In our hurly-burly, busy lives, we are often overwhelmed with too many choices. Just making a decision can be complicated.

Often we end up making choices based on immediate gratification that lead to longer-term suffering or dissatisfaction. Sometimes, we think we are making the reasoned, logical choice only to find out later that we have ignored the things that really matter to us.

So how do we know if we are making good choices? Or more specifically, how can we make choices that are in alignment with our deepest, authentic desires? How do we make choices that serve us – now and later?

Clearly, we cannot rely on thinking harder, which is what most of us try to do. Our brain is brilliantly creative and designed for making up stories. It will feed us a story line to fit any situation if we let it.

So brains are unreliable in terms of making a choice about anything that matters. But the sensations in our bodies never lie. Our bodies are our Soul’s way of communicating with us in this physical reality. When we learn the skill necessary to read these messages, then making powerful choices becomes a lot easier!

But what are sensations? They are the actual physical sensations that we feel. Not emotions and definitely not made up labels for what we are sensing – but the raw sensations themselves. For instance, if you have had a disappointment and I ask what are you feeling (in terms of sensations) you will likely answer something like:

• I feel disappointed
• I am heartbroken
• I am frustrated
• I feel really blue
• I am sad

None of those is a sensation!

When I ask you to notice what you actually feel – in your body – at that moment, you will start to realize that you feel heavy, like the air has been sucked out of your lungs, or feel tears behind your eyes, dripping down your face or you feel like there is a weight on your back and your feet feel heavy like cement. These are sensations.

The more we can observe our sensations – before we put an emotional label on them and before we have bought into a story about them – the more likely we are to be able to shift the energy behind them. If we want to reset the negative beliefs and painful patterns in our lives, then we are going to need tools with which to do that effectively.

I have found that simply noticing these sensations is the fastest and most powerful way to rewrite the script. It is not necessary to go into any stories of why we have certain beliefs or who is to blame for the results in our lives. By observing sensations we can easily and effectively live in the moment and create a reality that we consciously choose.

Next time you are faced with a decision (big or tiny), take a moment to notice the physical sensations in your own body. Ask yourself if what you are feeling is tension, relaxation or expansion? (All sensations fall into one of thee categories.) If the answer is tension, then usually that is not the right path for you – at that moment. You can always ask again later.

Simply ask your body what you want to do. Then listen. It will always tell you what direction to go. Let go of your preconceived notions about what you should do, and simply listen to your inner wisdom. FEEL it in your body, rather than letting your head tell you. And the more you practice observing the somatic messages right there in your own body, the better you will become at utilizing the information – for your good and for everyone else around you as well.

So next time someone says to you that life is a choice, remember that the greater your level of awareness about your own energy is, the better chance you have of making a choice that is in sync with your empowered self.