There are many kinds of listening, TV, YouTube, podcasts, your mind, your friends, your body, and spirit. Media information delivers a message carefully shaped to persuade or influence. It sometimes feels challenging to recognize the truth in the information we hear every day. Intuition in Ayurveda downloads actual unfettered reality directly. At some point, you need to examine inputs differently, tap into intuition to help.

Ever had a hunch? Did you follow it, listen when you got the perfect idea out of nowhere or nudged to take action? Do you tune into your gut regularly?  In this case, I don’t mean the growling of hunger or gurgles of gas.  I mean ask for guidance and listen to the hunches and nudges. Intuition guides you onto just the right path to optimize your dharma and spiritual growth. Many people talk about the deep knowing that originates in the gut.

My Relationship With Intuition

Accessing spiritual guidance is a practice for me. I have been practicing different kinds of listening and knowing for many years as part of my meditation study with Ellen Tadd.  Ellen taught me that being in meditation opens your ability to listen to body knowing and hear guidance from higher beings in spirit.  We would do practical exercises to learn to discern thoughts from intuition.

For me, meditation is a launching pad to ask and receive awareness and understanding. Ayurveda agrees. I never made the connection between spiritual guidance and intuition in Ayurveda; now, I understand them as part of this beautiful healing science.

Intuition In Ayurveda

Intuition in Ayurveda shows up in different teachings. Along the Sushumna Nadi, the Ajna third eye chakra and crown chakra Sahasrara open us to a higher reality. In kosha theory, the wisdom sheath vyanamaya kosha and bliss sheath Ananda maya kosha are layers of our being that connects us to intuition and spiritual guidance. Ayurveda honors these sources of information as truth.

Dr. Lad, in the Textbook of Ayurveda, teaches four primary sources of truth- Nyaya, Inference Anumana, Comparison Upamana, lessons from a revered teacher in testimony, Shabda, and direct perception Pratyakasha. Why is this important?   Recognizing and acting on the truth is fundamental to health.  Improper perception and use of the intellect cause us to live further and further out of alignment with the truth. Prajnaparadha elevates the dosha and contributes to disease. 

Now more than ever before, it is beneficial to vet or check out your information sources.  Examine what you read or listen too before sharing for validity.  Watch the inferences people draw to be sure they are clear and without ego attachment. Look for data to back up and verify information.

Pratyaksha

Pratyaksha breaks down into ordinary and extraordinary perception.  Ordinary perception of the senses of the body is essential.  Paying attention to healthful sensory input and disregarding the unhealthy stuff is a challenge but necessary. Misuse of the sense organs is another significant contributor to disease. Our senses send us information through ordinary perception all day. When you feel fatigued, you should sleep, thirst sip water. Western society teaches us to ignore the initial messages our body sends us. Teaching clients to tune to ordinary perception is teaching them to garner the truth of their health.

Extraordinary direct perception encompasses intuition as a form of knowing a way of getting to your truth.  Hearing is the sense, and listening is the skill of paying attention to what you hear. Many people hear intuitive messages that pop into their awareness without effort.

Support Your Access To Guidance

Simple actions have helped me tune my vibration to receive more guidance through extraordinary perception.  Practice and awareness have shifted the way I view intuition and spiritual guidance.  I have a spiritual teacher John Wyrek who says weave the basket of your life with one hand and let the universe create with you.  While I am not there yet, I am working towards co-creating my experience with spirit to guide me in living my dharma.  Ayurveda recommends lifestyle choices to improve your ability to receive guidance.

Cultivate Sattva

Sattvic living opens you to greater awareness. Choose high vibration activities balanced with a diet with lots of living foods, time in nature, and ease. Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a calm, clear mind, by Kate O’Donnell, has a lovely section on practical ways to cultivate Sattvic living.

Meditate

Meditation disciplines our minds.  It is a practice that gets richer and sweeter with repetition. Silence in mental chatter from meditation creates the space for spirit to get a word in an otherwise super noisy environment.  If you are new to meditation, check this link for some ideas.

Ask, And You Shall Receive

Asking for guidance invites the universe in. Lets it know you are ready to play and cocreate. My habit is to ask early in the morning as part of my meditation.  During Vata time of the morning before the day intrudes, I establish my connection to something higher than an item or problem of the day.  But the perfect time to ask for guidance is any time you feel the need. 

Ayurselfcare’s purpose is to educate on the benefits of Ayurveda. This article is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.