#126 My awesome guest this week is Aaron Griffiths, a practicing lawyer running his own law firm on the Sunshine Coast who is passionate about his movement, meditation and breathwork practices.
This episode had it all, and I promise you it will leave you inspired with many smiles along the way. From his mystical moment that began to redefine his life, a premonition that came true, an almost fatal car accident, turning to alcohol, divorce, and finding rock bottom… then what? This is Aaron journey and why he’s so passionate about helping others realise their own potential too, no matter what their situation. Enjoy!
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About Aaron: Aaron Griffiths is approaching 40 and believes he is currently experiencing his midlife….errr….awakening. He is a practicing lawyer running his own law firm on the Sunshine Coast and is passionate about his movement, meditation and breathwork practices.
More recently he has been exploring how to share his health practices with others and is the process of figuring out how best to do that as well as support his two young children. His dream is to help raise the consciousness of the human race by helping others discover their own inner power through movement, meditation and breathwork practices.
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Learn more Aaron Griffiths:
www.instagram.com/agrifforama
TRANSCRIPT
Guy: Hi, my name is Guy Lawrence. And thanks for tuning into my podcast today. If you’re enjoying these conversations and you want to check out more of this transformational work, be sure to come back to guylawrence.com.au and join me as we go further down the rabbit hole. Enjoy the show.
Guy: Aaron, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me mate. We’ve gotten to know each other for a while now over the previous maybe three or four years and obviously I’ve gotten to know what you do and everything and hence why I’ve reached out to ask you to come on the show today. But like I ask all my guests right now. If a stranger stopped you on the street and asked you what you did for a living, what would you say at this point?
Aaron: Well, at this point I’m still a lawyer, but that’s iffy. Uh, you know, um, uh, you know, with this guy. With 19 stuff that we’re experiencing now, uh, I’m not doing much lawyering. I’m actually at home, uh, moving and meditating and breathing and being in my ice bath and being in nature and being with my children, my family. So at the moment I’m just living,
Guy: living the dream. It sounds like more than anything else. That’s it. Yeah, no, fantastic mate. I’m fascinated and I’m always fascinated by people’s transitions in life. Like I think we all go through them at different stages and different areas depending on our age and where we were at mentally, emotionally, physically, and you know, I remember meeting you for the first time at the Wim Hoff retreat, which was too silent, when was that? 2016 was it?
Aaron: Yeah, that was four or five years ago now.
Guy: It’s been a while. It’s time flies, isn’t it? And, uh, and I was like, who’s this crazy hand stand king? He just keeps wanting to do handstands in the middle of the room all the time in between sessions.
Guy: And you know, as I got to know you, you were like your lawyer was that, huh? That’s a really you know, I didn’t expect that from you with you cause you were so immersed in the movement side of things. I thought you were just literally living and breathing and teaching movement. So my first question to you is, can you share us a little bit about your transition, because I know you’ve been through many different difficulties in different areas of your life and what less than to lead you to look into modalities like Wim Hoff and started to grasp and be so passionate about movement and the other things that you so openly share with now with people.
Aaron: Yeah, there’s been a few key mystical moments. Um, I think you could, I can trace it to when the first or was around 2003 I was, working in Brisbane as a lawyer in the city and just getting, going as a young professional. I just bought my first house, got my first mortgage. I was with a longterm partner and looking to settle down and get engaged and get married and we just got out a dog. You know, I just got a BMW and I was really starting to indoctrinated into the legal profession and, and get going as a young professional. And one night I was asleep and I had this incredible dream, which was, uh, almost nightmarish. And in the dream I witnessed my longterm partner at the time in a car accident. And when I witnessed the car accident, the pain was so great that I had a heart attack in the dream and I died and I jetted off into death, I guess you’d say.
Aaron: And I left my body and I felt this bliss, this total peaceful bliss. And I was with no body. I had no visual output at all. It was just an awareness or an experience. And at the time I had no spiritual framework to use this at all. I didn’t know what was happening and this was all in my dream, but it felt so real. And the moment I hit this space, a presence came to me and it was my deceased grandmother. And she told me, you’re not meant to be here. What are you doing here? Type thing. And there was no verbal, there was no visual or anything. It was just an awareness that, oops, I’m not supposed to be here. And with that thought or with that message, I, I plummeted like a skydive back into my body. And when I woke up I couldn’t breathe for quite a while.
