When I studied leadership and self development in grad school, I spent years absorbing and distilling a program of practice that is most widely recommended for cultivating the intuitive sense – the Intuition Development Program (IDP). I created this graphic as an experiment. I wanted to see if the practices for intuition development could be distilled into a simple, 1-page poster. Honestly, each of these practices could probably be expanded to fill an entire course.

 

When you know that you want to rely more on your intuition, it can be really frustrating if you’re not sure HOW to cultivate that sense. But intuitive experience can feel subtle. You might be thinking too hard or trying too hard to access the inner voice.

 

The truth is, you are already are intuitive. You’re likely already using your intuitive sense regularly, but you might not be registering it as intuition.

 

These six practices are not necessarily easy, but they are simple. I recommend starting with one or two, and thinking about it like starting a relationship with your inner awareness.

 

Be patient, and be kind to yourself as you learn a new skill, and know that you can always return to these practices whenever your intuition needs a little tune-up.

 

Here are the research-backed, practice-driven, 6 ways to cultivate your intuition:

 

1) Keep a Journal. Get to know yourself, over time. What do you like and what do you long for? Especially record intuitive ‘hits’ – you
can use this as research for later.

2) Walk in Nature. If possible, walk in silence to engage your senses & clear your mind. Let your awareness expand by paying attention to your surroundings.

3) Take a Break. Let yourself de-focus & daydream. If you’re working on a specific problem, let the subcosncious ruminate while you go do something else.

4) Keep a Dream Diary. Each morning, record your dreams. Let your subconscious speak to you in its own language of symbols, archetypes, and feelings.

5) Experiment. Keep track of intuitive impressions and whether they turn out to be right. Be playful with this; the goal is to break your addiction to certainty.

 6) Meditate. Cultivate receptive awareness and quiet the thinking mind through sitting, walking, or any kind of meditation. (The key with meditation is, you have to actually do it. You have to practice.)

 

As you take up one or many of these practices, let me know how it goes. I love talking about this stuff and want to hear from you!