What do you call that inner voice of yours? We have lots of names for it don’t we, whether we are spiritual seekers or not. It’s your soul, your intuition, or your gut instinct. We might call it following your heart or listening to your inner wisdom. Whatever you call it, whatever its genesis, there is something inside us that knows.
That knowing tends to come to us in the quiet moments, whether joyful or sad. It tends to come when we have given ourselves more time to be quiet, move slowly, do less. Often it arises when we are immersed in nature and sometimes when we are at a low ebb, amidst that kind of surrender that only comes in our very darkest moments.
As yogis, we pay great attention to that inner voice and we listen for it all the time. For us, that voice is the guide and the map and we have long since ceased all attempts at ignoring or doubting it. It is crucially important that we keep on listening out for it.
We have long been tutored to work hard, try more, master our own destinies. This is completely different. Any attempt you make to force your inner voice will fail. That quiet voice does not come because we demand it, it does not come when we try to hard to find it.
Instead of looking, searching, asking, what we seek instead is a peaceful kind of emptiness, a receptive and open attitude. We arrive at a patient, quiet space inside, in which certain things which have been obfuscated become clear and that clarity rises with sometimes astonishing perspicacity.
How do you tell the difference between your thoughts and your inner voice? If you are uncertain, then wait – time will tell you if what you are hearing is the consistent clarity of your inner voice, or the restless musings of your ego-mind. Another way to be sure is to open yourself up to what rises in you immediately after yoga practice, particularly yoga practice in which you have been lead quite deeply into peace by your teacher. You can trust what rises from that quiet stillness.
We are evolving all the time and the inklings that arise within us are our guides. Your quiet inner voice needs to be nurtured, for it is easily drowned out by our familial/social conditioning, by our fear (also known as anxiety) and by our lack of courage. The world can be very noisy and everybody has their opinion. Only you know, but you will only know if you learn how to listen.
Sarah x