When You Hit a Plateau: What Now?

There are moments in our spiritual journey when everything seems to be opening. Clarity emerges where once there was confusion. Patterns that held us back begin to dissolve. The energy becomes not just something you sense during a session, but something you live with—something that moves through your body and shows up in your everyday experience. There’s a feeling of expansion, of something shifting, something real transforming. And then… things seem to stop moving.

You hit a plateau.

You’re still showing up. You’re still practicing, attending sessions, staying connected. But the feeling of visible progress quiets. You no longer sense the same kind of momentum that carried you before. This can be confusing... especially when you’ve experienced such beauty and depth. It’s easy to wonder: What’s wrong? Has the work stopped? Have I lost the connection? Is there anything more for me here?

But what I’ve come to understand, both through my own experience and the wisdom of those I’ve studied with, is that plateaus are a natural part of the process. In fact, they’re often essential.

I remember one of my teacher, Venant, once saying something that really stayed with me:

“The martial arts master is not the one who had special abilities. He’s the one who didn’t give up when everyone else did.”

That landed deeply. It stayed with me through my own plateaus, through the times when nothing particularly exciting was happening.

That message also brought back a memory of my martial art teachers—my Sensei, Henry—who guided me during the many years I practiced karate. For those who don’t know, martial arts were a significant part of my life. They shaped my inner posture and helped me learn what it means to show up with devotion, presence, and integrity, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s boring. Even when nothing is happening.

He once shared a story from his visit to Japan, where he traveled to take a high-level belt exam. He had spent an entire year preparing—physically, mentally, and spiritually—for this journey. Back home, we were eagerly waiting for him to return, hoping he would share everything he had learned and discovered.

When he came back, he was content—his body deeply bruised and worn from the intensity of the training, but his spirit steady and fulfilled. He had gone to Japan full of anticipation, expecting to uncover rare, advanced techniques—something that might forever shift his understanding of the art.

But when the training began, the Shihan—the highest-ranking master in the organisation—did not begin with anything advanced or complex. Instead, he started with the most basic of punches. The same straight punch taught on the very first day of karate.

They practiced it for hours. Over and over. Not with mindless repetition, but with a sense of refining, perfecting and awareness. The mastery was not in complexity. It was in returning to the foundations—again and again—with awareness, humility, and unwavering focus.

That story changed something for me. And I share it here for anyone feeling like they’re in a moment where not much is happening. If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau, perhaps it’s not a sign that you’ve stopped progressing, but that you are being invited to go deeper.

Return to the basics of your energy practice. Come back to the simple, powerful foundation of the transmission. Stay in rhythm with your sessions, even if they feel quieter than before. Keep showing up. Because repetition is not stagnation. It’s what refines us. It’s what anchors insight into embodiment.

There’s a teaching in many traditions that says if you dig a well but keep moving locations—digging a little here, then starting over somewhere else—you will never reach the water beneath. The only way to reach the source is to stay in one place and keep digging. Depth takes time. Trust. Repetition. Commitment. Otherwise, all your energy goes into starting again and again, but never actually touching what’s underneath.

So if you are in a plateau, don’t assume something’s gone wrong. Instead, consider: What if this is the exact moment where the real depth begins?

Not the excitement of the start, not the thrill of new insight—but the quiet and powerful transformation that comes from staying steady, staying committed, and going deep.

Let this be a reminder that your spiritual growth is not always meant to be loud or visible. Sometimes, it moves like roots underground—gathering strength, stretching quietly into the unseen.

Keep going.

with love

Diana