Living Deeply—The Power of Intuitive Mindfulness
A moment can last a lifetime. When you live in the moment, each moment that passes is a world to itself and can be explored as such. Many people lead very surface lives. They are aware of only what they must be to exist or to pass the time. Through mindfulness, you can learn to find depths to life hidden under the surface. As you dig deeper, you develop an intuitive sense of existence and everything in it. You know and understand patterns of everything you experience and can retain and enhance that intuitive awareness as you go deeper and deeper into your life.
What is intuition?
Different fields use the word “intuition” in different ways. But in its essence, intuition is nothing more complicated than knowing something without reasoning through it. But a lot goes along with that—a mental process, but one at the subconscious level. It’s similar to seeing patterns. To see a pattern, you don’t have to know each element or understand how they fit together—you simply know and understand the pattern. You’re seeing the forest for the trees.
Intuition can manifest in two ways: through innate understanding and repeated experience. The former may be considered inherent knowledge and understanding and is part of who you are. The latter can be learned or enhanced through intentional experiences.
Because the mental processes involved in intuition are happening below the conscious level, it seems they are not happening at all. But they are, and that can be helpful to remember. You can enhance your intuition by being intentional about your intuition. For example, if you can “know” that a person will behave or react in a certain way given a set of circumstances, you can use that knowledge toward the goals of your interaction. This process can be applied in a variety of contexts and situations.
Pairing of mindfulness and intuition
Enhancing your intuition requires focused attention, which is a hallmark of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to sustain a purposeful focus on awareness brought to bear on the contents of your mind in the present moment. Through mindfulness, you will begin to see patterns in your awareness, which, when fully developed, will enhance your intuitive abilities.
When you are mindful, you are not noting and/or acknowledging every detail of your existence. If you did, you would never be able to be fully present in your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and surrounding environment. Again, you’d miss the forest for the trees. Mindfulness is about a deep awareness of the forest, which is the essence of intuition.
How to enhance intuitive mindfulness?
Like any mental process, intuitive mindfulness can be enhanced through being intentional about your experiences and how they relate to your abilities. The following are practices that can improve your intuitive abilities in the context of mindfulness.
- Time in natural settings. Time in nature has a wealth of physical and mental benefits. A recent study (1) demonstrated that spending 20 minutes or more outdoors invites the brain and body to relax. In this relaxed state, you become more mindful of what your environment tells you. This voice is your intuitive sense speaking to you at the most fundamental level.
- Meditation. When your mind is chaotic, it’s harder to access your intuition. Meditation helps calm your mind and enhance focus, supporting your intuitive mindfulness.
- A break from your screens. One of the worst things about living in the modern world is the constant stream of information, communication, and entertainment. While this is positive and helpful in many ways, it can distract us from our innate cognitive abilities, such as intuition and mindfulness. Spending intentional time away from your technology will help you get back in touch with your intuitive sense.
- Intentional intuition practice. An effective way to strengthen your intuition is by … practicing your intuition. What is your gut telling you about the challenges in your life? What do you see in the patterns of your social interactions? You may be surprised at how intuitive you are and how much improved you can become if you “exercise that muscle.”
What is the ultimate goal?
Why am I interested in enhancing my intuitive mindfulness?
The way a young child sees an older sibling must seem like magic. They know everything about everything, and they are part of the world I am only just learning about. Of course, they will learn and grow and find their paths. The challenge is keeping that process going. Many will reach a point where they have enough understanding of their life to get through, and then they stop. They stop learning the patterns of behavior of others. They stop growing and taking on new insights about their path and their place in the universe. If you can continue in these processes, you will develop a more innate (intuitive) understanding of your world and the things and people in it.
By enhancing your intuitive mindfulness, you will live deeply, meaningfully, and aware.
(1) Mary Carol R. Hunter, Brenda W. Gillespie and Sophie Yu-Pu Chen, 2019. “Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers” Frontiers in Psychology (2019)
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Artwork by Agsandrew
