My teacher, Madame Ritter, decides that I can fumble my way through math and science with my limited language skills, but when it's time for French, she looks at me and motions towards the door.

I get up, grab my things, and walk past the rows of desks. I walk down a dark hallway and exit the building.

It feels like a walk of shame.

I cross a courtyard,

then enter a small stone structure

and climb a dark wooden stairwell.

The stairs creak as I walk up.

I take my time relishing this moment alone.

Away from staring eyes.

I'm... away from staring eyes.

As a child, Natalie Dawn coasts through life.

Until at age 10, her family moves from Los Angeles to a tiny town in the middle of France. Being a rock-bottomed beginner demolishes her ego.

In the process, her mind opens in unexpected ways. In this episode of Meditative Story,

the singer-songwriter, who is one half of the band,

Pomplemous, shows us how she learns to quiet her inner critic and cultivate a beginner's

mindset as a doorway to connection and joy.

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

mindfulness prompts,

so that we may see our lives reflected back to us in other people's stories,

and that can lead to improvements in our own inner lives.

From Wait What, this is Meditative Story.

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

...