Aaron: I was, I was painting and I was very emotional and I didn’t know what had happened and I honestly felt like I died and…
Guy: Shit that wasn’t quite there. The answer was expected straight off the bat. It’s amazing. So one thing that spring to mind then, so when you say you felt out of body, was that how the body, you were dreaming that or did you actually feel out of body?
Aaron: It was one of those dreams that was so intense. It was real. And I didn’t feel my body anymore. It was the first time I couldn’t feel my body, but I was just an awareness of me. And it was the first true experience. I’ve had way. I was somewhere else outside of my body, still completely me in some sort of essence form. And there was no visual at all.
Aaron: It was, it was nothing visual about the experience. It was all just purely, you know, awareness, um, experience. And when I did come back into my body, I had all the physical symptoms of having held my breath for a long time or, or being unconscious or something. And, and it was frightening and it really freaked me out. I’m not surprised, my God, you know, I’ve had experiences like that now from meditation. Yes. Of years of practice. Yes. Preparedness helps. Like when something like that happens just out of the bat with, with no understanding what was going on. So what was the first thing you did? Did you, did you tell your fiance? Did you just, yeah, I did. I told her about it and to be honest, I just swept it under the rug. I mean, I, it was, it changed the way I started to see things because, um, it was, uh, the first time I’d experienced being something other than just my body.
Aaron: So it was, uh, it got me interested in some of the spiritual concepts. Um, but I, I really just swept it under the rug and I just kept plowing on into my corporate life. And where it gets really weird is in 2010, so some seven or eight years later, my, I was still with the same partner. The accident happened. Uh, she was in the car accident and it did happen in real life on the Bruce highway, um, just South of Coolum on the sunshine coast. She was in a head on collision and I was called by police. I was sitting having coffee and I was told there’d been an accident and you better get down here if you nearby because it’s not good. And I got down there and I, this was the quickening or the reckoning of this moment where the two moments came together and I thought, I’m like, Oh my God, I’ve seen this.
Aaron: I’ve seen this before, seven or eight years prior. And thankfully she didn’t die, but it was, it was very close. And I think just that synchronicity of those moments started to make me think there’s something more going on here than just the physical, literal visual experience. I’m having in my body because I, it just couldn’t be a coincidence. This is too freaky. Um, so that one really started to lift the lid off, my desire to explore, uh, spirituality and meditation and breath work and all these other things because I got to feel that there’s so much more going on. Wow. So, so that experience happens, you’ve accepted, um, this was the point to really start to look at that. So then what was the next thing you started to do? Cause if I understand that it wasn’t more resistance in your life, in certain areas, huge resistance and you know, I could be given miracles like this and still not get the message.
Aaron: And uh, so, uh, we went through a difficult period. Of course there was a lot of rehab for her and, um, I was made redundant at the same time, two weeks after that accident, I lost my job. And so we went from being a dual income, uh, young professional couple too, in a, in a, in a predicament. So I started my business, the law firm from home so I could be at home and, uh, try to build something to bring us some financial security. So, and my goal was just to take care of us and I’m not sure. Okay. Mmm. Yes. Yep. [inaudible]. Uh, exactly. And uh, so we went, um, the resistance came in the form of not coping very well with the extra stress I added in. And um, that led to some, some drinking, uh, some, some alcoholism to try and manage the stress and cope.
Aaron: And that just became my medicine because I didn’t yet have any other practices that would, uh, help me offset the stress or helped me manage. So eventually that got to be problematic. The alcohol catches up, of course. I know. How long was this going on for, do you think? Quite a few years. Um, uh, a couple of years. It, uh, I want to say three or four years where it, it got worse and worse for me. Um, as I initially the alcohol worked fairly well, but then it, it just saturated me and it numbed me to the point where I couldn’t really feel anything. So, um, that then led me to another kind of difficult moment where my relationship broke down. Um, my health was in pretty bad shape. I was completely disconnected from myself trying to cope, overloaded with the stress of the business.
Aaron: And I sort of had a bit of a bit of a rock bottom and, um, and knew I needed some help. And I, I think that I admitted I had a problem and I, I needed some help. And I went to see a psychologist who, uh, suggested I start looking into meditation. And, um, I took a transcendental meditation course and that was my entry into the meditation space. And then that opened up this whole other world of all these different practices that you can try and do to help manage your health. And that led me to the Wim Hoff retreat and the ice Barts and, and the movement world. So all these things opened up to me and I got better and healthier and happier. Uh, the more I did them. So, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Yeah. And you’re very passionate about it, which is amazing. What do you think looking back on that period of continuing to feel? So there’s obviously an element of feeling of, cause I was in a situation in my life where I felt like I was thinking to rock bottom, but I wasn’t using alcohol. I was actually using travel as my escapism. Right. But that was, that was, uh, feeding him, feeling my loneliness. Yeah. And,
Guy: and it was almost like I couldn’t really see it at the time, but I was, I was creating my own reality constantly. And what do you think it was for you, looking back now that you had to hit rock bottom first? You know, it costs you a relationship, it costs you so many things. You didn’t know that you were drinking heavily, you weren’t accepted things. W what was it, do you think that kept you going on that trajectory before it allowed you to turn around?
