Have you ever had a “health hunch” about something that was actually true? Maybe you knew what kind of medicine you needed before your doctor prescribed it, or what the diagnosis was before you officially received it. Perhaps you even knew what to do in an extreme situation to save yourself of another person. This is what we call bio-sense or, in plain terms, instinct.

When it comes to health and healing, we can call this hunch our “health instinct”. It’s that internal indicator that reveals the answers you seek externally…and you have most likely been disconnected from it for a long time!

Why You Are Disconnected from Your Health Instinct

Think of your health instinct as a compass. If you are in tune with it, it will show you the right way, lead you to the right medicine, ward you from danger, activate your survival mechanisms, warn you of an impending disease, and guide you throughout your entire life.

But modern-day life has us relying heavily on technology to do things for us, particularly when it comes to monitoring and diagnosing our health. If your blood pressure is high, it’s the monitor that will reveal this to you. You may not be in tune enough with your bodyto notice the warning signs or sense its internal needs.

This unfortunately applies to the clinical setting too. Maybe it’s happened to you before: You go to your doctor and talk about your symptoms and feelings. Maybe you reveal a certain “health hunch” you have. In response, the doctor either ignores you or even interrupts you to explain that tests are needed first. This is because contemporary physicians are trained to put their faith in technical analysis, numbers, research, and follow certain protocols. As long as the condition canbe viewed through a scan or in the form of numbers on a sheet, the doctor can diagnose you and provide a prescription.Your hunches don’t translate as anything to them. Hence, you have been convinced that you have little need for your instinct, because others are doing the job for you!

Examples of Health Instinct in Action

Instinct is a superpower. It is was ancient peoples used to diagnose and treat illness, prevent disease, and avoid threats and dangers. While we may not use them as often anymore, our instincts are still accessible to us today.

Instinct is a gift bestowed to all living creatures — both humans and animals – and presents itself in many ways but is more often revealed in extremes (extremely good or extremely bad circumstances). It’s almost as if a switch turns on, and you know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Let’s look at examples of health and healing instinct in action:

The monkey and the amniotic sac

This is something I actually witnessed for myself while in India. A monkey had just given birth to a baby that was, to her shock, born within the amniotic sac. While the new mother was startled at first, her instinct eventually kicked in and she began licking the sac, thus being able to free her newborn from it. What compelled her to act like this?

Herbal wisdom of remote Indian tribes

This next case also comes from my experiences in India, where remote tribes have a profound healing instinct due to living in wild, rural areas. One example is that of women who lack breastmilk after giving birth, yet they know exactly which herbs to forage, grind, and create a medicinal decoction of. Miraculously enough, these herbs are a perfect nutritional equivalent to breastmilk! But how do they even know that?

Knowing the medicine…you have never heard of

Another interesting case study comes from one of my own patients, who was prescribed various medicines for her condition at the time. Unaware of what I had noted down in the prescription, she had a hunch that she needed “karmic medicine”. This was a foreign term to her, and I was indeed quite surprised to hear it coming from her mouth. Oddly enough, it was one of the prescriptions I had noted down for her treatment plan! But how did she know the term, let alone that this was the medication she needed?

Aboriginals and Uranium

It is common knowledge in Australia that the indigenous have long been in an uproar against uranium mining – and with good cause. Aboriginals are not fighting for their sacred sites alone, but for the safety of all humanity. They have always known where the uranium deposits have been and have consciously been avoiding “tampering” withsuch places for generations. How have they known, for centuries, that mining such areas would pose a health hazard? And how have they been aware, since ancient times, of the existence and dangers of uranium?

10 Ways to Connect with Your Health Instinct

Connecting with your health instinct has multiple benefits and it might even save your life someday. It makes you more aware of what is going on in your body, so that you can catch any warning signs early on and address them. It can also help you find solutions in extreme situations when there is no doctor or nurse around to treat you. Last but not least, it encourages the mind-body-spirit balance, which results in fewer physical, emotional, and psychosomatic problems.

There are various ways you can start connecting with and enhancing your health instinct:

• Quieten the overanalytical mind: In our modern society, we tend to overthink and fixate on certain things, which leads to overreacting and ultimately living a stressful life. Aim to leave the overanalytical mind aside for a few hours each day by making use of the creative mind instead; drawing, playing music, and other creative activities are the best options for this.
• Meditate daily. A great way to leave ALL thoughts aside is through meditation. It doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, as long as you can spend a few minutes daily sitting quietly while observing your breath. If a thought attempts to invade your mind, simply acknowledge its presence, then ignore it (don’t forcefully push it away) and resume your focus on the breath.
• Practise Pranayama and breathwork. A few belly breaths per day can oxygenise your system, stimulate blood flow, and enhance your awareness of your body on an instinctual level. To learn more about Pranayama breathing techniques, we at the YATAN Holistic Centre can help you get started.
• Practise Yoga. Yoga brings awareness to the self, stimulates blood flow, encourages healing, and fosters an alignment between the body, mind and spirit. We recommend Uddiyana Bandha as a posture and breathing technique that can bring awareness to your “gut feelings”. For instructions on how to practise this posture and many others, check out our beginner-friendly YATAN Yoga Therapy book.
• Pursue alone time. Reserve some time for yourself, away from crowds, colleagues, partners, children and friends at least once or twice each week. You will begin to get to know yourself and your needs on a deeper level once you spend more time with yourself.
• Lose (and find) yourself in nature. Nature brings us closer to not only the earth’s electromagnetic forces and healing powers, but also to ourselves. You don’t have to go on an extreme adventure or go on an exhausting hike. Sitting under a tree in the park may be enough to recharge your batteries and bring you closer to your true self. You can also incorporate frequent walks in the woods or by the beach into your weekly schedule, if such areas are accessible to you.
• Eat lighter or try fasting. Yogis receive messages from the universe and enhance their spiritual awareness thanks to their light diets and fasting practices. When a big heavy meal makes you tired and lethargic, it’s because you’re spending most of your energy on trying to digest, as blood flows predominantly to the stomach. Try eating lighter meals so that your energy disperses throughout the body in a more balanced way. This will result in optimal organ function and a deeper, clearer connection to your thoughts and feelings.
• Try a Panchakarma detox. To enhance your “gut instinct”, why not detoxify the gut itself? Panchakarma can work wonders on your enteric nervous system and even help you lose weight and recover from disease. Thanks to the various purification processes used, you can expect mental clarity (due to the brain-gut axis) and multiple rejuvenating effects – and naturally, your system will be rid of harmful waste in the process.

Conclusion

In times like these, where relying on technology has pushed us away from our internal instincts, we must grasp every opportunity to look within rather than expect the next health problem to arise. Learn how to tap into our own superpowers – your own health instinct – and you may just save your life someday.

At our Yatan Holistic Ayurvedic Centre in Sydney we can help you on your journey to self-awareness, wellness, and healing by creating a customized plan that is tailored just for you. And most importantly, we are here to listen….“health hunches” and all!

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Are you dealing with a lack of connection to yourself? Do you have a gut feeling that something is not right, but you don’t know what it is? Contact us today for a phone consultation or book an appointment online.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to substitute medical advice. All information and resources referenced, including medicinal preparations, fitness, dietary and lifestyle recommendations, are based on the opinion of the author. Please consult a medical practitioner if you require advice or are experiencing any worrisome symptoms.