Learn to Meditate in 10 Days
IS LEARNING TO MEDITATE FOR YOU?
People want to learn to meditate for a variety of reasons, so it helps to have some ideas about what you want to get out of it. There are several types of meditation to choose from and, like everything, one size does not fit all.
(If you’re just experiencing your first thoughts about meditation, you may want to read a few meditation books before committing to a particular type.) Or Google something like “Meditation Classes Near Me” to expand your local knowledge.)
The point I’m trying to make is that if the first style of meditation you try doesn’t stick with you, try another. Release any expectations of how you ‘should’ feel or the results you ‘should’ get. You can learn to meditate if you accept your own unique experience, without worrying about “how to become a Buddhist.” Or compare your experiences with those of others: this is your journey and not anyone else’s.
HOW I (AND MANY OTHERS!) LEARNED TO MEDITATE
For a long time he had been aware of the potential benefits he could derive from meditation. However, for me it was one of those things that always seemed to find ways to put off. I knew I could start with just a minute or two each day, but I still never prioritized it.
The fact that I chose to go all out in a ten-day silent Vipassana meditation course (with a group of people I didn’t know) was a new and interesting concept for me. My approach to staying fit and healthy is generally a gradual change in habits and anything but extreme. However, I love to challenge myself and open my eyes to new things, so here it was!
When I told people that I had been on a ten-day silent retreat, the most common comment I heard was “It must have been so hard not to speak for so long!” This was also what I perceived to be the most challenging part before starting.
Turns out the silence was the easy part. Despite all the well-intentioned warnings in advance that no form of communication is that difficult, I found it quite enjoyable! I confess I was a little anxious as I put away my laptop, phone, diary, and books knowing I wouldn’t be able to sneak them out for ten days. But, as with the conversation, it turned out that they were also things that were easy to give up.
WHY CHOOSE VIPASSANA?
Sitting on my butt hour after hour, day after day, more on this soon, is not my idea of fun. But knowing that I wouldn’t do much more than eat, sleep, and meditate for ten days made me feel like I would learn more about myself.
I had some personal reasons for choosing the Vipassana meditation approach. The most important was that she was looking for a way to control the chronic headaches that she was experiencing. I knew that some form of meditation could be the missing link in my quest to lead a healthy and balanced life. And above all… I love challenges, be they physical, mental or otherwise.
The meditation center near me (well, it was at the opposite end of the country, but a good excuse to get away and go somewhere different), was located in Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland, New Zealand. On the final shuttle bus, I talked to others about what they hoped to get out of the course. A lady had attended before and had previously gotten rid of chocolate cravings. This time she sighed and said that she would like to get rid of her attachment to her beautiful clothes!
The guy next to me didn’t know what he wanted, he was just ‘curious’. Another girl wanted to completely transform herself, to become a ‘new person’, she told me. Another person told me that she wanted to learn how to become a Buddhist. So there I was, with an interesting mix of people, all headed to the same place for their own reasons.
VIPASSANA MEDITATION CENTRE, KAUKAPAKAPA, AUCKLAND, NZ
We arrived at the center and I immediately appreciated how full of life it was. Over the next ten days I would meet some of the friendliest birds and insects in existence. (With the peace and quiet of such a place, I guess they had no reason to run away from us!) I registered my name and confirmed that I had no serious psychological disorders. I was then directed to my room, which I would share with three other women. It is very interesting to live so close to others but completely ignore them for ten days! After a group debriefing and final talk, the meditation began.
Every day had the same structure. The ‘gong’ woke us up at 4am. We meditated from 4:30 am to 6:30 am. Breakfast was from 6:30am to 8am, which for me usually meant sleeping from 7am to 8am. We then meditated from 8 to 11 am with a five minute break at 9 am Lunch was from 11 am to 1 pm. This was a delicious all natural vegetarian meal prepared from scratch, and it was my favorite part of the day.
After lunch, we meditate from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with five-minute breaks at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Dinner (this was just a couple of pieces of fruit) was from 5-6pm, after which we meditated from 6-7pm. There was an evening speech (video conference, second favorite part of the day) about what we were doing from 7-8pm (we still had to sit on the floor for this). Finally, we meditate one more time from 8 to 9 at night. The lights went out at 9:30 pm and this continued for ten days. Oh, and did I mention that I was starving from 7pm to 10pm and 4am to 6:30am every day!