Aaron: I think I just had no, the, uh, being able to listen to my, my higher power or my inner voice or my soul or my spirit, it was, it was just so blocked. I just had a really hard time hearing my own intuition and I had a hard time expressing myself, um, in an assertive, direct sort of way. So I had some passive aggressive tendencies and, um, I just swept a lot of my stuff under a rug and it just built up to the point where eventually the rug, there’s too much stuff under there and it starts spilling out. So for me, it came in the form of other rock bottom because I just couldn’t keep, I just couldn’t keep hiding it all and I just reached overload and saturation. So, um, these days I’m much better at, um, recognizing the patterns that start to come up for me and knowing when I need to act or, or not act or take a step back. So it’s all learning how to manage yourself and you don’t get an instruction manual. You know, when you, when you arrive here, you’ve got to kind of figure it out. And everybody’s different. So it took me so long. I’m 38 now. It just took me so long to start to work out how I operate.
Guy: We don’t get a manual, that’s for sure. And when you think of what you said then just resonates so much that you, you like, there was so much disconnection from the heart, the soul, the trust, the intuition, the voice that, and we don’t have practices in Western culture to nurture that aspect of ourselves. Absolutely. It’s hugely important. Like it’s, it’s the difference I think, you know, and absolutely. Living a life of fulfillment and purpose to feeling lost, suppressed, you know? Absolutely. And to give you another example of that,
Aaron: um, you know, after I’d started meditating for a while, I’ve moved out into the country. Now I, you know, I, I ended up, uh, getting divorced, uh, separated about three years ago and I, I’ve retreated to the country, to my little cabin in the woods, um, to, uh, to meditate and read and, um, can continue my own apprenticeship in movement work and meditation. That’s this curriculum I’m designing myself for me. And I’m just learning and absorbing as much as I can. And I was sitting here in the first couple of weeks of, of moving here and I’ve got this beautiful rain forest just outside my, uh, my house. And I felt like the trees were talking to me and I, and I think my rational mind says, this is crazy. You’re crazy. You’re losing it. You are literally going crazy. Losing your mind. That’s your imagination.
Aaron: The trees aren’t talking to you at all. But then I said, well, well, what’s the worst that can happen? I’ve been listening to this rational brain and stuff has to be God. So well let’s just, let’s just hear the trees out. What, you know, what do they got to say? And the trees told me, they said, you need to go and do Iowasca Oscar in Costa Rica. I said, well that’s crazy. You know what, I’ll go by myself to Costa Rica or do do Iowa Escalade is crazy. And um, I just met a girl at the time and you know, it was going through that, that process of, um, when you’ve just come out a longterm marriage and you’ve, you’ve got children and stuff, you’re a bit hesitant about a new relationship. And I met this new beautiful girl and I was going through that process as well.
Aaron: I don’t know if I should open my heart to this person and trust in love again or you know, don’t be silly. You’ve just come through a very difficult, you know, relationship breakdown and I don’t want to go through that again. And uh, and I’m off. I went to Costa Rica to do the iOS go, I’m just going to listen to this voice. I’m just got to keep listening now because the other one wasn’t doing me so great. So, so off I went and I had these three intentions that they gave me to work with. But the overriding message that came through for me in that experience was that I’d met my, uh, you know, my twin flame or my, my, my soul lover in this, in this girl that I just met. And I, that seemed crazy that I would get visions of, and that was coming through in the iOS current experience.
Aaron: Yeah. It came through your experience and there was a scene of me and her and we were up in the clouds, like making love in the clouds and our bodies were all intertwining and I got to experience this euphoric, dreamy lovemaking. We were the sky and we were in the clouds and it was just incredible, you know, and, and I, I just felt like I loved this woman and I’m like, you’ve only known her for a couple of weeks or something. This is insane. And, um, and I just, I’ve just kept listening to that voice and kept trusting in that. And, and the more I’m doing that, everything’s just getting better and better, and I’ve fallen in love and just found this amazing relationship that brings me warmth and strength and support and it’s beautiful. So I’m so happy for you on it. And I remember talking to you after that experience of, cause it was recipient, right?
