What Is Intuitive Wellness?

If you’re reading this, there’s a high likelihood that you’ve heard the term ‘intuitive wellness’. But what exactly does this mean and is it something you should get into?

Intuitive wellness is based on the concept that while we have much in common, all bodies/minds/souls are unique and respond to food, movement and other wellness practices differently. What works for you might not work the same for me - this isn’t a one size fits all situation.

Only we know what makes us feel our best.

It seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes we forget this. It’s easy to ignore our gut instincts as we get swayed by the latest wellness trend or give in to the external notifications and distractions that numb us from truly identifying what we need. We doom scroll when our body really wants a stretch instead, we push ourselves to work just a little more when it’s imperative that we get to bed instead, we eat something simply because it’s in front of us and not necessarily because we’re hungry or even want it.

So how do you get that intuition back? Let’s start at the beginning.

The foundation of intuitive wellness is an awareness of your inner body. 

Just as you developed the social skill of listening to another person speaking so you can have  appropriate dialogue, you can learn how to better listen to your body’s subtle communication. Then you can easily and quickly discern things like: am I hungry or am I dehydrated? Should I push myself to work out or does my body need extra rest? Does this particular food make me feel good or does it give me brain fog?

Again, these things may seem obvious, but after repeatedly ignoring your internal cues, even the simple signals might be hard to hear. But fear not - yoga can be your path back to that awareness. 

In yoga - whether it’s the physical, breath or meditative practice - you’re bringing your attention inward. This could be attention to how the air is flowing into and throughout your body, to your muscles, energy flow, areas of expansion or contraction, where your thoughts are going or what you’re visualizing. As you practice this awareness on the mat, you’ll find that it becomes easier to drop into this observant space throughout the rest of your day.

Operating from this renewed sense of intuition can:

_save you time and effort as you only focus on the rituals right for you

_prevent injury since you know how to back off of certain physical movements

_allow you to work with your body, not against it

_help you feel your absolute best

So let’s get back to our roots, our inner wisdom and let that lead our unique wellness paths.