What Getting Into Alignment Actually Means

In this blog, I’m answering a question from one of my newsletter subscribers:

Is alignment non-feeling? Does being in alignment mean that situations, people, or events don't bring an emotional response? I've always been confused about what being in alignment actually means.

This is such a powerful question because the concept of alignment is often misunderstood. And here's the thing—there’s no black-and-white answer. I don’t believe alignment is a rigid concept, where you’re either “in alignment” or “out of alignment.” That kind of thinking keeps us trapped in duality, which can feel sticky and restrictive. So, let’s explore this from a few different angles.

What Does It Mean to Be in Alignment?

Many of us start with the idea that alignment is about feeling good—when life flows effortlessly, things go your way, and you experience joy and ease. In spiritual or personal development communities, this is often touted as the definition of alignment. And, at one point in my life, I believed this too. I thought being in alignment meant keeping myself in a positive state and making things happen the way I wanted.

I’d spend a lot of time journaling, working hard to remove limiting beliefs and replace them with positive ones. But after a while, I realized that efforting to always feel good wasn’t freedom—it was exhausting. It left no room for the natural ebb and flow of life, for emotions, or for times when things didn’t go as planned.

That’s when I started questioning: Is alignment really only about feeling good, or is there more to it?

Alignment and Emotional Responses

To answer the question directly: no, being in alignment doesn’t mean you’ll never experience emotions. We’re human, and emotions are part of the experience. It’s natural to feel happiness, sadness, excitement, frustration—all of it.

However, being in alignment to me does mean that you’re so deeply connected to the peace within yourself that external events disturb you less and less. 

4 Ways of Looking At Alignment

Let’s break this down a bit more. Alignment can be viewed in a few different ways:

1. Alignment as Feeling Good: This is the most common understanding, where you’re “in the flow” and life feels easy. While it’s valid, it’s also limiting. If you believe alignment is only when things are going well, then what happens when they’re not? This approach can create pressure to always feel good and push away uncomfortable emotions, which isn’t sustainable.
2. Alignment as Intuition: Another way to view alignment is being connected to your intuition—your deeper self. This part of you is non-judgmental, loving, and peaceful, no matter what’s happening. When your mind and intuition are in sync, things flow more easily. But even when they’re not, it’s important to release the need for everything to be “flowing perfectly” all the time.
3. Alignment as Allowing What Is: Perhaps the most freeing perspective is that alignment is about allowing things to be as they are. It’s not about controlling external circumstances, but rather letting go of the resistance within. When we stop fighting what’s happening, we realize that alignment is always present—we just need to uncover it.
4. Alignment as Everything Being Correct: Finally, what if everything is in alignment, no matter what? Whether it’s sunny or stormy, whether you’re in flow or facing challenges, what if it’s all a correct, aligned part of the journey? Alignment, in this sense, is not something you achieve—it simply is.

You Are the Flow

One of the most profound realizations I’ve had came from my own inner voice during a time when I felt out of alignment. I kept asking, How do I get back in alignment? And my inner voice gently responded: You don’t need to get back in the flow—you are the flow.

This shifted everything for me. Just like a river doesn’t make itself wrong when there are rapids or stillness, we don’t need to make ourselves wrong for experiencing the natural ebb and flow of life. The river doesn’t judge itself for being still one day and rushing the next. It simply is. And so are we. We are the flow and ALL parts of it are correct.

Alignment isn’t about controlling or manipulating our circumstances to match what the mind wants. It’s about recognizing that we are always in alignment, even when things FEEL out of alignment. When we let go of the need to make things different than they are, we experience the deeper peace that’s always available to us.

Clearing the Lens of Perception

I like to think of it this way: Imagine you’re wearing glasses with smudges on them. Everything looks a bit blurry, but if you wipe off the smudges, you can see clearly. The outside world didn’t change—it’s your perception that did. That’s what alignment feels like. When we release resistance, clear our emotional blocks, and return to inner peace, we can see the beauty and perfection of what is.

It’s not about fixing the outside world. It’s about clearing the smudges on our glasses so we can see the truth of alignment—that it’s always been there.

Final Thoughts

Alignment isn’t something we have to chase or achieve. It’s not about always feeling good or having everything go our way. It’s about connecting to the deeper part of ourselves, allowing life to flow, and trusting that we are always aligned—even when we can’t see it.

So, the next time you feel “out of alignment,” remember, you are the flow. Alignment is always within you. You don’t need to get anywhere. You are already there.

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