Some days, this is how it feels to me…so many choices but where to go! This was how I felt when I left an amazing e-woman business conference in Dallas this summer. Before I entered the conference, I had constructed a few signposts up for myself, however when I left the event, and for weeks later, the possibilities were now numerous. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love having options…I just need to remind myself about my internal compass! When I allow in other people’s perspectives I can get overexcited, enthused and at times am at risk of shutting down. Ever felt that way?
CONNECT TO OUR INTERNAL COMPASS
So, how do we access and connect to our internal compass? We all need a range of strategies. Here are 7 ways to tune in and access it.
1. Walk away. Yes, turn away from the distracting signposts for a while and take a slow walk. Practice going nowhere and getting in touch with where you are. Bring in each of the senses…notice literally, attend to what you can see, listen to the sounds around you, breathe in the scents, notice what you can feel on your skin. This brings you to yourself.
2. Sit down. Yes, get down to the ground and allow the earth to support you. Give in to the support that is there and get still. Settle in.
3. Write. Pull out pen and paper and begin to write. Give yourself 3 to 5 minutes of writing without stopping, that kind of writing that doesn’t let the pauses make room for indecision. After the 3 or 5 minutes, go back to the writing and underline 5 words or phrases. String them together into a sentence or break up the sentence into lines and create a poem.
4. Play music. Put on a piece of music and allow your thoughts to clear out, move out, and leave you with the breath. Give the breath the space it needs to breathe, or sigh, or stretch out. Attend to the breath, in and out, in and out, allowing it to tune in to the music, the rhythmic guide.
5. Create. Grab your felt pens or pencil crayons. Make a circle the width of your hand span. Select a colour and begin at the center, moving in any way that attracts you, with the kind of pressure that pleases you. At some point, you will know you have finished with that colour, put it back in the palette and choose the next colour that attracts you. Express yourself with that colour. Keep up this process until you feel like the mandala, a word for sacred circle, is done. Turn the paper around and around until your “inner knowing” tells you it is the right way up. Study and notice the patterns, the colours, and the shapes. Then, give it a title, if you wish.
6. Lean in. Lean into something that is around you, like a wall, a bench, a cushion, and allow yourself to be supported. Notice what comes up for you and be curious about what you are discovering about the way you want to be going.
7. Gaze. Go to a book collection. Maybe your library, your favourite bookstore, your bookshelf. Notice what attracts your eyes. Let your eyes move and land on a title, a colour or an image. Let that center you. Really get to know where your eyes have taken you. You may or may not even pick the book up. Allow something to arise within you.
This is the way of it. This is what might be called going to the arts for direction, coming to our senses, getting grounded, creating a restriction, clearing, expressing with high sensitivity, leaning inward and soft gaze.
When you are seeking direction, these are some outstanding ways to access your inner knowing, your compass direction. How do you allow your body, mind and spirit to guide you? I would love to hear your thought on this.
If you would like to learn about my upcoming workshop here in Calgary click here