Aaron: You went to again, uh, and then you came back. I was like, you did watch, you just go on an airplane. You flew out for most people right now that would just, um, crazy like we, you know, it’s really interesting. We love the idea of doing these things right. We just know, fuck it. I’m just going to get, but then there’s all this part of us, we start rationalizing. I know. And I, you know, like, like you said, what, what is it or what do you think it is that it gives you the confidence to do that?
Aaron: I think you need some evidence. You need some proof. And, and so you start with little things and then when you get a little bit of validation that the hunch or the voice was, was on the money, uh, you start to trust it more and more. So I think starting with smaller things, um, was, was it was what I did. And, um, for example, you know, the decision to end a marriage is pretty massive. And especially when you’ve got small children and making those kinds of changes, but then when it leads to something beautiful and your life transforms in another way, you realize, Oh, that it was very painful and you can’t quite comprehend or understand it at the time when you’re going through a really difficult period. But when you’re consciously making those decisions, um, because it’s not healthy for you any longer, or those things aren’t serving either of you.
Aaron: Um, and then new things open and creation happens, you start to trust. So that’s been it for me. Yeah. And beautiful mate. So well said. And you wasn’t scared of going and drinking a fine in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica because, hear me out. Right? I did. Iowasca back in 2013 I think it was. Yeah. I spent a year like absorbing YouTube videos, research in, I spent over a month preparing before I did it. I was so terrified. Yeah. I had this call and like you yeah. And the day I went to go and drink the bloody stuff, my whole body was just wanting to shut down. I literally had to be carried up to drink this cause I was so embodied in fear from a previous experience as a child related to psychedelics. Wow. But there was a part of me that I clung on to that knew this was the right thing to like and I was clinging on for dear life.
Aaron: So when I hear somebody like yourself or, Oh yeah, yeah, let’s just, you know, let’s, let’s go. You know, was that any elements of that trepidation or fear though that came with that for you? For sure. I was, I was terrified, was absolutely petrified because I’d never done any, uh, psychedelics before. I’d never done any hallucinogenics. So I was really, and you know, what I was most afraid of is that there was some creepy part of my past that I blocked out as a child. Like, you know, something hugely traumatic had happened to me and that was going to get revealed to me in the visions and I was going to end up in some kind of psychosis afterwards. Um, what if the care wasn’t good enough there? Or what if I had a meltdown and I was on, I was traveling alone, how would I get back?
Aaron: I’m in a strange country. So all of those fears were there. And I chose Rhythmia because it’s in a, it’s not deep in the jungle. It’s in a sort of a more of a Western ice resort. And they have, um, you know, doctors and nurses there that can help support you. So on arrival, they take your blood pressure and they, they, um, you can see all the, the medical equipment. And I think as a Western ed I just started to put my mind at ease that I didn’t have to worry about the safety aspects and I could just focus on uh, the visionary experience and I took the debtor and the preparation seriously. And I, I went on the diet, um, for a few weeks out to sort of went plant-based for a couple of weeks leading in just to sort of clean my vessel as much as I could. No coffee, no alcohol for a couple of weeks. And then when I arrived I just was, I was fully committed to the experience and just was ready to just open up and allow whatever would come through. And, and that’s exactly what happened.
Guy: Amazing. Yeah. Good on you. I just wanted to bring that in a little bit for people as well cause it is a big decision at the end of the day. But I love the way you’ve been exploring. I’m going to rewind site because there’s still a couple of loops in my brain that have been open. Cause I love your transition and I think there’s so many lessons for everyone listening today to learn from, cause I have no doubt we can all relate to different elements and parts in our lives of our own suffering or feeling stuck or trapped or big life decisions as well. You know? And what did it mean to you? If you’ve hit rock bottom and you’ve, you seek some help and they’ve recommended transcendental meditation, can you even recall back in your journey how that impacted you at that point coming in, coming out of that? Because again, even for many people, meditation can feel like such a foreign concept. We will a bit like, you know what, that’s just for people in cabins up in the forest, you know?
