Why do you keep reacting the same way, even when you know better?

In this episode of The New Ashla Podcast, Justin V. Gates and Michael Perry break down how emotional patterns hijack consciousness and override awareness in real time. These patterns are not random. They are conditioned responses shaped by past experience, nervous system imprinting, and unconscious identity.

This episode explores how triggers form, why emotional reactions feel automatic, and how awareness is the key to interrupting these patterns. Through the lens of the Path of Ashla, they introduce practical tools for recognizing emotional activation, staying present inside intensity, and transforming reactivity into conscious response.

You’ll learn how to identify when you are being driven by patterns instead of awareness, how to regulate your nervous system during emotional activation, and how to develop true emotional sovereignty without suppression or avoidance.

Self-mastery is not about controlling emotion. It is about seeing clearly enough to choose your response.

New Ashla Links:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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#emotionalpatterns, #emotionaltriggers, #consciousness, #selfmastery, #emotionalawareness, #emotionalintelligence, #shadowwork, #nervoussystemregulation, #howtocontrolemotions, #stopreacting, #mindfulnesspractice, #innerauthority, #personalgrowth, #traumapatterns, #reactivebehavior, #consciousliving, #psychospiritual, #emotionalregulation, #awarenesstraining, #identitytransformation

Resources

https://www.instagram.com/charjbaldwin/

Art of Living Retreat Center - https://artofliving.org/us-en/retreat-center

Sky Breath Meditation - https://artofliving.org/us-en/sky-breathing

Gurudev's teachings - https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/gurudev

Deep Work by Cal Newport - https://www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport - https://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/

The Anxious Generation - https://www.example.com/anxious-generation

Summary
In this episode, Charlie Baldwin shares his journey from spirituality into the practical teaching of breathwork and meditation, showing how these practices can support people in grounded, everyday ways. The conversation explores how the breath is much more than an automatic function. It is a direct link between the body, the mind, the emotions, and the nervous system. Charlie explains how intentional breathing can help reduce stress, release built-up tension, and bring people back into the present moment, especially in a world where many live in a constant state of overstimulation, anxiety, and emotional pressure. The episode also highlights how meditation and breathwork are not just abstract spiritual ideas, but practical tools that can be used by anyone, including people in high-stress environments like law enforcement. Throughout the discussion, listeners are invited to reconsider the role of stillness, look honestly at the toll chronic stress takes on the body, and see how simple daily practices can create greater peace, presence, and emotional resilience. This episode offers both thoughtful perspective and practical insight into how breath can become a pathway to healing, clarity, and inner steadiness.

Key Topics

• The connection between breath and emotion, and how breathing patterns can both reflect and shift our internal state
• Practical breathwork techniques for stress, anxiety, and nervous system regulation
• The role of meditation in creating stillness, clarity, and greater emotional balance
• How spirituality can support modern wellness in a grounded and accessible way
• The physical and emotional toll of chronic stress on the body and mind
• Hypervigilance, overstimulation, and why so many people struggle to feel fully present
• Breathwork as a tool for emotional processing, healing, and releasing stored tension
• The use of these practices in high-stress settings, including law enforcement and demanding everyday environments
• The importance of building simple daily habits that support long-term well-being
• How breath and mindfulness can help people reconnect to themselves, the present moment, and a deeper sense of peace

Keywords
breathwork, meditation, mindfulness, stress relief, stress management, emotional regulation, emotional well-being, nervous system regulation, anxiety relief, healing, spirituality, presence, awareness, inner peace, conscious breathing, breath techniques, self-awareness, trauma release, tension release, mental clarity, hypervigilance, resilience, stillness, wellness, daily practice, nervous system health, emotional processing, breath and emotion, modern stress, law enforcement stress relief

In this episode of the New Ashla Podcast, Michael Perry and Justin Gates explore the hidden cost of digital overload and why so many people today feel mentally exhausted, emotionally flat, and unable to truly slow down. They discuss how constant notifications, endless scrolling, and nonstop stimulation fragment attention, train the brain toward distraction, and weaken our capacity for stillness, reflection, and deeper consciousness. This conversation breaks down the dopamine loops, nervous system overload, and attention fatigue that keep us restless and disconnected, while also offering practical ways to rebuild focus, calm, and presence. Rather than rejecting technology, this episode challenges listeners to understand their relationship with it and begin reclaiming the mental space needed for clarity, depth, and real inner peace.

