A Little Reflection… Vipassana Meditation: Was it Worth It?

In the months and years since I took a ten-day Vipassana Meditation course in Nepal,  friends and readers have asked me to share my thoughts, now that I have distance from the experience. I jotted a few sparse notes during the course, and journaled on Day Eleven to chronicle my ten-days in a Vipassana course. Those entries shared the raw thoughts and feelings as I processed each day of meditation and course teachings. During the course, I was deep in the middle of the pain and difficulty. There was little room for reflection.

What the Heck is a Vipassana Meditation Course?
I dubbed my time in Vipassana meditation as my ten day stint in “solitary confinement.” It’s how it felt at the time. And even in retrospect this intense mediation course as one of my wackier decisions. It’s one of the most structured and regimented forms of meditation. The rules are strict and the entire process is tightly control. This course was the hardest thing I have ever voluntarily chosen. More than six months later, I was endlessly thankful that I was able to complete it, that I had the support and stamina during the course finish. And now, seven years later I still look at that course as a formative foundation on how I approach life.

A few of the strict rules:

• You cannot speak or communicate (non-verbal communication like eye-contact is a no-no)
• No reading or writing
• Food is restricted after the mid-day meal
• You must adhere to the meditation schedule of 10+ hours of meditation and an hour of discourse in the evening

More Info: http://alittleadrift.com/vipassana-meditation-course-nepal/

Main website: https://www.dhamma.org

Nepal Center: https://pokhara.dhamma.org/

Rivers Cuomo and Vipassana Meditation

Weezer's Rivers Cuomo discusses meditation with Dan Harris.

Watch online: www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/rivers-cuomo-meditation-weezer-frontman-singer-musician-punk-rock-11598553

Inner space: The power of solitude

When Tom Darling told his friends he planned to spend 10 days in silent meditation with a group of strangers, they joked that he was joining a cult. But the experience – gruelling and profound – offered an extraordinary antidote to the modern world

.......... He's not the only one smiling: there's a general sense of achievement flowing through most of us, the type that comes from completing something difficult that you suspect will benefit you for some time to come. Some of the students I talk to describe the feeling as having undergone a deep cleansing, a re-evaluation of their priorities, even a rebooting of the system. It's odd suddenly to be able to speak to my roommates after so many days of silent cohabitation. The young guy from Manchester smiles ruefully when I see him. "Yeah, mate, that was no holiday." Anik and I sit on a bench outside the old farmhouse, the paint flaking off onto the ground beneath us. So was it all he hoped it would be? "No question," he says without a moment's hesitation. "I've been looking for something to help me achieve certain goals, and I think this is it. I don't know about the others, but for me this was always about improving myself, about becoming more successful."

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/inner-space-the-power-of-solitude-1705207.html