How to Use Your Emotions as a Guidance System

The healthier we are emotionally, the more reliable this guidance system becomes. By “healthier,” I mean that we are not carrying a lot of stored, old energy or patterns in our emotional body and system. The more present we become, and the more emotional presence we have, the more we can trust our emotional guidance.

In meditation practice, one of the things we can do is get in touch with this emotional guidance system. During meditation, we can begin to discern whether what we are feeling is genuine guidance about what is appropriate and true for us, or whether it is simply an old emotional pattern resurfacing. Through this process, we can start to clear out our emotional system and connect more deeply with the true guidance coming from our emotions.

For example, imagine you are moving along in your life or working on a project and suddenly you feel very upset, without understanding why. That feeling of upset is an indicator. It may be pointing to a higher level of thinking about something, or it may be an intuition about what is going on—something your conscious mind may not fully see, but your system does. It could also mean that you have bumped into an old belief, pattern, or inner “glass ceiling,” and you are upset because you are confronting these old patterns.

When you encounter this kind of upset, especially when you don’t know what is causing it, you can turn to meditation. If you sit quietly, breathe into the upset, and allow it to rise without pushing it away, the emotion can begin to reveal what you are actually upset about. You might realize, for example, that as you move forward with a project, you are actually going in the wrong direction and need to shift course. In this way, the upset becomes an indicator of the thoughts you have been thinking, and it gives you the chance to correct something before it becomes a larger problem.

We want to acknowledge that our emotional system is a tool—a guidance system that helps us make better choices. Through meditation practice, we can connect with this system by allowing ourselves to recognize what our emotions are and what they are indicating to us. You might be working on a project and notice you feel upset. When you sit in meditation, breathing into the upset, you might discover, “I’m not honoring my core values with this move. If I continue in this way, I won’t be in alignment with what truly matters to me.” That is a very good reason to feel upset, and it’s something to be grateful for, because the upset is letting you know something you were not fully conscious of.

Our conscious minds cannot track everything at once. We are constantly bombarded with information—from our surroundings, from our bodies and their intuition, from the past, from the present. Because of this, it is almost impossible for the conscious mind to stay on top of all of it. Emotions can help bridge that gap. When we become aware of our emotions as a guidance system, we can use them as a healthy tool to know what is right and wrong for us in any given situation.

Returning to the earlier example, if you discover that moving forward in a certain direction is out of alignment with your values, you can pause, breathe, and even thank the upset. You’re thanking it for the information it brought you. Once you’ve received the message, you can allow the upset to release. Then you can ask: How can I move forward while staying in alignment with my values? Is this value truly mine, or is it something I picked up from someone else? From there, you can begin to explore and adjust.

We are multifaceted beings, not flat or two-dimensional. There is a lot to who we are. As we do this inner work, we are acknowledging all these different aspects of ourselves and tapping into parts we may not have known how to access before. Sometimes we haven’t worked with these parts simply because no one around us does it, or it doesn’t feel “normal.” Yet, if you want to feel good in life, to be balanced, to experience success, fulfilling relationships, and the things you desire—and to truly enjoy your life—emotional practice is one powerful way to do that. Through emotional practice, we tap into various aspects of who we are and work with them.

Our emotions help us access who we are and what we value. We may feel upset when we are not living in alignment with our values. Emotions also help us see what we are really thinking about something. Consciously, we might tell ourselves that everything is fine with a project, while on a subconscious level, we are thinking something very different. Our emotions can serve as guidance, showing that there is more going on within our own thought process.

Using the previous example, if you realize you are out of alignment with your values, you might not have been consciously aware of it. On a subconscious level, however, you did know, and your emotions were signaling that to you. They offer you the chance to examine the value, figure out how to return to alignment, and come to terms with things inside yourself. From there, you can make new decisions, choose new directions, and adjust your path. Once you do that, you may find that you are able to move forward more peacefully—until you encounter the next set of emotions.

At another time, instead of upset, you might feel an overwhelming sadness. When that happens, you can again pause and sit with the feeling. Take one, two, five, or ten minutes to give the emotion space. Ask yourself: What is this sadness telling me? What is its nature? You might realize that it isn’t simply an old habit or pattern from your environment, but something you are actively telling yourself about how you think and feel. The sadness, like the upset, is part of your guidance system.

For instance, you might realize, “If I keep going in this direction, I will gain certain things, but I will lose others, and that makes me sad.” Then you can ask: Is moving in this direction really what I want? Am I ready to lose what I might lose? If the answer is yes, you can work with the sadness, come to terms with it, and still feel okay about moving forward. You are not ignoring the sadness; you are acknowledging it and letting it guide you.

Emotions are a guidance system. They let you know what you are truly thinking about something. They let you know when you are out of alignment. They are also deeply connected with your intuition. For example, imagine you’re moving along with a project and suddenly feel a strong sense of fear. If you sit with that fear and explore it, you might realize it’s not just a limiting belief. Instead, you might sense, “I don’t actually trust my potential business partner. Something feels off.” That is very useful information. Your intuition is speaking to you through the emotion of fear.

From there, you can ask what needs to change so that you no longer feel unsafe or fearful. Maybe you need a better contract. Maybe you need an honest conversation. Maybe it means choosing not to go into business with that person and finding a different partner. After you make these adjustments—externally in your life and internally in your thought process—you can move forward again, and your guidance system will continue to let you know whether you are on the right track.

This is where things can get tricky, because we all have histories and patterns. We have been through experiences that shaped our beliefs, and those beliefs can run like programs in the background. In meditation, we allow emotions to be present and then gently inquire into their nature. Is this feeling tied to a past pain or trauma? Is it a long-standing pattern that has been running for years? Is it true current guidance, revealing what you are really feeling, thinking, or believing right now? Or are you simply picking up on the emotional “weather” in your environment?

Over time, you can become very skilled at this. By bringing presence into your emotions—by having emotional presence—you become deeply aware of what is going on within you. This is your life, your emotional world, and your lived experience. We want emotions to serve as the healthy tool they are meant to be: guiding, instructing, and showing us what truly fits.

For example, if you think about a project and suddenly feel excited and joyful, that emotional response may be indicating that this path is right for you. It might be aligning with your passion, excitement, and sense of purpose. On the other hand, if you think about doing something and feel dread or heaviness, that can indicate that this direction may not truly fulfill you.

Staying in touch with your emotions in this way can be incredibly helpful. Through emotional presence and mindful attention, you allow your emotions to function as a guidance system. They help you access deeper layers of yourself, align with your values, and choose directions that are more authentic and life-giving.

So much warmth and much love. I look forward to connecting again in the next video. Thanks.