Yesterday, something happened at work that caught me off guard. It stirred old insecurities, familiar patterns that, in the past, would have consumed me whole.

But this time was different. The patterns were still there; I could feel them. Yet they were lighter, less sticky. It was as if they hovered nearby, rather than wrapping around me. I carried that lingering heaviness through the night and into the morning.

On the ferry to work, I was listening to Michael Singer. He spoke of thoughts and emotions as guests who only want to be released. Something in me recognized this deeply. In that moment, it was as if a warm light poured in, my breath loosened, my chest opened, and I felt aligned and at peace.

How the Mind Feels
Later that day, the work conversations continued. People shared their opinions and ideas — some of which sparked frustration in me.

In those moments, I could feel the mind speaking:

• My chest subtly tightened.
• My energy leaned forward, ready to defend or explain.
• My thoughts replayed past moments, anticipating future one.

The mind, I’ve learned, often operates like this:

• It lives in stories, not the present moment.
• It seeks safety through control and justification.
• It closes down the body in subtle, protective ways.

How Intuition Feels
Yet alongside this, I could also sense intuition, not in grand moments, but in the quiet spaces between reactions. Intuition was present on the ferry, in that warm and spacious awareness.

When intuition speaks, it feels like:

• The breath naturally deepens.
• The body softens and expands.
• A steady, open awareness, free from urgency

It doesn’t push or persuade; it simply is. Even frustration, when viewed from intuition, is just another ripple in the play, nothing to fix, nothing to become.

Knowing Which Is Which
Now, when something feels real to me, I pause and ask:

• Body: Am I tightening or opening?
• Time: Am I in the past/future, or here now?
• Energy: Am I grasping, or allowing?

The mind often contracts. Intuition almost always expands.

Returning to Intuition in Seconds
I’ve found a simple breath practice that brings me back to that ferry-light quickly:

• Inhale fully, widening the ribs and chest.
• Pause briefly at the top of the breath.
• Exhale slowly, letting the tension go.

Recall the flavor of the moment, I felt aligned and at peace It can take less than ten seconds, and it works even in the middle of a conversation.

The mind will always have its opinions. Intuition will always have its truth. The art is not in silencing the mind, but in choosing to root your life in the one that expands you.