In a world where we could have just about everything we want at a moment’s notice, we have to pick and choose where we allocate our energy and always remember that while good things are fleeting,

Great Things Take Time

You hear me talk about meditation, centering myself, and personal reflection often, but do I actually do it? Is it just one of those key points I try to hit because it’s trendy? Today I share more of my personal journey.

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Table of Contents

• Engine Off: Idle Mind

• Moments with Maurice

• What's Got Me Smilin'

Engine Off: Idle Mind

In my late 20s, I discovered an attraction to sound baths. The connection of your body to the sound, and being able to feel the reverberations throughout your whole being, allowed me to feel like I was leaving my body. There are so many studies out there that point to music and sound having impacts on your emotional state, and I felt that on a deep level. 

How else do you think I ended up lifting heavy things and running in place to intense music for a living?

Already having that sound bath gate open made it easier to step through and discover meditation during Covid. Sound baths feel like a meditative guide, which is what I used to get started in meditation (and still use to this day).

There was more free time on hand during that time, and the accessibility to meditation couldn’t have been easier: it was right there on an app with my new job. The mixture of new-hire eagerness, extra free time, starting to see a therapist, and a huge need to sort out what was going on in my head helped create the perfect storm that drove me into the loving arms of meditation.

Meditation for me helps me with self-awareness and figuring out how I’m feeling. When I experience a strong emotion, there isn’t always a way to pinpoint where this is coming from. Meditation brings that feeling to the forefront and washes over me. Whatever I’m experiencing gets brighter and more bold, it is why meditation can make me feel euphoric or bring me to tears. I’m not making excuses or providing explanations for my feelings: they are all right there in their rawest form. Relationship building is important, especially with yourself.

My Practice

I wake up and go somewhere quiet, typically it’s the guest bedroom if it’s empty because the rug is nice (it’s the little things, right?) I lie on the floor and start a 5-10 guided meditation.

While everyone’s got a very warm, calming voice, I usually gravitate towards the lovely Dr. Chelsea Roberts. Chelsea’s voice reminds me of my family members, like my aunt or grandma, telling me to go into this state of reflection and quiet. Hearing her lead me on a 10-minute journey of calm is a personal journey for me each time. It’s why I recommend people find something that helps them connect personally to the meditation practice. Not only does it help you get started, but it’ll feel less forced when your environment is personalized.

The hardest part of meditation for me is getting to relax my eyes. I close my eyes, and my eyelids and eyeballs are fluttering away. It takes me a bit to achieve stillness, another reason why having a voice that feels like home guide me, it calms me quicker.

From there, the same picture always appears in my head:

I’m sitting on a dark brown mountain, and the sky glows a burnt orange and black sunset, emitting warmth. My eyes glow with the same color as the sky, and I start to feel the warmth from the sunset and absorb it into my body. The feeling is that I’m trying to absorb the warmth and love from the sun so that I can use it to heal myself and share it with the world. 

Imagery works well for me and aligns directly with what I want to achieve from meditation. I don’t know if I could completely calm my mind of nothing but stillness. 

This is why I have the tattoo of the sun on my left arm; it’s a reminder to be warm and give away good energy. Meditation helps me refill the tank; without it, I don’t know what kind of person I would be.

Want to get started?

Here’s what I recommend:

Start with 5-10 minutes. 

Don’t get crazy, don’t get too ambitious. Like starting a new habit or a fitness plan, when you dive in too quickly with too much, it’s harder to keep up. Nothing is going to make you hate meditation more than forcing yourself to sit still for 30 minutes and getting zero benefit out of it.

Find What Works Best for You

There are a lot of schools of thought, types of meditation, and ways to get there. What you start with now is not how your practice will always look (such is the way of life). Maybe you need a guided meditation so you have something to focus on to keep your thoughts from overwhelming you. On the other hand, maybe you can’t handle one more person telling you what to do and just need silence. Find the location and the method that feels the best for you.

Be Okay With A Challenge

We live in a world where we think about something new at least every 60-90 seconds, less if we’re doomscrolling. It’s hard not to reach for the phone for 5 minutes and not wonder about what we’re missing out on. You also might not “drop in” (the feeling of weightlessness, peace, a blank mind, or any other way one might describe the effects of meditation) the first several times you meditate. Again, that’s common. This is a new muscle you’re building: you wouldn’t expect to run a marathon after being able to run your first mile.

And when you’re discouraged, just remember: Don’t give up, nothing worthwhile happens immediately. Great Things Take Time. And if that doesn’t work, just think about how Adrian is sitting on a brown mountain somewhere cosplaying a warlock and trying to absorb the sun. It doesn’t have to be that serious 😃 

Moments with Maurice

If you only pause to reflect on your life for one moment today, do it now.

If you’ve been journaling along with me, take the time to pause on the reflection and write down your answer to the prompt. Even if it feels silly in the moment, looking back on what you’ve written down can be eye-opening when you start to see patterns form.

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

A Quiet(ish) city

Early morning walk to work is also a form of meditation for me. It’s so peaceful and empty, and allows me to focus on things I wouldn’t expect. Sometimes the movement of my body, combined with the stillness of my surroundings, gives me that ‘drop in’ feeling.

Halloween in the West Village

Nothing is spookier than thinking about random strangers walking up your stairs to take pictures (hence the chain).

The Downshift

Sneak preview of the leather going into the interior of my G80

Feelin’ Myself

Driving to a shoot and getting in the mood to smize. Hey… we all gotta do funny things sometimes to get in the mood to produce something we’re proud of? This selfie is like my Superman pose 😉 

Llama Llama (no red pajamas)

Llama Inn: Oh how I love thee. You’ve heard me talk about it several times, but it’s hands down one of my favorites. If you’re in the city or visiting, I highly recommend a visit for some Peruvian cuisine.

Remember:

-Adrian