We can feel atman within only by demolishing our ego in totality, not suppressing. Demolition of ego in totality means we can clearly hear promptings of atman coming from within our heart.
At any given moment of life either of the two prevails, our ego or voice of atman from within. Human beings mesmerized by glare of worldly riches gave importance to ego forgetting about voice of atman coming from within all the time.
From six years of age my ego was zero by default, maybe the karma of my previous lives. I could distinctly hear voice of atman coming from within my heart. At that young age I did not know what it was all about but the voice of atman from within was very distinct and clear. Still I feared it.
It almost took two years before I understood what it was all about and thereafter it was never looking back.
Allegorically the voice of atman coming from within our heart is Lord Krishna trying to contact us from within. As detailed in Bhagavad Gita the present journey of life belongs to atman who is also the master and controller of human body.
The dictates of Bhagavad Gita are available to us from beginning of life but we failed to hear them. Becoming 100% truthful and demolishing our ego in totality we can distinctly hear voice of Lord Krishna coming from within our heart. In my spiritual quest of life I have always been guided by Lord Krishna within. So much so that in wee hours of third of August 1993 I finally realized self.