BootsnAll Travel Community

I've been thinking a lot lately about doing one of the ten days, either near me in Massachusetts or somewhere else when I'm traveling. I'd love to hear the experiences of anyone who's done one of these. I don't know anyone who has, and I've only found a few things online in blogs, etc. So, what's it like? What was the hardest/best/most exciting/etc part for you? Are you glad you did it? Anything at all you'd like to share..
Thanks!

Its the toughest easiest thing I ever did.

Like a long run...the first 3 miles are the longest. same way the first 3 days are the hardest.

If this is your first time with a long retreat then you are in for a treat but you have to work for it.

Mentally it can be really tough and your mind and body go places. You have to be prepared to say I will let it do that not fight it.

Physcially can be hard too as we are not used to sitting down for long periods of time. But they do incorporate walking and standing meditations...even Yoga.

I did one in Thailand...at Wat Sounmokh. The other org that I know of is dhamma.org by Goenka. If somebody is charging you enormous amount of money for a retreat then its not in the spirit. Most of the retreats are kinda on the Non Profit model. Your Dana "donation" helps the organization and also the teachers.

Spiritrock in San Francisco Marin is another place where retreats are offered. Check their website
http://www.spiritrock.org/

Hope this helps....good luck



Good luck.

Go for it! What've you got to lose besides ten days of your life? Before the ten days, it seems like an enormous hunk of time. Afterwards, it fades into the rest of your life and seems like a flutter of the eyelashes. I've done 4 of the Goenka Vipassana ten-day retreats, two in Massachusetts and two in Texas, plus I've served on a few and done some three-day ones. Every one of my ten-day retreats was completely different from all the others. In the first one, on day 7 I experienced the longest unbroken period of complete bliss and dissolution of self that I've ever known; on the second one, I just kind of groused and ached and muttered to myself all the way through; on the third I had elaborate sexual fantasies; on the fourth I felt profoundly quiet. All of them left me feeling braver than anything else I've ever done: if you can do this, you can do just about anything. You really just have to take the leap and find out what happens for you during those ten days. The one thing it ISN'T is "restful." It's physically demanding, it makes your body hurt, and it is as much work as ten years of therapy distilled into ten days in which everything that has ever happened in your life comes up again. Or so it has been for me. I'll tell you this, though, on day 4 of the first one, I thought I couldn't possibly be more bored; I thought everyone around me was completely OUT OF THEIR MINDS, and I had waves of rage at myself for getting myself into it. That passed. Most people do have moments of being terminally bored and thinking they were out of their minds to sign up for it. That's why, when you go in, they make you swear on your mother's soul that you won't leave till the ten days is up. You have to get past that bored stuff. Then the real work happens.

Thank you both for your comments! You hit a lot of the concerns I have - the physical difficulty of sitting in that position for so long, my mind wandering, feeling as if it's not worth it and getting angry at myself for wasting time. It's good to know you thought it was a good experience. I like that they they expect all of these things and prepare for them, and say to ask the teachers in the allotted time about questions so you don't dwell on wondering why things are set up a certain way. And I agree, Grannygold - I think if I can do this, I'll know I can do a lot else. And of course if after all the hard work, if you feel quiet and peaceful for a little bit, that's good, too.
I'll probably do it..just don't know when.

My brother used to talk about Vipassana all the time, and then last year he went on one of the retreats. When he came back he said that it was good, but he hasnt even come close to mentioning it since then. Hhmmm...

I did a Vipassana retreat in Australia (ab an hour outside of Brisbane a few year back. As all have already said above, you will alternate over a range of emotions throughout the 10-days but on the whole I would be really surprised if you regret doing it.

as for the brother who never mentions Vipassana after having done it - the thing is - it's such an intense & personal experience (physically, psychologically, emotionallY) you dont really want/need to talk about it afterwards.

Yes, what ohmama says. It occurs to me that doing a ten-day course is a little like doing a colonic cleansing of the emotional system. All my old relationships came up, but I kept silence and didn't react: no going to the phone, the email, or even the journal with arguments, blame, self-blame, justification, or any of the rest of that reaction-garbage. I just SAT with the memories, the guilt, the rage, the grief, or whatever. By simply sitting with it, seeing it fully without any way to distract myself or run away or DO anything about it, I owned it in a way that is quite indescribable. "This happened," not "This was awful!" or "She did this to me!" or "I'm a useless lout for what I did." Just, "This happened." I came out of it quite changed. Now before speaking, I ask myself if it's really useful to say this; before a knee-jerk reaction, I consider that maybe there's no need to react at all; before holding forth with my opinions, I consider the possibility that nobody cares, or should care, what I think about X. Maybe this is why goodlookinrebel's brother is quieter now. Wonderfully liberating for me, and incidentally also for my friends and loved ones, who no longer have to hear me delivering my old lectures. Now I save them for the boards at BNA.

Yeah, I heard from a friend who knew someone who did vipassana in India that she didn't talk about it much afterwards because it was very intense and a little painful maybe. I'm especially interested in that experience of watching things come up in your mind without reacting to them. So you carried that out after it was over? Keep coming to the boards, Grannygold! How did other people feel it affected them afterwards?
Thanks again for the comments

It was different for me everytime.Recently I have done one day retreats and each time it was different. One thing about Vipasana is that its all in your control. You really learn with practice and patience.

For me...its has calmed me down. Physical evidence is my growing nails...otherwise in my anxiety I would chew them up.

I really am not worried about things...or i should say i try not to worry too much.

Overall I think its a change in attitude and how you approach things. Meditation just helps. Its one element of lviving healthy...combined with eating right, excercising it makes the efforts well rounded. Its an excercise for the mind.

On the other hand...DON't do it EXPECTING something. The less expectations you have the better. Intention is important...leave the expectation of something happening out side the equation.

You can take the elements of "Mindfulness" into daily work..you don;t have to meditate for 10 hours to feel the difference.The motto is whatever you do pay attention to that work. Be it washing dishes or eating...do it right. Be present.

Good luck...

There is a wonderful, hilarious, insightful description of the Goenka 10-day course (by the way, this is not the one offered at Spirit Rock) in Holy Cow, by Sarah Macdonald.

Yes! I was just thinking about the desciption in Holy Cow, and lo and behold, when I got to the bottom of this thread, Grannygold had already put it out there! It's hilarious and insightful, just as you said, Granny.

I haven't done a Vipassana either, and I'm kind of in the same place you are with it, wanderingredhead. I've met quite a few people who have done it and it seems like it really changes their relationship to themselves and to the world. My favorite story came from a South African couple I met and traveled with for well over a month in India. They did the retreat together and the guy immediately proposed to the gal on the 10th day. After 10 days of no talking, it was the first thing out of his mouth. He was that clear about it.

Please let us know if you go and what your experience was like!

Will do, banannika!

I hope to do it in Central America or Mexico when I'm there - leaving in three weeks.

Thanks for the book suggestion, I looked it up on amazon and it looks really good!

My experience with vipassana was positive. I would say, however, that the less expectation the better. Having preconceived notions and especially having hopes for what will happen actually become obstacles to overcome during the meditation. Everyone’s experience is different.

I was embarking on my spiritual journey when I did vipassana, and it was very uplifting and helpful. I think everyone could benefit from the experience. Goenka’s retreat especially for those with anger problems.