There are a lot of us here who do vipassana.
I made this thread for us to share resources, experiences and more about it.
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I started doing vipassana after i saw this post from @Jouissance
it helped me control my emotions when I was using WB. then I really got into it after I started using HeO.
this video helped me understand vipassana a bit more:
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best thing ever,
lived in the SN Goenka 10-Day Silent Retreats centers on/off for 8 months,
3 months straight in Canada, then travelled through asia & spent 10 days out of each month at the centers.
Came out of the experience with the deepest subconscious unrooting of trauma imaginable
- went from refusing to have photos taken of me and INABILITY to smile if a camera is in my face to full smiles with or without cameras, deeper laughs, enjoying laughing and connecting more
- phobia of the dentist turned into no issue with it, even interested in the sensations caused by needles poking in my mouth wow this is so interesting, what a cool sensation
- Was very sexually burnt out based on desensitization over the years… needed kinkier and kinkier porn, kinkier and kinkier sex, more and more intensity in sexual experiences just to feel satisfaction, after vipassana reset my “tolerance” so that vanilla sex based on connection was more exciting than anything (not that the kinky stuff get less fun, but the vanilla stuff got more fun)
- deep rooted emotional healing that eradicated fear of commitment, the first successful relationship i’ve ever had happened after vipassana and that woman is now my fiancee,
- emotional resilience to the max, thoughts have been permanently more positive to that day
I actually didn’t even continue meditating indefinitely after the experience… i did for a couple months, but i found that 1-3 hours of walking per day was my favorite, so long as i do it in nature, i get a lot of the maintenance benefits i wanted, but also exercise, tranquility, and a chance to think about creative ideas and then take action on them.
In recent months, i’m coming back to meditation, now that i’m not so close to a forest, and it’s been a while since i had a serious meditation practice
vipassana increases awareness, creativity, introspection, while “focus meditations” (anapana, one-spot-focus-holds, etc) increase focus and concentration. Some research suggests that the 80/20 of both types of meditations are 11 and 7 minutes, respectively. Meaning that you’ll get a majority of the benefits of meditation if you were to stack 7 minutes of focus meditation followed by 11 minutes of vipassana meditation
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those are really great results!
i want to experience the 10 day silent retreat too when I can.
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Go for it. Goenka is a badass.
I don’t do vispanna specifically but the best practice in my life that has changed it forever sounds very similar to this…
Become your senses. The goal of your life is to be more aware of your life. Your body is a physical support system for your senses. If you want be in the NOW, BE your senses.
Meditation is a 24/7 thing. Observing every sensation, thought and feeling in the present without judgment and total acceptance is true meditation. This is how you meditate during EVERYTHING. It’s also how to gain actual control of your mind instead of your mind controlling you.
Apologies if this is slightly off topic Just offering the practice that has transformed my life to achieve the same goal.
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Is it another technique than Vipassana? What is the name?
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i don’t think it’s off topic, i read that vipassana is an observation technique like goenka said in this video:
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I don’t know if there is a name for it. It was something I got from a book called the present years ago.
I used to talk to the author before he passed and he repetitively hammered it into my head to make it a way of life instead of just a technique.
In retrospect, that was the most lifechanging advice I have ever gotten.
To me its the difference between living consciously or unconsciously.
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I have been consistently doing meditation for last 3 years and it has transformed my life. I do a form of Vipassana everyday. Learnt it years back in 10 days retreat in India. Other meditation practices are also great that include pranayama (loosely translated to breathwork) as they help prepare body for meditation.
I have practiced Wim Hof and transformational breathwork but will not recommend anyone for longer use as they are good for energy boost but not for longer serious spiritual practices.
They are actually deterimental in spiritual practices as they trigger sympathetic nervous system hence elevated emotions.
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