There is a small voice in each of us, the inner voice.  It resides in the body. For most of us, it is drowned out by the voice of the mind. The voice of the mind is shaming, bossy, critical, self-doubting, blaming, and incessant.  It says the same things over and over based on the conditioning we have, and we often act simply to shut it up, sometimes without even knowing.

The inner voice, on the other hand, is quiet, waiting, and is always a voice for our healing.  It often tells us things we don’t want to know or act upon, but it always speaks in our best interest.  It always leads us to peace. It lets us know when we are not on the right track and when we are giving away too much of ourselves.

Learning to follow your inner voice means first learning to identify and listen to it.  That can be challenging, after years and years of ignoring it.  However, to ignore your inner voice means to invite illness and dis-ease into your life.  The inner voice is the voice of the body, and if ignored long enough, it will manifest itself through physical symptoms.  It has nowhere else to go, and it will do anything to get your attention.

I once had a health scare that taught me about my inner voice.  During a regular physical, my doctor noticed a small lump in my breast. She sent me to have a mammogram to check it out.  At first, I wasn’t worried, although the thought of breast cancer did occur to me.  I went for a mammogram, which was inconclusive, and they sent me to do an ultrasound.  My anxiety ratcheted up a notch.  Fortunately for me, I had a session that day with my personal coach, and we discussed my anxiety about breast cancer.  She asked me what my first thought would be if I actually had breast cancer, and I replied, “I would finally be able to quit my corporate job.”  She told me how dangerous my thinking was to myself – that believing I needed a “valid” reason to quit my job might be enough to manifest illness in my body. I had been ignoring my inner voice far too long, and was only able to identify it when acute physical symptoms showed up.

There are many easier ways to identify and listen to your inner voice.  Journaling can be one, although it can also just be a way to record the voice of the mind. The inner voice needs space and stillness to be heard.  Taking a retreat with both of those things for an hour, a day, a week can create space for your inner voice.  Becoming more body conscious through mindful movement like some types of yoga, tai chi, or the Nia Technique can re-connect you to your inner voice.  Meditation, which works by stilling the voice of the mind, can also create a space for the inner voice to be heard. Finally, using inquiry to question your stressful beliefs always leads to what is true for you, to your inner voice.

Try this short exercise in listening to your inner voice:

1.     Find a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be disturbed and sit with pen and paper ready.

2.     Think of a question or issue you’d like guidance with, and write it down at the top of the paper. Phrase the question or issue as simply and clearly as possible.

3.     Close your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths.

4.     Ask your inner voice the question you wrote on your paper. It may take a few moments until you feel ready, but when you do open your eyes and begin writing whatever comes to you. It doesn’t matter if it makes immediate sense or not. Just keep writing until your hand feels like it can’t write any more. Do not read what you write as you go.

5.     After you are finished, review what you’ve written. You may be surprised at the wisdom that has come out. Even a single word or phrase may be the key to your answer.

After two ultrasounds, the lump in my breast was determined to be benign. But I used the experience as a lesson in learning to listen to my inner voice, and I quit my corporate job a few months later to follow it and move to California to be an executive coach.  I have since cultivated my connection to my inner voice, and although it sometimes directs me to do things that do not make rational sense, so far it has never lead me to anything other than peace and joy.