Aaron: Absolutely. And I think, yeah, I think transcendental meditation was a nice entry point for me because it’s very simple. It’s mantra-based, so you just say one word over and over in your mind for 20 minutes. And the prescription is 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon or the evening. And I just needed a structure and something very basic and the most Wu part of it where I felt awkward and um, a bit silly was I sought out a teacher and, um, she was up in the Hills and in, uh, doing teaching from a home. And I arrived in this little house in Malaney and um, she explained to me what it was and, and then that we would need to do a ceremony to give me my mantra. And, uh, there was a photo of, um, a guru on the, on the counter and there was some Hindi, um, memorabilia.
Aaron: And, and I, I had to bring, uh, some food offering, a piece of Apple or something and a handkerchief and some flowers. And this is sort of like an offering to the, to the lineage and to the history and the tradition of it. And that was a bit icky for me. I’m like, Oh, I don’t want to be indoctrinated into it. I knew religion, what is some cult? But she sang in some sense grit. And I remember having this adequately moments thinking, Oh my gosh, you’re such a loser, Aaron. You standing here in some widow’s house, they’re singing a language you can’t understand. You’re holding flowers and a hanky looking at a baited man in a pitcher. This is another rock bottom moment. You’re crazy. Um, but um, I got my mantra and I went home and I did it. And then even after a few days I felt better.
Aaron: And after a few weeks I felt incredible and the heaviness just started to lift and I experienced some pace and it just felt like, uh, the only other ways I’d experienced pace was maybe from surfing or something that, those flow state moments of being completely out of my mind where I’m, you know, I’m surfing a big wave or I’m, or I’m climbing a mountain or, or I’m even playing rugby league or something that was super high adrenaline with high stakes. That was the only other moment where I felt, uh, that relief. And so all of a sudden it gave me this new tool that I’d never had before and I could feel peace whenever I wanted it in twice a day. I got to feel pace and just take the weight of me off and just relax and not have to do anything or be anyone or, um, so it was tremendous.
Guy: Yeah. How good is that to feel, to feel that in a moment, especially when there’s a lot going on. It’s special, isn’t it? Absolutely. Like you say, if it then becomes into a window, well, if there’s this, where else am I missing out on? And then that’s where the fun begins. I think you, um, you’re, you’re, you’re very inspirational around the movement. Um, scene. Like I follow you on Instagram, maiden and every time I ever laugh or I’m in awe what you do on your Instagram channel. And, um, when, when did movement inspired movement coming to, to fit in with you from, from that movement come not long after the transcendental meditation? Yeah,
Aaron: it was around the same time because, um, I was taking care of my minds with the meditation, but I found that when I first gave up alcohol, uh, I made the decision, I, I, I was nearly in a car accident myself because I was being an idiot. And, um, uh, this is when I was at the peak of my drinking and I nearly caused a really serious accident that nearly hurt a lot of people and I was so ashamed, um, that I’ve found myself in the, in the gutter beside the road one day crying on my own, having a little moment and I, I got hit by that voice, like a sledgehammer that you not to drink anymore for awhile. So I quit drinking. And um, part of it was the meditation was really helping with the mental side of things, but I needed, I felt like I almost needed to distract myself a little bit, um, from wanting to drink.
Aaron: So I filled in some of my time, uh, with handstands and learning how to do handstands. So I’ve only been doing the handstand work for four or five years, the same time I’ve been meditating and, uh, all the other, uh, health stuff. So that’s how it started initially. And it just became a regular practice, just like meditation and breath work. I just started doing it daily and got hooked and, um, I found as more freedom in that for my body and I really enjoyed, uh, the physicality of it. And again, you need sort of that harmony of, of the mind and the spirit and the body, um, to really express yourself. And I love all the balance orientated, uh, bodyweight movement work where you don’t need anything, it’s just you. Yeah. Yeah.
Guy: There you go. And was there any, any people that inspired you in the movement space that you were aspiring to when you started looking at that? Because the, the, the, the amount of skill level and training and, and the things that need to be broken down to get to the things that you’re actually doing. I mean it’s, it’s pretty amazing. You know, I, I, when it comes to movement, like I’m right down the bottom, you know, I, you know, I blamed my height. I’m six foot four, I’m too tall. Again, that’s not the case at all. It’s just the copper. Yeah.
Aaron: Yeah. I think, um, Edo post-sale was a huge, uh, lightning bolt inspiration for me around five years ago. I saw a clip of him on YouTube, almost levitating. The guy could bend in every direction. It could hold himself on one hand, one arm handstands. He could, uh, do these tricks and flips. And yet he had nice muscles and he looked great. Uh, he seemed to have a philosophy that he carried with them. And so he sort of the godfather movement culture as it’s become, uh, known for now. So that, that was a really huge light bulb for me. Cause I would only ever known sort of gym bro or rugby style strength and conditioning, um, which wasn’t really serving me any longer. Um, and I, and I could really benefit from my ability and opening up and um, being a bit more limber and having some flexibility rather than only lifting weights. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, sure. He was a huge one for me.
