Sensing vs Intuition: Tapping into body wisdom

In the world of personal development and healing, two concepts often arise: sensing and intuition. While they are closely related, they offer unique approaches to understanding the world and ourselves. Knowing the difference between these two concepts can unlock a deeper connection to body wisdom, body sensations, and healthy body autonomy.

Let's dive in to explore the differences between sensing vs intuition and how you can cultivate both through your own body wisdom. We’ll also touch on the power of body sensations and the importance of reclaiming body autonomy to foster healing and emotional resilience.

Sensing vs. Intuition: What’s the Difference?

At first glance, sensing and intuition may seem like two sides of the same coin, but they have key differences in how they function within us. Both can be viewed as tools for understanding our inner and outer worlds, but they engage different systems within the body and mind.

• Sensing is the ability to be directly aware of physical sensations in the body and the world around us. It is rooted in our five senses or our Craniosacral system: touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste. This is part of our safety system. When we feel safe a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters flow to encourage our ability be in a sympathetic state. We are able to breathe deeply, be creative, engage with others, digest our food, and be calm and present. When a sense tells us we are unsafe, different hormones and neurotransmitters flow to get us ready to fight, flight, or freeze - the sympathetic. Fawn, or playing small, falls in between.

• Intuition, on the other hand, is more abstract as we currently understand it. It’s a subtle, sometimes subconscious understanding that goes beyond physical sensations. Intuition is often described as a “gut feeling,” a sense of knowing something without having to logically think through it. It may come in the form of a hunch, a flash of insight, or an inexplicable certainty about a situation or person.

Rather than sensing vs intuition, we need to integrate the two. Sensing grounds us in the here and now, helping us connect with our physical bodies and the world around us. Intuition allows us to interpret more subtle energies and emotional cues. When we learn to engage with both, we tap into a more holistic sense of body wisdom, a key to emotional healing and self-awareness.

Do you notice your intuition shines through when you become quiet? This is because we are in a coherent or aligned state, where our bodies are at ease and our heart is open to receive.

The Role of Body Wisdom: Honouring our sensations and intuition

Body wisdom refers to the innate intelligence stored within our bodies. Unlike the cognitive processing that happens in the brain, body wisdom is an embodied knowledge—a form of understanding that we access through body sensations, feelings, and intuition.

Body sensations are the physical signals we experience throughout the day—whether it’s the tightness in our shoulders, the butterflies in our stomach, or the grounded feeling of our feet touching the earth. The practice of tuning into these sensations is the essence of Somatic therapy, supporting our awareness of our emotional and physical states in the moment, and providing the opportunity to heal.

Our bodies are constantly communicating with us through sensations, yet many people are disconnected from this form of wisdom. In fact our heart sends more information to our brain than the other way around! However, we are often socialized to value logic over feeling or intuition, or experience trauma that results in our inability to connect with the subtle signals our bodies send us. Overtime this disconnection leads to anxiety, depression, burn out and other concerns.

Body wisdom bridges the gap between sensing and intuition. When we engage in practices that heighten body awareness, we can discern between what our body is physically sensing and what our intuition is trying to tell us. It is through this integration that true emotional healing can begin, and ideally we can offer our children the tools they need to navigate challenges in a coherent way.

Fostering Body Wisdom in Children for Healthy Body Autonomy

Children under the age of 7 spend a great deal of time in the Theta state (see our Brainwave post for more or explore in our Restful Sleep course). This is the same space we are in as we drift off to sleep, upon waking, and in deep meditation. We are highly aware of the energy around us, and noticing subtleties in congruency, or not. Our intuition is also able to flow in this state - we become aware of more than we can cognitively perceive. The magic I see with these children I work with is undeniable- they are tapping into something greater.

While this example is trivial, it highlights an important point: If we regularly tell our child the bath is not hot when it is to them, what we are saying is your body sensations are wrong. I would much prefer my children to be safe than polite. I want them to honour their body wisdom. I want them to learn to trust their sensations and intuition. I want them to learn when to express themselves and that it will be respected.

Honouring their intuition and feelings is incredibly important to help them stay connected to this innate gift, and to keep them safe. This is particularly important for highly sensitive and neurodiverse children who often are taught to not trust themselves, being told they are too sensitive or having their boundaries crossed as they may take longer to process stimuli. Unfortunately this leaves them vulnerable to negative situations and relationships down the road.