OBSERVATION NOT VISUALIZATION
You might be thinking that meditation is about going to your ‘happy place’. You sit, or maybe even lie down, close your eyes and visualize wonderful white light, and then feel like you’re floating on a fluffy cloud…or something? Not so much with a Vipassana meditation course! It was definitely a far cry from the five minutes of relaxation I enjoy at the end of my Wednesday Pilates class.
Vipassana meditation is all about observation. There is no display. Just sit down, close your eyes and notice the sensations in your body. For the first two or three days you focus only on your breath. Not in breathing in a certain way, but simply in observing natural breathing, as it is. You observe sensations, good and bad, and train your mind not to react to them. After the third day, move from just focusing on your nose to noticing sensations throughout your body.
Everyone will feel different sensations. Itching, tingling, tickling, heat, cold, numbness, burning, pain. Pain was the feeling I felt 95% of the time. Pain in my neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles. I’m a fitness instructor and I have to be strong, you say. But I’m a fitness instructor with some tight joints who aren’t used to sitting cross-legged on the floor for twelve hours a day. I am also a fitness instructor who drives a car and sits in a bucket seat every day. Which means my spinal extensors weren’t conditioned to sit and maintain good posture for a few minutes.
DID I MENTION THE PAIN?
There were plenty of cushions available and I made the most of them, but they provided little comfort after a while. So, again, I reiterate that PAIN is what I felt all day every day (minus breaks) for ten days. But the kind of feeling he felt was irrelevant. The goal was to see these sensations objectively, as if they did not belong to me. He was to remain with an ‘equanimous’ mind at all times, calm and balanced.
My mind drifted to ‘lala land’ numerous times over the ten days, often staying ‘on task’ for less than ten seconds at a time. But my attempts to meditate got progressively better. I got through ‘determination time’ three times a day without going too crazy. On the third day I found that I could sit up straight for more than a few minutes at a time, and on the seventh day I sat up straight for an entire hour without any major postural adjustments.
Simply observing the sensations in my body began to sharpen my mind and free myself from desire and aversion. All the cravings experienced in life arise from the sensations we feel and enjoy. So, by keeping an even mind when the good feelings came up (even though there weren’t many), I was delving into my unconscious mind (the part of the mind responsible for feeling the feelings) to get rid of the desire. Similarly, by maintaining equanimity when bad feelings arose (as there were so many, I like to think I was going through accelerated training in this area), I would begin to release dislike or hate.
ACCEPT THE LAWS OF NATURE
Vipassana philosophy focuses on the law of impermanence, or the law of nature. This law states that everything is constantly changing. Everything arises, remains for some time and then passes. The sensations that I felt in my body would not be there forever, and I should simply observe them and understand this. Understand that I shouldn’t get attached to the good feelings or hate the bad ones: they are all transitory.
The other central concept of this technique is the recognition that there will always be misery in the world (not pessimistically, but realistically) and that there are three things that cause all misery: craving, aversion, and ignorance. The first two I have already mentioned, and the third I was beginning to combat by bringing awareness to my body. In turn, this would carry over into the real world, where he would be able to deal with the ups and downs of life in a more balanced way. Selflessness, giving without expecting something in return, compassion for others and intrinsic happiness are also integral to this philosophy.
IN SUMMARY
This is probably the time you should stop. I could go on writing… learning to meditate in ten days has that effect. My understanding of the Vipassana technique and the benefits it brings developed throughout the course has only just begun. I realize that I have only had a small taste and I must continue to practice… as I am a long way from the total purification of the mind and the ultimate goal of full enlightenment (note: a fully enlightened person is also known as ” Buddha”).
However, I am a step in the right direction. I know that Vipassana can benefit everyone (regardless of their religion or belief system), when they are ready to take that step, and I certainly got much more than he ever expected. This technique has even been highly successful when implemented in Indian prisons: Vipassana rules are stricter than prison rules, and inmates leave with far less hatred and guilt towards the outside world.