How to Tap Into Your Intuition and Manifest Your Dreams | Gabby Bernstein

Today we're gonna have an interesting conversation about the power of intuition. I wanna talk about manifestation and getting those kind of flow optimal states. She's number one New York Times bestselling author. She's written 9 books. Oprah Winfrey calls her one of a next generation thought leaders. And I've had the blessing to be able to share stage with her multiple times. She has an incredible podcast. Gabby Bernstein, thanks for being on the show.

Hi, brother. You are my brain coach. I am so happy to be with you.

Thank you for having me. Oh, no, no, thank you. We just recorded your podcast where I was a guest. I encourage everyone to listen to your podcast. But you and I were chatting off camera about the power of intuition. And this is something— and even in our interview, you're mentioning the gut because there is this gut-brain axis. And I know you've done a lot of research into manifestation. So I was just curious, what's your approach to the science of intuition, manifestation, flow states? I mean, you and I could talk for hours on this subject.

Well, I'm actually not gonna give you any science. I'm just gonna give you firsthand experience.

That's even better.

So I was gonna give you firsthand experience because I've been a meditator since I was 6 years old. My mom brought me to the ashrams, was named by her guru, was given her mantra, and have had a meditation practice. And for me, what I would be able to notice is that there were moments early days in my meditation, and when I was a teenager, where I could actually feel my brain shifting from almost like a right brain, left brain experience, where I would move into a different frequency. And in that frequency, there was a whole other realm of availability, and not just my own inspired ideas. but also starting to channel and download ideas beyond my physical sight, sensations, feelings, gut knowing, even just audible words at times. And so as a spiritual teacher, I have full faith that we all have access to a realm beyond our physical sight. And if you're not—

Yeah.

In the spiritual lexicon, maybe you'd call it intuition, right? Maybe you'd call it inspiration. And my late mentor and friend, Dr. Wayne Dyer, would say that when you're inspired, And so when we're in that flow state, as you might call it, or I would call it a state of channeling, and if you can see here, my hand just went numb. So that's when I know that I'm tuning in.

Hmm.

For me, it feels like a sensation of calm, a slowing down of my brain, a receptive, way of being, rather than a, maybe if I'm in more of that get things done mode and that multitasker human Gabby mode, I will be distracted, I'll feel kind of tired. Here, it's energizing. And if you see me on stage, it's the same. So someone is an athlete and they get into that flow state, it's like you lose the logic and the reason and you get into the limitless, as you would say, capability, capacity.

Yeah.

When I'm on stage, or even right here with you, it's happening. I feel my body, my left hand goes numb, and I start to feel into this sort of effortless flow of whatever needs to come through. I'm not thinking, I'm not trying, I'm not forcing, I'm just flowing. There's distractions in the room. My next guest just arrived and he's a hero of mine. There's like a lot going on in this space right now, but I can just be in the flow of what is arriving when I make that, Now, this is the repetition of new behavior over and over again, meditating for 40 years, right? Or really meditating daily for 25 years. And that repetition of that practice gives you, like anything, the ability to jump on the basketball court and start playing, right?

Right.

Yeah, you need to warm up, but you could probably just jump right in if you've practiced every day for 25 years. And so I think that, The meditative practices that we develop in our life help us open up that right brain's capacity to receive that information and to be in that, I would like to call it a receptive state.

Yeah.

It's a receptive state. It's not, your brain is not trying to figure anything out. It's really just allowing information to come through. And the more you trust that state and experience that state and develop that state, information can flow through you, and that information is profound. I mean, I wrote 10 books in 13 years, not by myself, by tuning in and listening. Because we all have this capacity of this beautiful information far beyond our logic and reason, but we actually have to adjust our brains to receive that information.

Yeah, a metaphor people even use about even the unconscious or subconscious, non-conscious, depending on how people define it, is like if you put your foot on the floor, everyone who's listening, that's kind of like, your conscious awareness, but the footprint of this whole building is more of that nonconscious genius, if you will. I remember I would follow— you mentioned Wayne Dyer. I'd follow him on stage a number of times, and it was always so interesting because he did no preparation. He would just go out there and he would just channel, or it would just be in that flow state. And with flow, the markers are like you lose your sense of self, it's almost effortless, and you almost lose your sense of time.

Yeah.

And as you get in that state and your brain slows down from that beta to alpha to theta kind of creative state, or that, you know, where you're just so aware. That's, that's incredible. Is there, for our listeners, is there maybe— I don't know if we want to walk them through, but what is that meditation? Everybody has a different style, right, that works for them. How do you recommend, and when, when do you usually recommend, like, uh, clients or, or people to do it?

I think that if you find a meditation whether it be through an app like my Gabby Coaching app, whether it be through any other app, whether it be through a meditation teacher, Buddhist meditation, or even just guided meditations. I don't care what it is, as long as it allows you to feel into a centered state of peace.

Yeah.

And if you have a molecule of peace, a molecule of stillness, a molecule of rest, then go for more of that.

Yeah.

