LOCAL MAN WHO USES HIS OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES TO HELP OTHERS
A FORMER angry young man who took drugs and found himself in the criminal justice system has
turned his life around to help others.
Aaron Parker from Teesdale didn’t have an easy start in life with his parents separating when he
was a young boy and through his inability to cope with life, consequently moved away from his
family at just 15 years old. It resulted in homelessness and drug and alcohol problems as coping
methods. He was stealing to feed himself and this inevitably brought him to the attention of the
Police and into court.
“I was wild and out of control,” said Aaron. “ And I didn’t know how to stop it.”
When he was given an opportunity by the youth court system at 17 years old to try and change his
ways, he moved back home with his mother and step-father. His step-father, Ray, had been
diagnosed with cancer and Aaron, who wasn’t able to cope, was asked to leave the family home. He
secured his own flat at 18 but the old ways continued and he ended up in hospital after taking an
overdose. His parents again took him back.
And then his step-father died. “ It was a very emotional time because my step-dad had died before
I could resolve anything with him,” he recalled. “But that life-changing event was the catalyst for
change for me.”
Aaron found Muay Thai – Thai boxing – a martial art full combat sport and he believes it saved his
life.
“The coaches and mentors believed in me and I needed the discipline and control the sport
demanded. Now there was somewhere to control my aggression and I started to become a better
man, a better person.”
In his 20s, he gained a place at Teesside University to study Psychology with Criminology and after
a lot of hard work, he gained a degree.
His life, it seemed, was beginning to turn around but once again, he fell off the wagon and found
himself back in the crime loop. Muay Thai came to the rescue and once more his amazing coaches
saved his life for a second time. They believed in him and he repaid them by recovering himself once
more.
Aaron also went on to discover the merits of Yoga, meditation and breath work and Newcastle
University made a documentary film about him and his work, which features on YouTube and called
‘One Way Ticket’. You can find it at : One Way Ticket Dir / Mark J Birch (2018 ) – YouTube
Continuing his Yoga journey, he went to India to study that spiritual practice and discovered a
more philosophical way of living.
“The cycle of life, the highs and lows were tough, very tough,” mused Aaron. “It was very, very
tough until I found Philosophy through yoga and meditation and came to realise that the dark sides
of life are really gifts to learn from.
“We sometimes need to experience those bad times to help us appreciate the good ones and to
help us learn from those experiences.”
He now leads his life stoically, studying the likes of Seneca and or Marcus Aurelius and. in his own
words: ‘help others to be the best they can’.
And how does he do this? He goes back to nature and takes people with him.
Aaron runs courses and sessions in Hamsterley Forest and other local venues where he
encourages those who take part to appreciate that nature is a great healer of both mind and body.
He has appeared on Robson’s Green ‘Weekend Escapes’ on TV, taking the actor into the forest and
showing him how to re-connect with himself. Aaron will also feature in the next series of this
programme, out in the Spring.
He founded his business, ‘The Conscious Self’ which he describes as including ‘Beautiful nature
events and retreats; Breathwork and Meditation workshops, Wild Swims and Saunas and Forest
Baths; Mens’ Work, One to one Conscious Coaching and Creating Connection and Community.
He said, in an attempt to explain his work to unbelievers, ‘Consciousness is not owned, it is
something we strive to be. We act with it or without it.’
“We live consciously symbiotically with our environment or unconsciously dissonant from it.
Consciousness is us on a deeper level, it’s what we are missing when we are out of balance and
suffering.
“Consciousness is the gap of silence, the appreciation of a beautiful moment, it’s a brilliant idea,
it’s a guide, a friend, a lifestyle. It’s what you eat, how you breathe and how you look after your
body.
He also uses his philosophy to good effect, working with the charity, Humankind,.
Humankind creates services and support to meet people’s complex health and social needs,
helping them to build healthier lives that have meaning and value for themselves and their families.
They support local people to create stronger, better-connected communities.
Aaron, with what he has learned from his own life experiences, is helping others the best way he
knows – changing the world, one person at a time. And it works – there are many who are thankful
for it – and for meeting him.
His story is an excellent example of how nature can help us reconnect and become better people
both for our own sakes and for the sake of others. His step-dad would have been very proud of what
he has become.
For more information, visit Aaron’s social media pages, searching for ‘The Conscious Self on
Facebook or visit the website at www.theconsciousself.co.uk and Instagram at @ conscious__man
