On Being Guided From Within

Did you ever know anyone who was paralyzed by indecision? Maybe even you? Every day, every hour, every minute of our lives we are deciding. We are choosing. When to get up, what to wear, what to eat for breakfast and so on……every little thing involves a decision…a choice. I’m good with the little ones! It’s the big ones that are paralytic. Will I or won’t I? To be or not to be….glad to realize that even Shakespeare had some thoughts on making decisions! Racing thoughts, rational vs intuitive mind collide, creating confusion and murkiness. And so, I sit. Still. And remember that which yoga teaches us about decision-making. Early on in my yoga studies with my main (and amazing!) teacher, Erich Schiffmann, he shared his views on choosing….on deciding. Erich is a great believer in inner wisdom…that we already ‘know’ if only we would be still enough to ‘listen.’ He has a magical way of writing/teaching that makes the most complicated areas of life as clear as a tingshaw bell!

Here’s an example:“When you are in the store buying apples, for example, instead of choosing the ones you usually buy, pause inwardly for a moment and silently ask, "Should I buy red, green, or yellow apples today?" Buy the ones you are prompted to buy. Dare to do what your deepest impulses encourage you to do. Do this as many moments of the day as you can. Do it whenever you have a decision to make. The practice is: Ask, Listen, and Do. Ask for guidance, listen inwardly for your deepest impulses, and dare to do what these prompt you to do.” Do this with the small things in life…and then when the big things come along, you will be well-practiced.

For Erich’s full article on being guided from within, please go tohttp://www.movingintostillness.com/book/meditation_divine_guidance.html

by Maureen Rae, RN, E-RYT