Meditation is not for Nigerians

I’ve told this story countless times to family, it’s about time I shared here.

It was at the previous Social Media Week, #SMW2019 that  that I had my first group meditation class.

I had attended my third masterclass for the day on a campus badge I secured in a giveaway (shoutout to Mentress Bolaji- the plug that year) .

Anyways, none of the previous sessions had prepared me for the next couple of hours in a meditation room.
First of, it was outside, separate from the main auditorium in a scented white tent.

Then I had to untie my shoe laces and remove my canvas. At this point it was getting Intresting.
Apparently I was early, the first session had just ended and the team was getting set for the next one. I made a mental sweep of the place, the team, the vibe, the people leaving from the previous session.

I was comfortable and took a seat while waiting for the next session.

The session started with introductions and a little bit of education on the importance of meditation and all that. We were allowed to get on the mats and assume position.

All well and good until we started using essential oils of various natural plants. I didnt have a problem with that, I was actually excited about trying on so many nice smelling oils.

My Nigerian self returned when the second facilitator, an American, started talking about zones on the body and where each oil should go.

In my mind I be like, this thing is passing be careful, this hanshake is extending to the elbow.

She’d talk about chakaras and why it was important in the overall scheme of things and what oil went where and the opening of your 3rd eye and connecting with one thing one thing stomach and connecting to your guts and what not.

As she explained, the first facilitator went round administering drops of essential oils to our palms, to be applied on the specific zones before returning to a different meditation pose.

Me, my Nigerian alarm was going off. Like a Nothern child in harmattan, I rubbed the oils with reckless abandon anywhere else than the specified zone. Preventing cases of “had I known” is a specialty.

Yes there were a lot of body and mind benefits such as mindfulness and self awareness, backed up with science and studies but my concern was the undertone it had, some form of ancient spirituality ritual that maybe got revamped to fit modern life and lifestyle.

My mind in trying to plot a correlation or lack of it, wouldn’t even shut down enough to excercise the benefits. I wasn’t sure if it’s the Nigerian mindset of “guilty until proven innocent” or my religious disposition.

The last pose was the childlike pose, I think.  We were to hold until we felt good. There was gist of people sleeping off but I was ready to go, to go process what had happened and my mental reaction to the concept of meditation.

1 year later, multiple essential oils in the bag and looking forward to another meditation session. I cannot guarantee that I’ll be faithful to the Chakras.

I’m open to sampling thoughts and ideas as regards meditation culture among everyday Nigerians (definitely not the type that thinks 10M is change.) *sips meditation tea.

#Kikasays!