I spent 10 days in silence at a meditation training facility learning the art of Vipassana meditation. It was one of the most intense times of my life. I’ve wanted to do this for a while on a recommendation by an old professor of mine. I finally had the chance to go since I was in between jobs. I went to the facility in North Fork, CA which is a permanent spot for them (some meditations are in temporary facilities only). There are facilities around the world! For 10 days you do not talk and are taught steps on how to meditate using this old technique from India. Each day brings you deeper into the meditation. Women and men are in separate dorms, halls and parts of the grounds except for the main meditation all. The grounds are beautiful and half of the time I was there I saw deer. Since it was in the fall the leaves were coming off the trees, it was a magical place to be while I was involved in such amazing introspection. There is a lake and areas for camping during the summer months. It was November and COLD! The older dorms are very old, you have community restrooms and shower times. I was told that the newer dorms are nice and private.
I wanted to go home so many times but sticking through it made for a wonderful feeling of accomplishment at the end. Many didn’t make it through. You get really lonely even though there are dozens of people all around you – everyone is meditating and shouldn’t be speaking to one another, even eye contact is not allowed. The wonderful part of this teaching is that the teachers feel that all should be able to attend if they so choose, so it is run on a donation basis only. You don’t have to pay if you don’t have the means. You wake up early and go to bed late. The difficult part for me was not having a real dinner since my body was so used to 3 solid meals a day! Also, since I came during Thanksgiving I was really lonely for my husband and family. It so happened that on Thanksgiving the meal for the day included cornbread, it was really a sad day for me.
I don’t want to get into what Vipassana is but I believe that everyone can get something out of this program. After leaving I recommended it to everyone! 10 days is a big commitment for most of us who work, that’s why it took me 2 years to finally find the time, but I’m grateful for the experience and would love to go back again. I just have to get into the habit of meditating on my own at home. Although, it is important for everyone to never take what their told to heart 100% without researching on their own to be sure that they aren’t following any beliefs blindly…just saying…
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