New Ashla Links:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the book here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Key Topics

• How constant exposure to screens, notifications, and endless content overloads the mind and fragments attention

• The ways digital overstimulation weakens our ability to be present, think deeply, and remain connected to ourselves

• How technology affects consciousness by keeping us in a reactive, distracted, and externally driven state

• The connection between dopamine, instant gratification, and the compulsive pull to check, scroll, and consume

• How reward loops built into apps and platforms reinforce habits that make stillness and silence feel uncomfortable

• The emotional and psychological cost of living in a world of nonstop stimulation, comparison, and information overload

• Why boredom, quiet, and solitude have become difficult for many people, even though they are essential for reflection and inner clarity

• How digital dependence impacts the nervous system, mental health, and overall sense of peace and well-being

• The importance of becoming more intentional with technology rather than unconsciously allowing it to shape our thoughts and behavior

• Practical ways to create more space for stillness, awareness, focus, and conscious living in everyday life

  
  

  
  

  Keywords

  digital overload, attention, mindfulness, consciousness, technology addiction, stillness, awareness, dopamine, distraction, self-care, digital fatigue, overstimulation, mental clarity, presence, focus, nervous system regulation, screen addiction, social media addiction, instant gratification, reward system, attention span, burnout, emotional regulation, mental exhaustion, conscious living, inner peace, reflection, silence, boredom, nervous system fatigue, tech dependency, digital wellness, overstimulated mind, information overload, digital balance, intentional living, modern distraction, phone addiction, overstimulation recovery, mental overload, deeper awareness, calm, clarity, focus restoration, unplugging, digital detox, present moment, stress reduction, healthy habits, inner stillness, technology and mental health

Most people believe they are being aware when they are actually stuck in overthinking.

In this episode of The New Ashla Podcast, Justin V. Gates and Michael Perry break down the critical difference between true consciousness and mental noise. Overthinking often disguises itself as awareness, but instead of creating clarity, it fuels anxiety, confusion, and disconnection.

This conversation explores why the mind becomes addicted to thinking, how rumination replaces presence, and why insight alone does not lead to change. Through the lens of the Path of Ashla, they offer a grounded approach to training awareness, reducing mental noise, and returning to direct perception.

You’ll learn how to recognize when you are thinking versus when you are truly aware, how overthinking blocks emotional and spiritual growth, and how to build the discipline of presence in daily life.

Self-mastery does not come from more thought. It comes from clearer awareness.

New Ashla Links:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the book here!⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Justin Gates-Author)

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Keywords

awareness, overthinking, consciousness vs overthinking, mental noise, how to stop overthinking, build awareness, emotional awareness, inner authority, self mastery, spiritual discipline, personal growth, mindfulness training, difference between awareness and thinking, rumination, anxiety and overthinking, conscious living, train your mind, presence vs thinking, how to be present, psycho spiritual development

https://www.itsmikeelliott.com

https://www.itsmikeelliott.com/newsletter

https://www.instagram.com/mikeelliott.relating/

About Mike Elliott

Mike is a Relational Leadership Mentor and Men's Initiation Guide, working with men who want to have it all. He guides them to lead with Relational Authority™-anchored in initiation, integration, and inspiration.

