The scenery of the city fades into the background as the bus pulls into a copper-colored road.

Large swaths of vivid green forest shadow us on both sides of the highway, shrouded and mist.

Every once in a while, someone emerges from the bushes carrying a bucket shrouded and mist.

Every once in a while, someone emerges from the bushes carrying a bucket of water up to the roadside.

The lush forest reminds me of the Ashanti folk tales Baba shared with me in my childhood. Nadia Awusu is genuinely cosmopolitan. As the daughter of a diplomat from Ghana,

Nadia spent her childhood traveling between Africa and Europe

before settling down in the US. The early death of her father, and the alienation she feels as a

result of her rootlessness, makes Nadia question where she belongs, and to whom? The echoes of my

own experience in her words have a real impact, which I feel in my body.

I do hope you enjoy it.

In this series we combine immersive first-person stories and breathtaking music with the

science-backed benefits of mindfulness practice.

From Wait What and Thrive Global, this is Meditative Story.

I'm Rohan and I'll be your guide. The body relaxed.

The body breathing. The body breathing.

Your senses open.

Your mind open.

Meeting the world. I step off the plane onto the tarmac and the humid air envelops me.

The sweet smell of fruit from the market mixes with truck exhaust,

a spicy scent carrying memories of my trips to Ghana with my dad,

my Baba, to visit his family.

I'm back in Africa for the first time in 19 long years. And New York City feels a world away.

...