#JustSittingWith: Mari Andrew
Introducing #JustSittingWith where we chat with people about meditation. Our first guest for the series is the talented writer and illustrator, Mari Andrew known for her brutally honest comics about adulthood.
How often do you meditate?
About once a day in one form or another.
Where is your favorite place to meditate?
At my dancing class! There’s always a stretch, or cool down period during my Brazilian classes. It’s very calm – we all close our eyes and take deep breaths so it feels like a meditation yet there’s also a moving element which can be nice if you get antsy. I also really like going to baths, like Turkish or Russian baths. That’s the top spot to meditate – anywhere in the water.
That’s such a good idea, I mean, what else can you do other than meditating?
Exactly! Like, post photos? No. You can’t. You’re stuck. Ultimately, it really calms your nervous system to be in warm water. So you’re just like, I’m one with nature. It’s beautiful.
How long have you been meditating for?
Intentionally? Maybe 2 or 3 years? I got diagnosed with a rare disorder that left me temporarily paralyzed over a summer so I had a lot of bad thoughts in my head all the time. So I really was a lot more intentional about meditating because everyone kept recommending it to be the only way to get mentally healed.
Do you have any tips for someone that wants to start meditating?
I used to think that I had to do it a certain way but there’s really no way to do it. You’re the only person who knows the thoughts in your own head. You’re the only person who knows how to let them go. I do really like listening to music when I do it. A lot of times it’s Brazilian music which always makes me really happy. For me it’s all about posture and body – just getting into a tall place really sets me in that mindset of, I’m doing this now. I’m in a different mental place because I’m aligning myself and making myself tall above myself.
What have been the benefits of meditating for you?
If I don’t do it, my whole day goes haywire. I can really tell when I get really flustered at people because it really does center me to be able to act out of integrity and not act out of reaction. To not react, but to act from a place of being calm and centered, as well as knowing who I am and my own personal values and missions.
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