What is Vipassana Meditation? You might have heard many things about Vipassana, a mindfulness meditation practice. Vipassana helps to reduce and manage anger, fear/anxiety, depression, and stress. Also, you might hear that you can get rid of various addictions because of Vipassana practice. It is an eye-opener and makes you feel the body vibration and blood circulation. It does this and that, etc. There are so many positive things about Vipassana, but what if you do not meet the expectation you hear?
Vipassana is a remarkable journey, but if you are thinking about getting mindfulness, there should not be any expectation to change. You have to feel and think neutral since day 0. If you are planning to go to Vipassana and are new to it, there are a few things you have to prepare.
Click here to see things you need to prepare a day before leaving for Vipassana
For a few days of Vipassana, it is common to get wanted and unwanted thoughts in your head, as you will not be speaking with anyone. It is okay to think about your childhood friend with who you do not talk anymore. It is alright to think about the grandparents who live no more or about your ex-lover. The memories and worry about the future might come closer to the eyes. Regarding posture, you might not feel comfortable for a few days, feel sleepy, numb on the leg, or have a backache. You might even open your eyes and sneak peek in the middle of the meditation. As thought in mind, staying in a discipline might not be easy to do in practice. Whatever the challenge could be, what you do not stop is breathing.
After a few days of challenge, you get used to it. Meditation and breathing techniques will make you see and feel every bit of you in the present. You will know yourself better. Many people might find it unpleasant and challenging to accept themselves. Even though reflecting upon yourself could be challenging, loving every bit of you is mindfulness to control your emotion. Aligning your breath teaches you to align with yourself.
Vipassana is a meditation practice of 10 days for the first-timer or a beginner. If you practice or continue at least 20 minutes every day before leaving for Vipassana, it could be a game changer. While joining this session, it should be clear that we should not just be limited to practicing Vipassana for ten days. Preferably, it is a lesson to make us practice for a lifetime to develop calmness, concentration, and de-stress. It is important to remember that your mind is very agile. When you do something regularly, it becomes a habit that you cannot undo. Our mind is incredible, and mindfulness is too amazing.
“We cannot live in the past; it is gone. Nor can we live in the future; it is forever beyond our grasp. We can live only in the present. If we are unaware of our present actions, we are condemned to repeating the mistakes of the past and can never succeed in attaining our dreams for the future.”
-Satya Narayan Goenka