the other person's life from day to day, you can't tell them exactly what they should do. All you can do is tell them to do what feels right. Intuition is a part of ourselves that often goes ignored because it commonly tells us things that we don't want to hear. When someone tells you to trust your gut, they're referring to your intuition. Instead of telling a person what they should or shouldn't do, tell them to trust their intuition. If they sit still and be quiet they will hear that inner voice that will never steer them wrong. Many times the brain takes over and tells you to do something that doesn't feel right, and then you hear your intuition screaming at you not to go down that path. Turn the brain off, and let your instincts take over.