Going bananas!

Monday night

I’m sat on a step outside a large imposing building in the back streets of Earls Court. I’m joined by about fifteen women of all nationalities, ages and styles. We are all waiting in complete and utter silence. I’m not exactly sure why I’m here and exactly what will unfold at 8.30pm tonight but the strength of a recommendation from someone I trust implicitly (shout out to Jess Cook) has inspired me to make this journey from Kent.

My instructions are not to eat for four hours beforehand and no drinking any fluids within one hour. I mustn’t talk or touch anyone and I’ve been advised that there are no toilets during the time that I will remain in this second floor apartment. The treatment I’m having is free except I’ve been asked to make a donation of ￡65 this evening, 11 pence tomorrow night and a further 11 pence on the third night.

I am here to receive one of India’s most sacred medicines – where Guru Raju has blessed bananas in a custom that has been handed down through his ancestral line. All this effort for a piece of banana brought all the way from India!

Part of me feels that this is one of the most eccentric things that I have ever done and part of me feels excited and curious about what I’m going to experience. The more I am learning about the invisible realm the more expansive and open I am to new and seemingly unbelievable practices.

As I wait silently in the queue, women who had arrived earlier start to leave the building looking very ‘floaty’ and serene. I’m hooked!!! What an earth is going on up there?

I’m writing this blog in real-time so will continue with what happened afterwards.

So after queuing for over 30 minutes longer I was escorted up some stairs to meet ‘The Guru’. She had her back to me because she was blessing my piece of banana and infusing it with mantras and sacred symbols. Next to her were teeny tiny pieces of banana placed onto bamboo dishes all waiting for her blessing. When she was ready she turned around and I was asked to pick up the dish with my right hand and place it into my left hand. There is a special way to ingest this banana medicine’ you pick it up with your thumb and middle finger and throw it down the back of your throat – avoiding any contact with your teeth. I was aware of the piece of banana as it slowly made its way down my throat into my digestive system.

That was it! My instructions were to not drink or eat anything for a further hour and then eat milk rice for three days, rest and not exercise. This banana medicine is so sacred that it cleanses and purifies all the cells in your body leaving you feeling revivified, re-nourished and refreshed.

When I arrived at Charing Cross station I had just missed a train so knew that I wouldn’t be home until after Midnight. This felt like a mini pilgrimage, a massive chunk out of my day for something so abstract and surreal.

I will let you know how I’m feeling tomorrow.

Tuesday morning

I have awoken feeling refreshed despite getting in so late last night. Strangely calm yet energised. Despite huge pressures on me I feel relaxed. Tonight I travel up for my second ‘dose’ and recognise that most people reading this will think I am totally bananas!!! How random a treatment it is!

For years Pharmaceutical companies have factored in ‘The Placebo Effect’, which as you probably know is based on the principle that if you believe something will make you well, it usually does. Our mind is more powerful than we realise. Every thought creates an electrical impulse that fixes our perception into physical reality.

Was this banana medicine all in the mind or was it really a powerful medicine that was the biggest emotional, physical and spiritual detox I had ever experienced?

I had a need to phone Jess who had taught me Vedic meditation and left a message. She phoned back within the hour, she was in Sydney, Australia! She explained how women from all over India travelled for days to receive this banana medicine. She shared a few insights that caused me to feel more relaxed about the process and I found myself looking forward to my second dose!!!

Wednesday morning

Last night I felt more comfortable about the entire ritual and have awoken with a wonderful sense of calm and inner peace. I feel that whatever happens in my world is absolutely perfect and that I am able to move with grace and fluidity. Tonight is the last of my banana medicine and I feel open and ready to fully embrace this final ritual with a sense of gratitude and deep appreciation.

Sometimes the most bizarre things that you encounter in your journey through life hold the potential for deep inner transformation. If you can remember to remain open, curious and grateful for every experience. For it is in that moment of deep appreciation we feel truly contented and surrounded with bliss.

I wonder if I will influence sales of bananas this week!