Because I think people get very hung up on these days, I have to try this practice, I have to try that practice. That's actually your ego trying to drive your practice. I would much rather you say, oh, wow, I was in that, I sat in that yoga class that day, and I loved that practice that the teacher gave us. That's the thing that really gave me that feeling of getting into a flow state, losing track of time, feeling at ease, just forgetting all the, going out of the state of thinking and logic and just into peaceful, peaceful state.

Yeah.

Whatever that is that you have found, or if you're currently looking for it, when you find it, do more of that. Because like anything, it's just like exercise. If you know you wanna do cardio and you wanna get on that, and if that's what feels best for you, do more of that. I just believe just move in some way. Just be still in some way. So that's my advice, because I don't really like to put a framework around this is how it has to be, because I think it's just going to make you not do it at all.

And usually what's best for people is whatever they're actually going to do.

Whatever they're going to do. I mean, it's nice to have it when you're first starting. It's nice to have a single-pointed focus, whether that's a mantra or even just listening to a guided meditation. I mean, what I offer people for decades now is just guided meditations, because I think people want someone showing them and leading them, because just to sit and be still is so complicated for people if they've never had that experience.

Right.

But once you find that practice that's really resonating with you, or even just gives you, like I said, a molecule of peace, just do a little bit longer the next day, like 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes. I think, as we talked about on my show, morning is the beautiful time, because that's when, especially when you're waking up and you're wanting to just hold onto that peace from the night before. But like any practice, you have to develop it, and that ability to move into that state of inspiration is the repetition of being in stillness. I believe it's built up. It's a muscle that's built up over time. That's been my experience.

And your process for manifesting your life, right? You went from these challenges, maybe in school, being held back and the things we talked about, to writing all these New York Times bestselling books. You're on stages in front of tens of thousands of people. You have this huge podcast and platform. Is it very intentional? Like, you know, sometimes there's a harmony between, like, forcing something and having faith or stretching and surrendering. Right. Do you have, like, that process for our listeners? And, you know, in terms of they have a pull towards something that resonates with them.

Yeah. The moment that you notice you're forcing, stop, drop, meditate, do something that's the opposite of what you're trying to force, because anything that you create out of a forceful nature will not succeed. it will not have momentum. It will not be sustainable. It will burn you out. And so that's number one. And I love the difference between the force and the faith. But developing faith, faith is a muscle that must be developed. We've had so many experiences from our childhood, particularly, that have really blocked that, have built up a wall against that faith. Like you being told that you were the kid with the broken brain, me being told I was stupid when I was 6.

Mm-hmm.

We had these beliefs systems, in order for us to step out and write these books and do the work that we do and change the story, we had to strengthen our faith one step at a time. And so transforming that fear and that forcefulness into faith is just a subtle practice. And so, you know, you talk a lot about small actions, and I always talk about lots of little right actions. You're not going to change your habits overnight. You're not gonna be channeling overnight, but we all have these abilities these unique and profound abilities to be able to be living in a completely different way than the way that we are currently. And so I believe that if you choose to really live in a different way, then, and you make that choice, then the support systems that you need will be presented to you. So for me, I was a drug addict in my 20s. I chose to live a life of freedom. And in that choice, that choice was a prayer. And in that choice, I was led to recovery groups. And in that choice, One Day at a Time, I kept making that choice. 18 years later, I'm sober still, right?

Amazing.

So it's small right actions daily to create that long-lasting change. And so, and particularly, like you say, finding the things that work for you. And so if you're trying to build a practice of faith, whatever that may be for you, or develop your intuition, Finding the tools and the practices and the teachers, or even just the little methods here and there that strengthen your intuition and your faith, and just do a little bit of it each day. Tap in, tap in, tap in.

Outstanding. I have a quote in Limitless that says, life is the letter C between the letters B and D. Where B is birth and D is death, life, C, is choice. Choice. You know, it's the sum. Our lives are a reflection of some total of the choices we made. And, you know, people could look at the life We're in right now, in these difficult times, they could diminish you. These difficult times can distract you, or these difficult times, they could develop you.

That's right.

But we always have that decision or that choice.

Yeah. And I think that to kind of close on this topic of choice, it could really piss a lot of people off to say, oh, it's your choice to change your life. It's your choice to change your brain. It's your choice. Because when you're flooded in that story that you've carried for so many decades, choice becomes an afterthought. And you don't believe that, but Remember that even just listening to this conversation was a choice, or opening the book is a choice, or just waking up in the morning and taking a breath is a choice. And so it's not about saying, I'm going to just choosing to be different, I'll be different overnight. But it's those small adjustments, those small choices daily that start to—

Yeah.

And just taking a breath, that's a prayer. Listening to this and saying, I'm choosing to listen to the end, that's sending a message. And so just trusting that it's much more simple than we make it.

Amazing. Gabby Bernstein, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find out more about your work and connect with you?

Head over to deargabby.com. And I think that your listeners probably would really be well served by the support of my app, the Gabby Coaching membership app. And I think that what would be so valuable there is there's hundreds of meditations.

Outstanding.

And mindfulness practices and stress-related, stress-reducing practices. And so I think that would be the best place to send people.

Great. And, uh, thank you so much again.

Thank you, brother. Nice to be with you.