I’ve just returned from my first 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course.
Lots of people have heard of Vipassana meditation. Some of you may have already done a course ( … or two… or more). If you haven’t heard of Vipassana, ask your friends about it – you will hear some VERY interesting stories.
I’ve been struggling to write this post.
I am not yet ready to share the ins-and-outs of what happened. Besides, there is no point reinventing the wheel – there is some much Viapassna info already widely and readily available on YouTube (full of advice and recounts) and online.
If you want more details on what the course is, my recommended two best personal Vipassana recounts are:
- If you are a cyclist – check out what cycling-around-the-world The Wandering Nomads had to say about their 10-Day Vipassana Experience. Complete with beautiful photos.
- Also, Torre DeRoche from The Fearful Adventurer retells her Vipassana experience. Very engaging and captures the struggles really well.
You kinda have to do it yourself.
If you get the chance, be brave and give it a go.
So, without getting stuck on the nitty-gritty details of my experience, here’s a brief Vipassana snapshot.
What is Vipassana?
Understanding Vipassana is not difficult. It is the consistent practice that is the hard part. Overall, there are three central pillars: Sila (morality), Samadhi (control of the mind) and Panna (wisdom).
Find out more about Vipassana here.
Vipassana means “to see things as they really are”.
The course is based on the teachings of Buddha but is linked to not Buddhism or any other religion. It is universal teaching, not secular. And it is not a cult.
The course requires students to live-in for 10 days and adhere to a monastic code of conduct, which includes (among others) avoiding all the following: speaking, eye contact, gesturing, touching, technology/mobile phone, reading, writing, exercise and the genders are segregated
Epic.
So what was it like?
It was a rollercoaster ride. Many ups. Many downs.
There were 26 women on my course, 4 left.
The timetable is intense. The commitment is intense. The location is beautiful.
I LOVED noble silence. I LOVED the early starts.
It was physically and mentally very challenging.
I learnt a lot about trust, compassion and letting go.
I learnt to notice and accept change (Annicca).
The stunning food and nightly discourses were daily highlights.
During the course, my awareness sharpened, I managed to slow down the noise in my head, and had the time to really focus being in the present moment.
Other thoughts…
Vipassana helps people (re)connect with the body by observing the interactions between the mental (mind/thinking) and the material (body/sensations).
The Vipassana technique is immediately useful and transferable to all other aspects of life (not just meditation), especially in the case of managing emotions such as fear, attachment, desire and pain.
The benefits of Vipassana are not only personal. As a bike rider, I have been applying it to my bike riding and there is a significant change in my approach to MTBing.
When I got back home from my course, I did what any normal contemporary bike-riding Vipassana student would have done: I made love with my husband, ate a gorgeous lunch, went for a mountain-bike ride, then meditated. Priorities.
Goenka was right. I am more content and happy.
I am still meditating every day.
