going there for 10 days camp 22 April to three may any suggestion about packing luggage and what to do there and what do not do there and what's your experience
during the preamble of an anapana session, Goenka specifically said something about achieving "mastery of the breath". Since we are not suppose to control our breath, what did he mean by that?
Hi all! I wanted to share my experience and see if anyone else has had a similar one. As early as day 3 of my Vipassana retreat I had tension all over my face that became more intense, sometimes overwhelming as I meditated. I focused on it as needed while meditating (my whole head was an "intense gross sensation") and though the tension would move around my face, I never had relief from it, even when not meditating. My teacher seemed to say this was normal, but on day 10 it was apparent that no one else had the continuity of tension that I did.
Now it has been over a week post-retreat. I have stopped meditating entirely for the time being, but the tension in my face persists and has led to headaches, which I have never been prone to. The feeling of pressure/tension/heaviness in my head is constant, but I can mostly deal with it. I would say it's a minor annoyance. I had no idea meditation could cause what I can only construe as harm, and am a bit disappointed because I got a lot out of the retreat otherwise.
I am curious:
If this has happened to you, does it go away eventually? What helps?
Should I worry about continuing to meditate?
Hi does anyone know about the happy village project in shravasti? I met a mediator who told me about it but I can't find anything about it online.
Can anyone point me to any academic work done on the effects of long term Goenka Vipassana practice? I'm thinking particularly of Goenka Vipassana ideally, but at least Vipassana more broadly if not.
Hi guys,
So honest review here after doing a year of long term service here. Honestly speaking the meditation so amazing. Nothing better than this technique.
Service though is definitely something to avoid with your dear life. It is slave labour 1 0 1 with some management that will gaslight you beyond belief. Have just done a ten day serve and developed a huge painful cyst from the amount of work done here. Have been told I’ve been put not when system because I have an issue with listening. I’ve literally been asking for more work because I was that invested and I’ve been told I’m creating too much work. NEGATIVE NEGATIVE people who tell you you’re too sensitive when you stand up for yourself and gaslight situations with super one sided accounts.
Overall: meditation 8-9/10
Service: -1/10
Hi everyone. I’ve done multiple 10-day courses. At home, I’m usually quite disciplined — I can sit two sessions a day (about 1 hour each).
But I noticed a pattern that surprised me: sometimes I miss one session on one day. And that single miss can create a chain reaction. The next day becomes easier to skip. Then I suddenly realize I’ve missed several days.
It’s not about "not knowing how to sit." It’s more like once the rhythm is broken, the mind is very good at delaying the restart.
I’m curious if others experience the same thing — even people who are generally disciplined. I’m considering starting a very simple silent group-sit for people who struggle with the get back on track (including me), so I want to understand whether this pattern is actually common.
And if yes: do you think a silent online group sit—mic off (and maybe camera-on for accountability), no talking—would help people restart after they miss a day? Not a discussion group, not teaching, not a replacement for anything — just people sitting at the same time in silence, to make it easier to restart after a break.
Would that feel supportive to you, or would it feel unnecessary / distracting?
Metta.
Does anyone else experience this?
For those who have been practicing for a while (especially long-term or “old” students in traditions like Goenka/Vipassana):
I’m trying to understand how your practice evolves over time. Do you ever practice Vipassana (only body scanning) for extended periods?
I’m curious how many of you incorporate teachings or techniques from other Theravada teachers or lineages alongside this, such as:
Do you:
If you do combine approaches, how do you do it without diluting depth or creating confusion?
Looking for thoughtful, experience-based responses rather than theory.
Thanks 🙏
I attended a 10-day Vipassana course last year and have been practicing daily for an hour since then, though I skip it once in a while. Over time, I’ve started noticing some unusual sensations.
During meditation, I sometimes feel heartbeat-like sensations in the part of my body where I focus. What’s more surprising is that even during non-meditation time, if I focus on a specific area of my body, I can feel a kind of heartbeat sensation there.
At times, especially when I’m resting or not doing anything, I feel this and it seems a bit strange or unsettling.
I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something similar during or after practicing Vipassana. Is this a normal part of the process?
I’ve been confirmed at Dhamma Vahini (kalyan , mumbai)
Has anyone been here? How was your experience? I feel anxious about the course but I’m still going to do it !!