Guy: Yeah. And so many people, so many people. I mean it really, it will, Patel really started to come on the scene for me at the Wim Hoff retreat cause there were, there were a few people there that are kind of gone through the ranks, been looking at that and coming through and Wim Hoff where, how does he come onto your radar and how did you ever wind up, I never even asked you how you ended up at that retreat. Yeah,
Aaron: I was so, um, motivated at that time to start exploring my health that I, you know, I saw something about one of these world records sitting in ice and that really caught my attention. And I’ve just, I’ve always loved Dutch people. I’ve got some Dutch of relatives and they’re so charming and charismatic and funny and I really just dig their style. And so the fact that he was Dutch and then he had these cool world records and something to S um, so attractive about that man. Uh, to me that I just wanted to be near him and, and I want to, and I heard that he was doing a retreat in Melbourne in winter and it was sort of this challenge orientated four days in the cold and we’re going to get in board shorts and get in ice, which I was terrified about. I’d never been in ice before.
Aaron: And I did a bit of his breathing, you know, in the, in the sort of couple of weeks before that retreats and sort of know what to expect. And then I just got on a plane and went down and you know, this is when I started listening to this voice to says, you should do this. And then I just started doing it and I started meeting all these amazing people and learning all this new stuff or just feeling healthier and happier. So, and the breath works. Just another tool that I’ve, I’ve been doing daily ever since ever since that retreat.
Guy: Wow. Amazing. Amazing. Yeah, I do. I still, I always look back. I mean, I catch up with David O’Brien, you know, pretty much weekly Mark and Rodrigo is not far from me. All these amazing human beings that we all came together in this just unique, unique experience. And, uh, and that’s amazing as the Wim Hoff experience was, it’s, it’s the memories you come away with. It’s the people, it’s the bonds, it’s the, it’s you go through these things and that you have connections for life.
Aaron: Hey, do you remember that guy who was snoring? Do you remember that? Because for the viewers, we were staying in like this school camp, uh, set up on these bunk beds and, and I was actually on the bottom bunk of, um, of that chap who, no way. Yeah. And he, when he snored, the whole bump started rattling, you know, and it was unbelievable. I’d never heard of it.
Guy: And then be like 13 angry men, um, waking up, just staring at him, just going, Oh my God.
Aaron: The first night was hell because I didn’t sleep a wink. And my ego was just so inflamed because it was like, I can’t believe this. I’m here to do a health, you know, get my healthy daughter and aren’t going backwards right now because of this guy snoring. You know? And then it was just this beautiful little micro kind of test within, within the retreat about acceptance and, and also compassion because I’m Josh chatting to the guy, you had some, um, a heavy man and he had some apnea and stuff like that and it affected his relationships. And once I started talking to him about it and understanding the sort of suffering it’s caused him, it just totally changed my view. And the next night I went and slept out in the hole on some yoga mats so I could get some sleep.
Guy: Yeah, it was incredible. And that’s where we met Josh Coleman as well. I remember, you know, he was having a heart attack in the bed the next morning and uh, and then he got rushed to hospital, but then he had met Dave and Dave. He’d been working at fifth element after that. I came through and then he came on the podcast last year, which was incredible as well. You know, there’s just so many wonderful things that come out of that. And I think that’s why I’m so passionate about retreats and why I do them in my own work in bringing those like-minded relationships together. Because a typical retreat would attract a typical kind of person at the end of the day. And it’s so important to have that common conversation then.
Aaron: Yeah. And I think what I’ve learned from these workshops and retreats, uh, that and even surf trips to a point where I’ll meet people that, I don’t know, it’s almost as though you can connect and, um, combine in, in a couple of days what you can do in years with people in the, in the real world. Like you might have coworkers or friends of friends that you have locally, but you don’t develop the depth of connection that you do with someone in those environments in 24 hours or 48 hours. And you can have these lifelong connections. And it sort of transcends real time in a way because you’re in this little, this bubble where you can just connect and, and people are so open and honest and
Guy: it’s amazing, isn’t it? And yet nobody cares what you do for a living or where you’re at in life. Like we, we, we’re all here for a common reason. Yes. And that’s, that’s what unites you when you come together like that.
