We all have intuition, but how can we become more in tune with our inner voice? How can we better trust ourselves? For guidance on how to find and hone in on our inner voices, we tappes to experts to help us get there. During the ESSENCE Wellness House Virtual Summit: Year Of Renewal event, coach, trainer and self-help expert, The Flow Coach Amber Lee Forrester, and yoga instructor and teacher Davina Davidson stopped by to discuss.
Step one: start your day off right! “Meditation first thing in the morning,” says Forrester of how she begins each day. “When I get up, I don’t go to social media. I don’t go to my email. I don’t check my text messages.” For Forester, the beginning of her day must be aligned with her larger intention.
“I tune into that voice before I start hearing the other voices. Because those can crowd our brains and we can start to receive those louder than those voices that come from within and from the source. My morning success routine has been a part of my intention and the powerful way I’ve started my year, making sure that I’m tapping in and tuning out and quieting myself to listen and receive. Instead of letting my brain just ruminate.”
For Davidson, part of her journey to trusting herself is centered in knowing herself—and knowing when she is truly the one speaking, not any outside voices.
“When I am feeling like I’m connected to my power or my source, my center,” Davidson explains. “And that means being bold. I know that it’s Davina speaking when there’s no hesitation—when there’s no doubling back and thinking, should I have said that, should I have done this. For me, it’s speaking in boldness.”
“It works for me, as well, to spend some time in silence,” says Davidson. “For me, it looks being in the word of God and also really just spending time with breathe. It’s like being grateful that I got to wake up and then spending time breathing and connecting to myself.”
If doing the work of getting better in tune with you seems like a lot of work, Forrester says it doesn’t have to be. Her recommendation is to start slowly and take it one step at a time, starting with your goals. “Setting the intention and getting clarity on what you want will help to navigate you and move your forward,” Forrester explains.
“Just come up with one way that you can dedicate to for one week, then another and add to that,” Forrester adds. “Okay that may look like, okay I’m going to try a five minute mediation, I’m gonna go on YouTube, search meditation, look at what comes up and just do five minutes every morning. Then, just adding to that. I have my crystal in my hand right now, maybe it’s a crystal or mindfulness tool you’re using to center you and bring you back to whatever intention you set.”
For Davidson, trusting her intentions is about forming good habits and sticking to them. “As a wellness partitioner and yoga teacher, it looks like having a routine,” Davidson shares. “Whether it is getting up and doing breathing exercises and then getting on my mat, moving my body. The moments that I’m most connected to myself are when I am in movement and there’s something that happens, somewhat like a flow state if you will, and it lets me know that I’m in tune and I am connected to myself, my higher self.”
“Honestly, it’s the little things. Take inventory,” Davidson continues. “Becoming aware of the times where we feel like we’re off track or the times where we recognize that we’re not honoring ourselves, we’re not honoring our truth. It’s really a matter of just pausing and taking inventory or relationships—whether it’s work or personal—and just being honest with ourselves about whether this is what you really want.”