Trust Your Inner Teacher: Intuition in Yoga & Somatics
Yes, I am a Yoga Teacher and Yoga Movement Therapist, but truly, my role is to serve as a Guide, a guide to your inner teacher.
“Going in is the way out.”
As the days shorten and autumn deepens, we are invited to turn inward. Nature models release—leaves fall, the air cools, and energy begins to draw back to the roots. This inward shift is a fertile time to listen more closely to our own inner teacher. Yoga philosophy calls this antar drishti—the inner gaze. Somatic practices help us tune into the body’s subtle cues, guiding us toward emotional intelligence, resilience, and deep self-trust.
🍂 The Wisdom of Intuition
Yoga teaches that wisdom resides within. Practices like meditation, breathwork, and self-inquiry create stillness where the whispers of intuition can be heard. In the yogic tradition, intuition is not something mysterious or external—it is a natural part of our inner wisdom. The Yoga Sutras describe the practice of pratyahara (turning the senses inward) and dhyana (meditation) as pathways to accessing this deeper knowing. When the external noise quiets, the still voice within can be heard. From this centered place, we live more authentically, allowing the world to see who we really are, and permitting ourselves rest in the Truth of our inherent worth, just as we are.
The familiar can often mask itself as “right”. Regular practice of meditation, mantra, or breath-centered asana helps us clear the clutter of the mind so we can discern intuition from fear or habit. Intuition can feel like a calm certainty, a sense of “rightness,” or a subtle whisper that guides our choices. Unlike impulse, which can be reactive, intuition arises from a place of steadiness and clarity.
Yoga also gives us the koshas—the five layers of being— a roadmap for moving from the outer body inward toward the subtle body and beyond, where our deepest knowing resides. “Going in is the way out.” By moving inward from the physical body (annamaya kosha), through energy, mind, and wisdom, we come closer to the deepest layer, the anandamaya kosha, often described as the bliss body or the seat of our deepest knowing. From this centered place, we live more authentically, allowing the world to see who we really are.
🍂 Somatic Practice for Inner Listening
Where yoga offers philosophy and structured practices, somatic practice provides tools to connect directly with the body’s lived experience. Somatics teaches us that the body always tells the truth. Even when the mind is uncertain or conflicted, the body sends signals—sometimes subtle, sometimes loud—about what aligns with our well-being. For example, think of a time you said yes to something you didn’t truly want. Did your shoulders tighten? Did your breath grow shallow? Conversely, recall a moment when you followed what you truly desired—perhaps you felt a spaciousness in your chest or an ease in your breath. These sensations are the body’s way of guiding us.
Somatic awareness begins with noticing: What do I feel in this moment? Where in my body do I sense it? By practicing awareness without judgment, we cultivate the ability to listen to intuition as it arises through physical sensation, posture, or breath patterns. Over time, this builds trust not just in the body but in the wisdom that flows through it.
Somatic Coaching invites us into a dialog with ourselves, a dialog beyond words. With guidance, we learn to sense, feel, and notice without judgment. This simple act of attunement opens us to patterns we may not have seen before: the tightness in the chest that signals overwhelm, the flutter in the belly that signals excitement, the relief of an exhale when something feels right. These embodied signals become guides toward intuitive choices.
🍂 Ayurveda & Autumn Wellness
Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, reminds us that our inner rhythms mirror the cycles of nature. October falls squarely in Vata season, when the elements of air and ether dominate. This can bring creativity, quick thinking, and inspiration—but also anxiety, dryness, insomnia, and scattered energy if left unchecked.
Supporting intuition begins with creating balance. If the body is depleted or the mind is restless, it is difficult to hear the inner teacher. Nourishing foods like warm soups, stews, and root vegetables help ground energy. Herbal teas with ginger, fennel, or tulsi support digestion and calm the nervous system. Oil massage (abhyanga) soothes dryness and provides stability to the nervous system.
Even simple daily routines—a regular sleep schedule, consistent meal times, and moments of stillness—anchor Vata energy. When our bodies feel held and stable, we are more receptive to the inner guidance that is always present but often drowned out by imbalance.
In October, Vata dosha (air + ether) is predominant, bringing creativity and lightness but can also be experienced as restlessness and dryness. Supporting intuition begins with balancing Vata: grounding foods (soups, stews, root vegetables), warm drinks, abhyanga (self-massage with oil), and stable daily routines. When the body is nourished, the mind and heart can listen more deeply.