Having been adopted twice and walked through the dark night of divorce, he rebuilt his life from the inside out. Now co-host of "The Sacred We," he helps men transform their relationships-starting with themselves-and create legacies of love, presence, and purpose.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Michael Perry sits down with Mike Elliott to explore the deeper purpose and power behind men’s groups and the role they can play in helping men grow, heal, and reconnect with themselves and each other.

Mike shares his personal journey into men’s work and how spaces built on honesty, accountability, and brotherhood can create profound transformation. We talk about why so many men feel isolated despite appearing strong on the outside, and how men’s circles offer something that modern culture rarely provides: a place where men can show up fully, be challenged, and be supported at the same time.

Throughout the conversation we explore the path toward mature masculinity, what it means to integrate both masculine and feminine energies, and why vulnerability is not weakness but one of the foundations of real strength. Mike also discusses mentorship, shadow work, and the importance of community when it comes to doing the deeper work of becoming the man you want to be.

This conversation is about more than men’s groups. It’s about rediscovering brotherhood, stepping into personal responsibility, and creating spaces where men can grow into more grounded, conscious, and authentic versions of themselves.

Whether you're curious about men's work, searching for deeper connection, or simply wondering what actually happens inside a men’s group, this episode offers insight into why these communities are becoming such an important part of many men’s lives.

Key Topics

The four archetypes of mature masculinity: lover, warrior, magician, king

The importance of men's circles and community for emotional health

Shadow work and inner child healing as tools for transformation

Balancing masculine and feminine energies for authentic living

The role of mentorship and vulnerability in personal growth

Keywords

men's work, masculinity, mature masculinity, men's groups, men's circles, brotherhood, men's community, modern masculinity, healthy masculinity, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, shadow work, personal growth, inner healing, self awareness, men's healing, men's mental health, authentic masculinity, personal development, mentorship, male mentorship, accountability, men's support groups, conscious masculinity, men's spirituality, men's empowerment, men's leadership, emotional growth, relationships, men's relationships, self mastery, purpose, men's purpose, integrity, men's development, men's transformation, brotherhood circles, men's coaching, conscious men, masculine energy, feminine energy integration, authentic living, psychological growth, men's wellness, self discovery, men's accountability, men's healing journey, men's self improvement, growth mindset, community building, deep conversations, personal transformation

There are seasons of life where everything feels personal. Your emotions feel like truth. Your thoughts feel absolute. The world feels like it’s happening to you.

And then something shifts.

In this episode, Michael Perry and Justin Gates explore the four stages of consciousness and how awareness evolves over time. This isn’t about spiritual superiority or ranking yourself. It’s about recognizing the shifts you’ve already experienced and learning how to stabilize growth.

Consciousness is developmental. It’s the expanding space between stimulus and response. Between emotion and identity. Between story and truth.

We break down:

• What it means when life feels like it’s happening to you
• How awareness begins when you realize perception shapes experience
• The shift into agency and alignment
• The stage where resistance softens and identity becomes less rigid
• Why shadow work and humility are essential for real growth
• How “spiritual ego” can sneak in during development
• Why stress can pull you backward and why that’s normal

You’ll walk away with practical reflection questions and a clearer understanding of where you’re perceiving from right now.

Because growth doesn’t just change how you behave.
It changes how you experience reality.

Reactive identity. Emotional fusion. Black-and-white thinking.
Powerful conviction, but very little space between trigger and response.

You can observe your thoughts and patterns. Insight grows.
There’s awareness after the reaction, but interruption is still difficult.

You begin choosing alignment over impulse.
Values guide behavior. Agency strengthens.
The pause starts happening before the reaction.

Resistance softens. Identity becomes less rigid.
Curiosity replaces defensiveness.
Peace becomes less conditional.

Important reminder:
These stages are fluid. You might be highly conscious in one area of life and reactive in another. This is a spectrum, not a ladder.