Aaron: Absolutely. And that was one of the first ones I went on and I couldn’t believe people would just openly tell you why they’re there and their problems straight up. Initially it was confronting for me to somebody to say, uh, look, I’m, you know, I’m, I’m suicidal at the moment because I’m depressed or addicted to drugs. So I’ve just gone through a horrific divorce so I don’t know where to turn. And I’m here to try and get my life on track and it’s, Whoa. And I, that’s in the first sentence. Someone will, will tell you that. And you know, it’s, it’s the trust that they give you and which is beautiful because it builds such a deep connection. And I’m still in touch with a lot of those people.
Guy: And within a few days you’ve got this lifelong connection that you’ll remember forever. Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. Yeah. That will, that will live with live with me for the rest of my life.
Aaron: And that’s the other thing on these things. I’ve witnessed someone else’s miracle. And, um, I know you’ve had tiger on your show and I was right next to him when, when sorta he had his big awakening and um, and I’ve seen at in the Iowasca retreat, I watched another man have a, an incredible awakening, um, right in front of me. And it affects you too. You don’t know what’s going on in their mind or their visuals or what they’re going through, but it’s almost like that miracle spreads out and it, it touches you as well. And you can feel something going on even though you don’t know exactly what they’re going through until they, they might share with you later. Yeah,
Guy: absolutely. I mean, what we found from doing it now ultra last year and some of this year, um, I like giving yourself permission to heal unexpressed that healing in, whether it be verbally or physically or emotionally, what you’re doing gives other people permission to let go and heal as well. So, so it’s the, it’s the strength of the community and the group that is the main healing aspect to it. That’s what we’re seeing time and time again. Absolutely. Which is a beautiful thing. Yeah, mate, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Okay. And I kind of touched on this one, but I always like to see what your, so water, because we have these low points in your life and do you look at them? How do you look at them now and reflect upon them? Do you look at them as blessings? Are you thankful for them or do you see the wisdom in them? Like what, what are you, how would you reflect upon these things?
Aaron: Well, the biggest low points for me, the biggest disasters. So, um, you know, the things being made redundant in the GFC, the accident that happened, um, hitting rock bottom through alcohol, they all have this butterfly effect where on the other side they, they lead me to something so beautiful like my, my new, my new relationship, which is just incredible beyond anything I could have imagined was possible. A relationship with a, with a woman, um, or my health, the way I’m able to then push into the handstand stuff beyond what I thought was possible for me. Um, uh, and now I’m sort of looking at my own career and where I push that and it all comes through those moments of suffering, um, suck when they’re happening. But now I have enough experience to know that they always lead to something beautiful. So as much as I hate them when they’re happening and I still feel the pain and they suck and I get angry and cranky, I, I have a sort of a meta awareness now.
Aaron: Like I know, okay, this is, this is going to be all right. This is going to turn into something. So I just stay with that now. And I’m grateful for them. Beautiful. What does your morning routine look like these days? Morning routine is I make a coffee. I love my coffee. I really try to not look at my phone. I go to the toilet, I get my coffee, I do my breath work. I do three rounds of Wim Hoff meditation on like the coffee I do. I sort of like, I sort of like sip it in between rounds.
Aaron: I can’t help it. And uh, and then by the time I finished my, I’m off, I’m sort of halfway through my coffee and then I do 20 minutes of meditation and I just sit there and do my thing. I’ve got a notepad there. So if anything comes to me, I jot down some ideas that might come to me and then I’m ready to start my day. Um, yeah. I, I sometimes go for a walk or have some light movement, a little bit of a stretch and I’m getting, I’m in the sun, I’m usually getting a little bit of sunlight and I hydrate. I have some water. So that’s my morning. Amazing. How can you not have a great day after getting up like that? It’s good. It feels good. And if I do have to skip it or I sleep in or lazy or something, it’s no big deal.
Aaron: I just, I just made sure to get back to it tomorrow. Yeah. Good on ya. Yeah. What, has there been a book that stands out in your mind that’s had a big impact in you during your life? I think the power of now by Eckhart Tolle was the light bulb for me. I can remember feeling something in my head move when I read that I, it was just timing. I think the right time to be, I picked it up and, um, I was unfamiliar with the concept of the witness. I didn’t really know what that was. And I, you know, he speaks a lot about the witness and observing your thoughts. And it was the first time I’d, I, I’d experienced that and I almost felt something shift inside my head. Um, so yeah, those books that give you like a physical brain shift, um, I love, and that one for me was pivotal.
