Have you ever tried meditation? How long did it take you? Personally, I tried it once and barely made it past three minutes. My mind just wouldn't still; it kept racing in all directions.
The first time Taruri Gatere tried this ancient wellness practice, which dates back to 1500 BC among the Hindus of India, she had a worse time than I did. Her mind could not keep calm for a minute.
"I tried it, but it was so difficult at first because I had never sat with my mind in silence before," says Ms Gatere, a life coach specialising in mental and emotional health and spirituality.
When I meet her, I cannot help but think aloud and finally tell her she has a calm aura about her. She smiles.
Between the young woman who first tried calm her mind and the professional before me is a 15-year practice period before she mastered the art of medidation.
But how did Ms Gatere stumble upon mediation?
"I struggled a lot with depression in my 20s. There were some unresolved things from my childhood that I had not come to terms with.
"So, when I was researching how to find inner peace and be happier, I stumbled upon meditation. I read some articles on inner peace and found out how sitting still can make a difference in your life," the 39-year-old tells the Business Daily.
Now, Ms Gatere sleeps and meditates every day. "I can meditate for up to two hours a day. Sometimes, I sit quietly and meditate. Other times, I use guided meditation.
"Guided meditations help you focus on your breath or visualise something you want to achieve," she says.
Journey toward mental mastery
Ms Gatere says that meditation is not about running away from your thoughts but allowing them to come and go. "I mostly meditate sitting down.
Taruri Gatere speaks during an interview on August 22, 2024, at her house in Kiambu County
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
"You let the thoughts come, and then you let them go. If you pay attention to your thoughts, you will find that 95 percent of the time, they are the same thoughts day after day."
Her journey toward mental mastery took a significant step forward when she attended a 10-day silent meditation retreat.
“It was 10 days without my phone, meditating from 4 am to 5 pm with occasional breaks. That experience shifted my perspective on my thoughts.
"When you’re forced to sit with your thoughts, you understand that the tape playing in your mind isn’t really you.
" Meditation teaches you to observe your thoughts from a distance, gaining control over them rather than letting them control you,” she elaborates.
Is meditation only for the rich?
For her life coaching sessions, Ms Gatere charges Sh5,000. She says the perception that meditation is for the rich stems from the fact that many people are focused on hustling and making money.
“Majority of the people are merely trying to survive. They do not have the space and time to focus on improving their lives.
"However, after Covid-19 and the lockdowns, I noticed that more people are seeking meditation classes."
Tamara Britten, who has been practicing meditation since her 30s, says you do not need to have money to meditate.
Tamara Britten doing an Eight-Angle Yoga workout exercise in her home swimming pool in Kitisuru, Nairobi on February 28, 2024.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
“I wouldn’t say that meditation is for the rich; anyone can meditate. There are so many ways to meditate without necessarily attending any classes.
"There are guided meditations that you can access. You can go to YouTube or meditation websites,” points out the 54-year-old.
To help herself focus, Tamara relies on guided meditation.
“I find it hard to still my mind. I’m always thinking of many things at once, so guided meditation helps me focus inward and on the present.
"Meditation is about being completely present, casting away negativity, and not worrying about the future. It’s about bringing yourself fully into the now,” says Ms Britten.
A yoga teacher, she integrates meditation into her yoga classes.
Stephen Karimi, a clinical psychologist at HealthX Africa, says meditation, “should be accompanied by other forms of therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.”
Scientifically, Stephen equates meditation to neuroplasticity. “This is when you practice doing something often every other day, such that your brain will adopt that behaviour, and it will become a big part of you.
Stephen Karimi, a clinical psychologist at HealthX Africa.
Photo credit: Pool
"If you practice meditation every day, you will teach your brain a new behaviour because of the consistency.”
Mr Karimi says you do not have to be undergoing therapy for you to meditate.
Benefits of meditation
“Meditation will help you develop receptive awareness, know more about yourself and cultivate a positive feeling. It helps you be more present and relax your body and mind.
"Meditation can give you more happiness. It can enhance your performance at work and how you socialise with others,” he says.
He adds, “People who meditate often, even without having any mental health struggles, are usually able to navigate through life’s hardships and gain more resilience.”