🍂 Embracing Seasonal Shifts
October invites us to pause, listen, and trust. The inner teacher is always present, but in the quiet of autumn, we may hear it more clearly. Its as if the dry leaves on the forest floor allow us to hear the life that scurries underneath. This month, let your yoga, your breath and your body become pathways to intuition.
October is a month of transition—between warmth and cold, light and dark, expansion and retreat. Just as nature reveals her cycles of change, we are reminded of our own capacity to choose how we move through shifting seasons of life.
Intuition supports us not only in noticing what arises, but in intentionally choosing what aligns with our deepest values and truth. Intuition is not only about seeking light but about honoring the full spectrum of our inner world. Intuition is not just about clarity or positivity; it also requires us to sit with uncertainty, discomfort, and shadow.
In yoga, this is reflected in the balance of ha (sun) and tha (moon)—a union of opposites that creates wholeness. When we acknowledge both light and shadow, comfort and discomfort, clarity and uncertainty, we open space for choice. We stop seeking perfection and instead practice acceptance and embrace good-enough-ness. From that space, we can respond in alignment rather than react from habit.
This season invites us to ask: What do I value most right now? What choices reflect that truth? What am I ready to release so I can live more authentically?
Like the trees letting go of their leaves, we too can release what no longer serves and conserve our energy for what truly matters. Practices such as journaling, yoga nidra, or guided relaxation help us discern these truths and anchor them into daily living. When we choose in alignment with our values, intuition becomes not just a whisper we hear, but a path we walk—an intentional way of living guided by truth.
🍂 Fall Focus
October whispers an invitation to slow down and soften. In the hush of falling leaves and lengthening nights, remember that the inner teacher is not far away—it lives in every breath, every pause, every moment of quiet noticing. October invites us not only to pause and listen, but also to choose with intention. Intuition is more than a whisper; it is a compass pointing us back to our deepest values and truth. When we pause long enough to hear it, we are given the chance to shift—away from habits that no longer serve, and toward choices that reflect who we truly are.
This season invites us to reflect on what we are releasing, just as trees release their leaves. Let your practice be less about striving and more about listening. Don’t even worry about hearing or understanding, just listen. Understanding will come. By pausing, grounding, and listening within, we reconnect with the steady voice that guides us toward balance. Slower reflective practices like yoga nidra or guided relaxation, help us access deeper states of consciousness where the wisdom of both light and shadow can be integrated. When we honor the full spectrum of our experience, intuition becomes not a selective voice but a fuller, more authentic guidance system. Somatic Coaching, personal reflection, journaling, and gentle yoga nidra can help us embrace both clarity and uncertainty.
Your inner teacher is always present, waiting to be heard beneath the noise of daily life. By honoring stillness and tuning into your body’s wisdom, you awaken intuition as a guide for every step forward. Remember, change is not random but purposeful. Just as the trees release their leaves to conserve energy for new growth, we too can release what is unnecessary and choose what sustains us. Each breath, each practice, each act of awareness becomes a doorway to living more authentically.
🌿 Suggested Practices
- Yoga Therapy Practice
- Begin with 5 minutes of gentle seated breathwork (nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breathing).
- Move into 10–15 minutes of slow grounding postures: Child’s Pose, Belly Lay (Crocodile), Box Twist.
- End with 10 minutes of Yoga Nidra or guided body scan for inner listening.
- Somatic Practice
- Take 2–3 pauses during your day to check in with your body.
- Place your hand on your chest and belly, breathe, and ask: What am I noticing?
- Write down the sensations (temperature, texture, color, shape, volume, etc.) before moving to categorize them as emotions.
- Ayurvedic Support
- Drink warm teas (ginger, fennel, or tulsi).
- Eat warm, cooked meals with root vegetables, ginger, and cinnamon.
- Try evening abhyanga (self-massage with warm sesame oil) to ground the nervous system.
This month, practice turning toward your breath, your body, and your heart as trusted pathways to intuition. Embrace this season as an opportunity for transition—a time to release what no longer serves and to trust the unfolding of what is next. As you move through October, let your yoga, your breath, and your body guide you—not just into stillness, but into action rooted in clarity, values, and Truth.
✨ Reflection Prompts
- When was the last time I followed my intuition over logic? What happened?
- What sensations does my body give me when something feels aligned—or not?
- How do I respond when I face uncertainty? Can I hold both light and shadow without rushing to fix?