Body Autonomy: Reclaiming Power Over Your Body

Body autonomy is the right and ability to control what happens to your body. It’s the understanding that your body belongs to you, and you have the authority to make decisions regarding it. In a society where external influences—media, social norms, or even past traumas—can shape our perceptions of our bodies, reclaiming body autonomy is an essential part of emotional healing and personal empowerment.

When you develop body autonomy, you begin to trust your body’s wisdom and respect its boundaries. You learn to listen to what your body needs, rather than pushing it beyond its limits. This is especially important when it comes to preventing burnout and emotional healing, whether through working when we’re tired or suppressing our emotions because they’re inconvenient.

By reclaiming body autonomy, we honour the messages our bodies send us through both sensing and intuition. This allows us to make choices that align with our true needs and desires, rather than reacting to external pressures or old patterns of behaviour.

“We hold issues our in our tissues.”

~ Tom Meyers

Fostering Body Autonomy Through Somatic Practices

Each time you practice paying attention to body sensations, or interoception, you refine your ability to sense and interpret the messages from your body and intuition. Developing interoception helps you recognize the difference between surface-level sensations and deeper emotional or intuitive signals. By strengthening this skill, you gain insight into your emotional world and become better equipped to handle life’s challenges. In working with children and adults, I always focus on our basic physiological needs first - hunger, thirst, bathroom needs, sleep etc. This is developed in our early years, but if having our needs met in a timely manner is compromised, we may loose this connection.

Somatic therapy and somatic practices are powerful tools for reconnecting with your body and reclaiming autonomy over it. Dr. Porges, Peter Levine, and Stanley Rosenberg are among some of the experts in this field. Levine shared that like animals we need to move and use our voice to release experiences or trauma. These practices involve tuning into body sensations and using movement, sound, or breath to release stored emotions or tension:

• Movement and Dance: Free-form movement or dance helps you tap into your body’s innate wisdom. It allows you to express emotions that may be difficult to articulate and to release physical tension that might be holding emotional energy.

• Breathwork: Conscious breathing techniques can help you regulate your nervous system, providing a pathway for emotional release and relaxation. Breathwork also helps ground you in the present moment, reinforcing your connection to sensing and body wisdom.

• Sound and Voice: Using your voice, whether through singing, chanting, or simply making sounds, can be a powerful tool for emotional release and self-expression. Sound vibration helps to clear stagnant energy and bring awareness to different parts of the body.

• Body Mapping: Identifying where different emotions are stored within your body, triggers, and practices to move through these sensations and emotions helps to build a relationship with your body’s wisdom. This also helps you to learn how to respond to its signals before emotional stress turns into physical illness or tension. Read our Window of Tolerance post for more, or you can learn about this in many of our courses, particularly Heart Centred Parenting.

Each of these practices offers a way to connect with your body on a deeper level, fostering a sense of autonomy and emotional resilience.

Sensing, Intuition, and the Path to Healing

While body sensations are often associated with the here and now, intuition can help you navigate more abstract emotional or energetic realms. By becoming aware of subtle body sensations, you can learn to discern intuitive messages, as your body often picks up on energies and emotions that your conscious mind may not immediately recognize.

For instance, when you feel uneasy in a certain environment or around a specific person, your body is often signalling something important. This could manifest as a pit in your stomach, a tightening of the chest, or even a sense of agitation. These signals are your intuition communicating through your body, urging you to pay attention.

We live in a world that sends the message that we are wrong and perpetuates a state of not good enough and shame. Trust your body wisdom and like any other muscle, practice developing it. I understand the challenges in this, which is why it is so important to foster creativity, time in nature, and time to just BE - this is when our intuition, inspiration & creativity shines through.

By listening to these intuitive cues, you can make more aligned decisions in your life—whether it’s choosing to engage with a situation or setting boundaries to protect your emotional well-being. The more you practice connecting with both sensing and intuition, the more skilled you become at trusting your body’s wisdom. As you strengthen the connection between sensing, intuition, and body autonomy, you will discover a new level of emotional resilience, self-trust, and empowerment that can carry you through life’s challenges with grace and wisdom.

If you have questions or would like counselling support, please reach out.

Katie

Want to Learn More!

• Heart Centred Parenting Course – Foster body wisdom in your family

• gloWithin App - Explore breathwork & basics of somatic to empower your family!  

• Book a Somatic Therapy Session - heal and learn to trust your body wisdom