Hey guys just wondering if anyone has any words of wisdom. My first day 10 was hard but overall a beautiful experience. It's been a week since I'm back in my life and I feel a bit checked out, that I'm slightly removed from what's going on around me. I don't feel very joyful. And pretty exhausted.
Did anyone have a similar experience? I know this isn't permanent, but this low is a bit intense so if anyone has some helpful words that would be much appreciated.
I've been meditating on and off for a while. Recently, I've been meditating for longer and more consistently. I'm up to 40 mins twice a day most days. I've got a retreat coming up where I hope to learn proper technique etc, but atm I'm just doing (I think) anapana: that is, trying to pay attention to the breath.
I'm having some trouble with this. Obviously, to a certain extent this is just the way of things, and a part of the process. But I think a part of the issue is that I don't have the right intention. A part of me is genuinely commited to the practice. Another part of me wants to be a person who is practicing, and therefore can feel good about themselves etc. That second part of me doesn't really need to do anything but sit with its eyes closed to be satisfied. And I think that means that sometimes I'm not doing much more than that, because I'm not really going in to it with the genuine intention to actually pay attention to the breath.
I've been thinking that the thing to do is to take a minute before I begin a session and explicitly form the intention that for the duration of the session, the only active thing to do is pay attention to the breath, and be equanimeous with whatever arises. Is this the right thing to do? And is this the right intention to try and form? Any other tips?
I’m only two weeks into anapana meditation, and I’ve been sitting for 10 minutes a day using a guided meditation on YouTube.
To help myself stay focused on the breath, I keep repeating in my mind, “My breath is going in, my breath is going out.” It helps stop my mind from wandering, but at the same time I feel like I’m not supposed to have this inner narration during meditation.
I don’t really know how to just breathe without “talking” in my head. Is this actually okay for a beginner, or is it a bad habit?
I am going for a teenager's course in vipassana. The problem is I told the person who callled from the facility that I have social anxiety. She asked more questions about it and here's what I said:
- I have social anxiety.
- It started from a quarrel i had in college.
- I went to a therapist. I wasn't diagnosed.
- I had medication for it 6-7 months ago for a month only.
- The problem has been resolved.
- I did not go to see the therapist again.
- I dont take any kind of medicine now.
I am afraid other applicants will be given preference over me, because of the high number of applicants.
Do they prefer candidates without mental health issues?
Is the possibility that I get wait listed or rejected high?
I did 10 days vipassana course 2 years back but I havent been regular with my meditation practice and lots have changed in my life. I got married moved to a different country. I will not be able to attend a 10 day course again but I really want to start my practice at home and I also regret wasting time. I am thinking of starting 3 hours practice morning afternoon evening. Is that enough for lost time?
TL;DR - I only lasted two days at the 10-day course, but I’m going back as soon as I learn to forgive myself.
I attended the 10-day course in Joshua Tree at the end of March. Or, rather, I tried. For some context, I have a small amount of Vipassana training, more training in Transcendental Meditation, have been on and off with some form of meditation for over a decade. However, my life at the moment is incredibly unstable. I am three months sober, going through a divorce (or not, jury’s still out), and in the middle of a career transition. Also, anxiety, depression, OCD, and lots of childhood trauma that has surfaced but not processed.
I was honest about all of this in my application. We had a phone interview and the teacher I spoke with said this could be very intense for people with my history. I insisted that I understood, and thought that a lifetime of “riding it out”, whether through panic attacks or bad drug trips, had prepared me for what I might face. It had not.
I lasted two days.
Halfway through day one I completely broke down. I was crying and I couldn’t get ahold of myself. I spoke with the manager and the teacher, and was able to pull it together to make it through the night session and discourse. I had also, however, started sweating uncontrollably. My nervous system had hone completely haywire. I was sweating buckets and could not regulate my body temperature; and their air conditioning is ICY!
My issue largely goes back to the last sentence of my opening paragraph: unprocessed trauma. By day two, I was reliving a traumatic memory every time I closed my eyes. I spoke with the teacher before the evening session and he was very understanding. He said they would support any decision I made, and that I would be welcome back in the future. I decided to leave and immediately felt better. I also left with a clear idea of how to proceed, so it wasn’t a total wash.
And the weird thing is, I do want to go back. Not for a while, at least a year or two. For me, this was always about truly connecting with myself, and that door is still open. I just have to forgive him before I can walk through it.