New Level, New Devil

I can’t exactly remember where I first heard this phrase. But since hearing these words, this concept has stuck with me. When I first discovered the world of yoga, self improvement, and mindfulness, I was in awe. People in this realm of the world seemed to have a glow about them and an ease in their presence that drew me in. I looked to these teachers with such admiration. I was living in a state of constant inner struggle and it was on my yoga mat that I first discovered the possibility of peace. Now, I know more than ever that there is a discipline involved in reaching your highest potential. Hence the term “new level, new devil”. When you set out on the journey of growth you are going to encounter challenges at each new “level”.

For me, I’ve noticed that when I work towards creating progress in the way I show up in the world I am met with some inner resistance. Its like the broken little girl inside of me throws a temper tantrum because I’m consciously choosing to change. And she doesn’t like it. Thats when my self sabotage usually kicks in. I’ll cause a fight in my relationship, stare at myself in the mirror until I notice a flaw and zoom in, make an unhealthy choice, isolate myself from the world, etc. You get the idea. By engaging in this behavior I bring myself down to a low energy level. These habits are so ingrained in me and its usually not until the aftermath that I recognize it for what it is.

Over time, with self inquiry and radical ownership I’ve been able to bring clarity to these habitual patterns. Before I would beat myself up or be ashamed. But I think that only keeps the habits alive. What I’m working on now is looking a little closer. Choosing to love myself when I’m at my lowest helps me to forgive myself, bounce back, and gain a deeper understanding behind the why. I love chakra work for this. The chakra’s are energetic centers within your being said to be located along the spinal column. Each chakra is associated with different elements of human experience. We also store memories within these centers. When you experience some type of emotional/psychological distress you can link it to a chakra which may be blocked or unbalanced. For example, if you are feeling fearful, anxious, insecure or frustrated, your root chakra, muladhara, may be blocked. When you unblock this chakra and the energy starts to freely flow you should feel stable, grounded and unshakable. You will trust yourself.

If you’ve experienced trauma in your life, anxiety, or depression perhaps you can relate to this. The parts inside of us that are hurt want to be seen and healed. That’s why they keep holding us back from moving forward. It can be overwhelming, emotional, and scary to do this work. But as my teacher always says, when doing this work "what is coming up, is going away".

Since my time in India I have been working on balancing and unblocking my chakras. Through meditation techniques, and breathing exercises I have noticed big change. Less self sabotaging behavior and more trust in myself and in the Divine. Is this something you’re interested in? If so, leave me a comment and I will create more content around healing the chakras!