What It Means to Be Aligned with the Flow of Life

I just got an email through Ask Maria from someone asking about alignment.

They were wondering if alignment in life is really enough and how we know when we’re in it, and if it’s always about positive feelings, or if it can include emotions like frustration, fear, and uncertainty etc. too.

They also wondered about if it’s realistic to be in alignment all the time, and some other questions around alignment as well, so I was inspited to write an article on those things.

My Reply:

We are always in alignment. Always. So the question is; What are you in alignment with?

Are you in alignment with your true self, your intuition, your inner truth about your life, yourself etc.?

Or are you in alignment with conditioned beliefs, social expectations, or the ego’s limited view of who you are, or how it thinks your life should be?

We are always in alignment with something, and awareness helps us see and recognize what that something is. Alignment is being in tune with your inner truth, even if the emotions you’re experiencing aren’t all pleasant, so it’s not about feeling awesome and upbeat all the time.

There’s nothing wrong with feeling emotions like fear, anger, or sadness for example—they are part of the human experience. The feelings are our body’s way of communicating with us, it’s one of the ways intuition speaks to us too; through our bodies and our gut feeling.

Fear can also be a sign that we’re stepping outside our comfort zone, which is good, it’s a sign that you’re growing and evolving! And anger can be a powerful catalyst for change. Sadness can be a form of healing etc., especially when we’re in a transformational process.

The key is to not get caught in the mind-made narratives and stories and believe whatever the limited mind throws at us. When we let the mind take over like that and we start catastrophizing or imagining worst-case scenarios, we ‘disconnect’ and fall out of alignment.

Alignment is about trusting the process even when it feels uncomfortable, so you can be in a challenging situation, but you can remain in peace and stay calm and trust that the Universe will help you get through it.

We don’t know what will happen five minutes from now, so there’s no reason to live in fear of a future that hasn’t even arrived!

Listen To the Right Voice in Your Head

When we start making up stories about what might happen, we get out of alignment. The voice of the ego, the voice that makes us feel small or fearful, is not our true self, or voice.

The higher aspect of ourself speaks to us in a way that makes us feel calm, hopeful, encouraged, empowered, confident, and so on. It’s the voice that says, “Trust this process, even if it doesn’t feel comfortable right now”, while we all know what the other voice says, right?

Don’t listen to that other voice, trust the voice that is helpful and that brings you a sense of peace.

When you feel yourself slipping out of alignment—when you start to feel fear, stress, or worry for example—that’s your cue to pause and realign, and in the beginning it can be a lot of back and forth, but that’s what helps us recognize when we’re out of alignment vs. when we’re in alignment; that’s how we learn.

Life is a constant unfolding process and the more aware we become of our thoughts and emotions, the quicker we can recognize when we’re out of alignment and shift back to a place of peace.

The more you practice being in tune with your inner truth and the flow, the easier it (and life) becomes, and then that state becomes you new norm.

Tune Into Your Feelings

The best indicator of whether you’re in alignment or not is how you feel.

If you feel at peace, confident, and connected, you’re in alignment, but if you feel fear, worry, stress, or resentment etc., then you’re out of alignment. But not all fear is the same.

The instinctual, gut-level fear that can arise suddenly out of nowhere is a fear we should always listen to.

It could be a warning of danger and by listening to it we can be saved from bad experiences. But the fear created by the mind, the “what-if” thinking, is just a distraction. It’s the mind’s way of keeping us small and stuck.

Sometimes people have a limiting belief that tells them that they should stay in a bad or unhealthy relationship for example, even if their feelings tell them that something is not right and that it’s not a fulfilling relationship, but they ignore that inner knowing, and go even deeper into suffering.

The core fear, and which is many times unconscious, is about fear of being true to yourself, for what others might think, fear of not being able to have a better relationship (or whatever it is), that that’s all they can get, things like that.

If a situation or relationship isn’t honoring you, then it’s time to walk away. That’s true alignment—respecting and loving yourself yourself enough to make empowered choices that are aligned with your soul.

Being in Alignment with Yourself Is Essential for a Fulfilling Life

When you are aligned with the truth of your being and your intuitive knowing, life becomes more enjoyable, empowering, and peaceful.

Life will always continue to unfold and expand, but it’s up to us to decide whether we want that expansion to come from a place of alignment with truth, peace, confidence etc. or if our alignment flows from the ego minds limited perception of life, which many times then only takes us into fear, worry, and anxiety.

Whatever you focus on expands. So, focus on what feels good, what feels true, and what fills you with joy, purpose, and hope and trust.

Stay in alignment with that, and then your life will unfold in a much better and more enjoyable way.

You’ll feel connected, guided, and experience synchronicities and other signs and guidance as a natural part of life, and your communication with the Universe will just keep growing and expanding in so many wonderful and magical ways!

It’s amazing what happens, and comes, when we get out of resistance (the limited self/mind) and into the flow.

(Original) image by Julia Caesar on Unsplash.com

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