5 Ways Your Higher Self Can Appear to You (And Why)

Regular communication with the Higher Self is a cornerstone of Higher Self Yoga. It is a practice of surrendering to our higher purpose, a lesson in accepting guidance that will bring us closer to our truest self. 

The knowledge and understanding that we receive from these communications is incredibly precious. For many of us, the day-to-day experience of our thoughts and feelings is clouded by distraction and calls from our lower instincts. We long to connect with a greater, higher nature that will allow us to experience new insights, insights that were patiently waiting for us just outside of our view all along.  

Because of its all-encompassing nature, communications with the Higher Self inherently offer us a sense of wholeness, an acceptance of our full personhood. We no longer prioritize less helpful elements of our being while suppressing the most important.  When you are in dialogue with the Higher Self, you are inherently embodying the unique singleness of your being. 

Why the Higher Self Brings Us Closer to Our True Nature 

If you are on this journey to uncover true purpose and meaning, it is your work to both embrace an understanding of your unique, personal nature, and to simultaneously deepen your relationship to that which we know to be greater than ourselves. 

Call to mind the innermost feelings of your human experience - the kind of feelings that offer a deeper sense of inner-connectivity or oneness with the world around us. This energy of oneness is the energy of God, or the Source, coming forward within us. We are connected because the Source resides within us as part of our Higher Self. 

When we are present with our true selves, our eyes become open to the true vastness of our nature. We are part material, but we are also part divine. We are part individual, but we are also part of a greater whole. We are part human and part Source. While it may mean coming to terms with some aspects of ourselves that we find challenging, by seeing ourselves in the full view, we become one with the ultimate, all-encompassing nature of oneness. 

Experiencing the Higher Self is a Process Unique to You 

Given the new understanding of the Higher Self as part of you, it should come as no surprise that the experience of the Higher Self will be unique to you as an individual while still feeling like an experience of universal truth. What's more, the pathway to a genuine experience of the Higher Self requires an embrace of your truest self. 

Remember that the Higher Self is not something outside of you to be incorporated but is in fact the purest, most essential part of yourself in conversation with Source. 

The more we practice relating to the Higher Self, the more familiar we become with how the Higher Self appears to us. But this appearance is not static — know that as we change, the image of the Higher Self also changes. 

While Higher Self Yoga meditations can provide a guideline that can introduce you to the Higher Self, this is only a framework for stepping on the path. The guidance provided in our introductory class is simply the presentation of a classical visualization practice that has been effective in introducing new people to their Higher Selves. Over time, you will likely adapt the exercise to better suit your sensibilities, and you may even find a completely new entryway into communication with the Higher Self.  

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How to Tell If You are Relating to the Higher Self

In Higher Self Yoga, Book I, founder Nanette V. Hucknall describes the process of meeting with the Higher Self,  “At first, the Higher Self can be very evasive. It may appear and then quickly disappear. The more you persist in contacting It, the stronger It will become. If It should disappear when you are communicating with It, just link with your heart chakra and literally command that It return.”

Nanette goes on to share directions for when you are unsure if you are relating to the Higher Self: “Our rational minds or lower natures often try to intrude on moments of vulnerable reflection. If you are unsure, imagine a light shining on whatever you are experiencing as the Higher Self. If It stays the same or gets brighter, then it is your Higher Self. If it does not, simply reset, returning to the heart’s center for direction.”

When in doubt, remember that you can always connect with the heart to confirm or reestablish your connection. The Higher Self should convey a warm expansive feeling. Its energy is never cold, so if you are experiencing a sudden cold feeling in the chest, reconnect with the heart chakra and ask the Higher Self to come back.

How the Higher Self May Appear to You

Working with the Higher Self is a wonderful, powerful experience. Through your connection, you can access both personal and universal wisdom, humor and compassion that may not be accessible in your day-to-day life. How the Higher Self appears will likely relate to how you experience the world around you. Here are some common pathways for experiencing the Higher Self:

1. Bodily Sensations

If you are a physical person, the Higher Self may connect with you through the sensations of the body. You may experience waves of warmth, relief, or relaxation throughout your nervous system or on a muscular level.

2. A Spiritual Experience

People that are naturally in tune with the journey that their consciousness has taken over many lifetimes may find themselves face-to-face with a past version of themselves. You might suddenly be comfortably embodying another gender or nationality with entirely different priorities than those of your present life.

3. Speaking in Symbols

It is said that symbols are used to encapsulate ideas or communications that cannot be held by language. If you are a person who is not particularly verbal but who relies instead on images, shapes and archetypes to relate to the world, do not be surprised if you find yourself encountering shifting signs, emblems, and formations.

4. Mythological Expressions

If you have a lively imagination and use narration, story, or song to relate to the world, the Higher Self may embody a being that speaks to your love of lore. A frolicking spirit, a playful being, or a magical creature may take form in your meditation.

5. The Power of Play

The Higher Self is not confined to a single persona. While we may be expecting an experience that is serious or spiritual, remember, the Higher Self is in tune with the power of play. You may find yourself delighted by a riddle, puzzle, maze, or simply a gentle wave of surrealism that leaves you feeling lighter and more in touch with your inner child.

The Higher Self is Your Guide

Always the Higher Self works with your whole being. It will never reveal information to you that you are not ready to receive. It will never hurt you or scare you. It is gentle and loving at all times. It always knows what’s best for you, and It will never deceive you. If that ever happens, be aware that it’s coming from something other than your Higher Self.

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