The Four Stages We Discuss

1. Life Is Happening To Me

2. Life Is Happening By Me

3. Life Is Happening Through Me

4. Life Is Happening As Me

• Where does life currently feel like it’s happening to you?
• Where are you aware of your patterns but still repeating them?
• What would it look like to pause once this week before reacting?
• Where have you already integrated growth that once felt impossible?

Take one current challenge and write about it from each stage:

If life is happening to me, how do I interpret this?
If life is happening by me, how might my perception be shaping this?
If life is happening through me, what choice do I have?
If life is happening as me, what integration is emerging?

Notice how the emotional tone shifts as perception shifts.

Consciousness as developmental
Shadow work and ownership
Humility in spiritual growth
The danger of spiritual ego
The expanding space between stimulus and response
Alignment over reaction

Keywords

consciousness, stages of consciousness, self awareness, personal growth, shadow work, ego, spiritual development, emotional intelligence, identity, perception shapes reality, stimulus and response, nervous system awareness, emotional regulation, accountability, humility, spiritual ego, awakening, self mastery, psychological growth, mindset shifts, reactive patterns, values based living, integration, alignment, inner work, self reflection, breaking patterns, healing journey, awareness expansion, mindset development, personal responsibility, growth mindset, masculine development, men’s growth, conscious living, identity work, self observation, transformation, perspective shift, intentional living

Why does real change feel so difficult even when you’re doing the work?

In Season 2, Episode 1 of The New Ashla Podcast, Justin V. Gates and Michael Perry explore why awareness is the true foundation of self-mastery and why most personal growth fails without trained consciousness. Self-discipline without perception becomes repression. Insight without awareness becomes illusion.

This episode examines the difference between thinking and being aware, why unconscious patterns continue to shape behavior, and how perception determines emotional experience. Through grounded psycho-spiritual teaching rooted in the Path of Ashla, they explain how consciousness can be trained in daily life, not just understood intellectually.

If you are seeking emotional healing, inner authority, spiritual discipline, or deeper self-awareness, this episode offers a practical framework for cultivating awareness without ego inflation, spiritual bypassing, or illusion.

Self-mastery does not begin with control.
It begins with seeing clearly.

Train your consciousness.
Strengthen your perception.
Build inner authority from the inside out.

New Ashla Links:

⁠⁠⁠Get the book here!⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Keywords

awareness, self mastery, consciousness training, emotional awareness, inner authority, spiritual discipline, personal growth, psycho spiritual development, self awareness practice, emotional intelligence, shadow work, identity transformation, mindfulness training, reaction vs response, conscious living, how to train consciousness, difference between awareness and thinking, how to stop reacting emotionally, how to build inner authority, training awareness in daily life, emotional patterns and self mastery

In this powerful season finale of The New Ashla Podcast, Justin V. Gates and Michael Perry reflect on the journey through Season One, exploring the deepest themes of shadow work, emotional resolve, self-mastery, and spiritual discipline. Together, they revisit the episodes that resonated most, the milestones achieved, and the lessons that refined them personally along the way.

This conversation goes beyond celebration. It examines what real transformation requires: self-trust, honest self-assessment, integration of unconscious patterns, and the courage to let old identities fall away. Justin and Michael share how the work changed them, what surprised them most, and why growth demands both responsibility and compassion.

As they introduce Season Two, Cultivating Consciousness through Inner Work and Self-Mastery, they lay the foundation for a deeper psycho-spiritual path—one that bridges Jungian psychology, spiritual awareness, and embodied behavior. The next season will explore how consciousness works, how it is trained, and how it becomes lived character.

If you are committed to personal transformation, shadow integration, and building inner authority without illusion or shortcuts, this episode marks the turning point.

The work continues.
The depth increases.
The Light becomes practice.

New Ashla Links:

⁠⁠Get the book here!⁠⁠

⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ (New Ashla)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Justin Gates-Author)

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⁠⁠Website

Keywords

shadow work, self-mastery, spiritual growth, podcast milestones, authenticity, responsibility, presence, resonance, integration, season two