Guy: Yeah. I reckon a lot of people would say the same thing about that book apartment of now. That’s for sure. Mate. Um, the other question I wanted to ask you was, what’s one thing about yourself? Most people wouldn’t know
Aaron: about myself that I wouldn’t know. Oh geez. That they wouldn’t know. I’m such a share. I’m an oversharer, you know, I get criticized. I just stop sharing. Um, let’s see. That wouldn’t know. It’s hard because you can really unlock, unlock the closet there, can’t you? There’s a skeletons there that, uh, you, you, you almost don’t water on earth. Um, Oh geez. I mean, the thing that’s coming up to me, um, was I, um, idea, I don’t know why this is coming to me, but I, I remember one time I was running to catch the bus, so it was kind of like a pretty good, good kid at school. Like a good student didn’t really get into trouble much or do too much wrong. And um, I was running to catch the bus was running late and uh, I ran through some potholes and through the, across the footpath and had to stop the bus.
Aaron: And I must’ve only been about 10 years old or 11 years old. And I got on and um, thank the bus driver for stopping to get me. And then when I sat down, I had this horrendous smell. I thought, what is that stench? And I looked down and I’d stood in dog shit like dope turd stuck to my foot and I thought, what I’m gonna do with this thing, I was doing barest to sign anything or do I stop the bus, what do I do? And I sort of like wiped it on the side of the bus on the inside railing. And then I just moved seats somewhere else and I just tried to keep it a big secret at that afternoon when I caught the bus, the bus driver looked at me when I got on the bus and he had that look, you know, I knew, he knew it was me, so I don’t know why that came to me, but probably carried that guilt for a long time. Let kill. I feel better now. I’ve let it out. I’ve told everybody.
Guy: Fantastic. Right. I’d last question. With everything we’ve covered today, what would you like our listeners to leave our listeners to ponder on?
Aaron: It’s a ponder on. I think it would just be for me. Mmm.
Aaron: What was so helpful was to listen to that in a voice and, and to, and to not think he crazy for having those ideas or that guidance that is there. So finding a practice that resonates for you. It doesn’t have to be meditation or breath work or movement. It can be anything. Maybe it’s music or writing or something creative and making time for that in your day. Um, and, and find that outlet that works for you and, and let that voice come through and pay attention and honor it by listening to it and actioning what it’s telling you. And just see what happens. Beautiful mate. Beautiful. And people, I definitely encourage everyone to follow you on Instagram. That’s where I see your most. What’s your Instagram handle? It’s at a grifter Rama, so it’s just agri for Rama for now. Um, yeah, so that’s where everyone, everybody can find me.
Guy: Yeah. And what’s your plans for the future with all this, mate? Where will you taking..
Aaron: Well I really want to share, I really want to share what I’m learning and I want to help other people. So my calling is getting stronger and stronger to, to serve and to help other people get healthier and happier. So I am in the process of a few projects, side projects for now. I’m still running the law firm at the moment, but I really want to start to, um, launch and release some more material that can help people. So I’m in the process of building a new website and creating some video materials and some courses and with my beautiful partner Mel. So, we’ve, you know, we’re sort of creating a brand at the moment and it’s sort of in the brainstorming development stage, but it’s getting closer and closer to being able to release. So, um if you follow me, you’ll get some updates and when it’s ready to launch out into the world, it will go.
Guy: Yeah, totally. Well, for everyone listening, if you pause this episode,
Guy: and scroll down. Um, the link to Aaron’s Instagram would be in the show notes below. So I highly recommend it cause like I said, I always get a chuckle and a bit of inspiration at the same time with what you’re up to. Uh, it’s, it is awesome. And I just want to thank you for your honesty, your openness for coming on the show today and sharing from the heart. Uh, I have no doubt you’d have inspired many people just from you being you mate. And, uh I’m so excited for you and your future and can’t wait to follow your progress and see where it goes.
Aaron: Thank you. And, um, yeah, thanks for inspiring me Guy because, uh, you were the one, I think that planted the seed for the Ayahuasca when I spoke to you first at the Wim Hoff retreat and..
Guy: Oh wow!
Aaron: And, um, and you were a real guide at that retreat for me, or you had experience with those things and I really, I felt enormous in you at that retreat and with the work you’re doing now, I really look up to it and it’s inspiring me to do something similar and share what I’m passionate about and to keep honoring that voice. So thank you for being that person for me.
Guy: I appreciate it, mate. I appreciate it. Thanks. Aaron. That was awesome.
Aaron: Thank you!