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The past several weeks has certainly been a tumultuous time for many of us around the world. From wildfires in the Western United States to hurricanes in the Southeast and Southwest to monsoons in South and West Asia.

Many have a connection to a loved one, family member, friend or friend of a friend affected by these catastrophic storms. The stress and anxiety experienced during these turbulent times can prove overwhelming and challenging without a practice to support our emotional and mental well-being.

My personal experience from Hurricane Irma certainly challenged me with preparing to deal with something I had never been faced with before. I had to plan for not only my own safety, but the safety of an aging parent as well. With a hurricane, there is some time for preparation which is certainly advantageous, but the long list of necessary arrangements from the day it is forecasted to strike to the potential aftermath of the damage is daunting. In addition, I had to organize my thoughts to prepare for different scenarios, potentially remain in the path of Irma or travel out of town and take refuge with friends or family members.

My daily self-care Reiki practice was instrumental in supporting me to remain calm and grounded as Hurricane Irma grew closer to my home. It gave me a way to fall back and retreat at the end of a long day to care for myself and to restore balance for a restful night’s sleep, knowing that the following day would require continued preparation. I began each day with clarity after my morning Reiki practice which supported my ability to use critical thinking when setbacks arose from preparations that had been established.

Reiki was my ability to hit the reset button from the intensity of the chaos and stress of loved ones and friends expressing tremendous concern. Reiki was my calm to navigate through the storm.

Reiki practice is easy to apply no matter the circumstances we encounter, first by caring for ourselves and then by reaching out and helping others near and afar. Let Reiki be your calm to support you and your family during times of uncertainty as you navigate through life experiences with greater ease and peace.

What is your calm before the storm? In the wake of chaos and turbulent times how do you weather the storm that steers your way? Perhaps Reiki practice can support you the next time you need to reset, recharge and stay calm.

It was January, 2008 when I heard that inner voice say, just trust me on this; I didn’t understand why, but I knew I had to trust this voice.

I was clearing emails out of my inbox when I came across one that I was about to delete until I heard do not delete it, open it. I was a little puzzled by this especially since the email subject did not appear to be anything but spam, but I proceeded to open the email anyway. That’s when I saw it, an announcement for an upcoming Reiki class. I looked at it and quietly thought to myself Reiki? Why would I want to learn how to practice Reiki? At that time I had only experienced one Reiki treatment 4 years prior and never really gave it another thought. I sat there perplexed and questioned this voice when I heard, don’t question it! This voice was gently nudging me to embark on something new, that much I was certain of. I proceeded to register for the Reiki class without further questioning this voice choosing to trust my inner guidance.

I took a minute after registering for the class to understand what I had just heard and felt. I then started to reflect back over my life and realized that I had heard that inner voice whenever I felt drawn to pursue something new. It was then I realized by paying attention and surrendering to my intuition, inner voice, or even that “gut feeling” has been a powerful form of guidance in so many aspects of my life.

People will often ask me, how do you know? My typical response, “I just know”; and for some, this answer is neither easily understood nor easy to identify with.

So here are three simple practices to connect with your inner voice.

1. Ask for guidance and listen.

Sit quietly with your eyes closed and simply ask for guidance in your mind. Relax into this thought and repeat it a few times. Then listen for a few minutes, continue to remain silent. Pay attention to any thoughts or visualizations that come to mind and write them down. Sometimes we receive the information we are seeking in one sitting and sometimes it takes a few times for us to sit quietly before we receive the information. Just be patient with this process and allow it to unfold and surrender to any expectations you may have. Your answer or guidance will eventually become clear to you.

2. Recognize the subtle changes in your emotions and physical body.

This one resonates with me quite a bit. Often times I have that “gut feeling” or tingling sensation when my inner wisdom provides me with insight to a question or when I am in need of guidance.

Start by asking a question and notice the slightest change in your physical body; the body is incredibly intelligent as it embodies the wisdom of the soul, so pay attention to how your body responds to your question.

Perhaps you have two different job offers and you want to know whether you should take offer number one. Take a couple of deep breathes into the body as you quietly, ask the question, and notice how and what you are feeling. Are you experiencing a light, tingling sensation, exhilaration or feeling of joy? Generally I find this kind of reaction to be a very positive response or a “YES” response to my question.

If you find yourself experiencing heaviness, tightness on the chest, tense or constriction your inner voice is more than likely responding that this job offer may not be the right one for you or simply “NO”.

Recognizing how your body responds to a question will become easier over time and in fact you will soon begin to see the beauty of how the body can help us to reveal the answers that we often spend too much time contemplating over in our mind.

Paying attention to the body and how it responds to a question can be so advantageous, assisting us to navigate through everyday life with greater ease.

3. Trust that the answers are within.

Allow yourself to release and let go of all thoughts that you are walking on Mother Earth without this little inner voice. We are all born with an inner voice; you are not an exception. Each and every one of us is capable at any given moment to tap into that inner wisdom. There are those that have to work at embracing and accepting this idea more than others but we are all born into this beautiful life with an inner voice.

Take a small step by first acknowledging and trusting that there is that inner voice within you. That could be as simple as repeating daily that you trust in your inner voice. Settle into the idea of expressing and recognizing the beauty of your own true inner wisdom. The more that you strengthen trust in your inner wisdom the more you will be able to fully trust that you have the answers within you.

We all receive information from our inner voice differently. For some that could be hearing the inner voice for others it’s a feeling, sensation or emotion. The more you choose to allow yourself to open to the idea of receiving inner guidance, the more open you become to the energy of your inner wisdom.

Relax, listen and trust your inner wisdom allowing this little adviser within to help you navigate your way through everyday life.