What happen during a Vipassana 10 days silent retreat ? My full review

I am a meditation teacher and regular practitioner and did a few Vipassana retreats over the world . Below are my honest review and feedback !

PLAN OF THE ARTICLE :

What is the Vipassana technique ?

What is Vipassana as taught by SN Goenka ?

But why peoples are meditating ? What are the benefits ?

What are the rules and the code of discipline during one of the 10-day retreats ?

How it works, what is the schedule ?

What about the food ?

Some examples of peoples that do Vipassana

What to bring during your vipassana course ?

How to get prepared ?

My experience as a server

What to expect during a 10 days Vipassana retreat ?

I did 3 Vipassana retreats so far and I really like it ! I planned to do more in the future. After the first course is completed you are automatically an old student.

Doing this kind of silent retreats is like living in a monastery and live like a monk. It requires mental strength and eagerness to learn and practice .

My first Vipassana retreat was in 2019 in Myanmar and it was definitively a life experience . Firstly because it is intense and hard and secondly because it will open new doors for you and this might include some inner changes .

Thirdly because you will learn an amazing meditation technic that will give you wonderfull results if practice regularly .

I won’t lie, my first one in Myanmar was tough, especially this specific centre in Rangoon was pretty strict . We didn’t have free time so we were meditating 10.5 hours per day ! ( some centres have some lighter instructions for the students )

My second one was in Perth, Australia , and was way “easier” , even if it was still intense and serious .

The third one was as a server in Bali ( You can help by doing kitchen or general service and duties ) and it was a total different experience ( see below my explanation about the tasks of service team )

My centre in Bali, Indonesia

What is the Vipassana technique ?

Vipassana is an old Buddhist meditation technique old of 4500 years and rediscovered by Buddha around 2500 years ago . It was transmitted from generation to generation , with some changes sometimes , but the technic stayed approximately the same . There is different way of teaching, and the most famous nowadays is the one from SN Goenka ( See below ) .

A quick sum up could be : Seeing the things as they really are and focus on the physical sensation

Vipassana is about be aware of sensation , observe them and stay “equanimous ” ( with no reaction ) . It is all about understand that everything is impermanent . everything rises and passes away .

Created in North India, the technic did travel to a few countries, and especially in Myanmar where monk were practicing it for centuries .

The process is a deep surgery of your inner self to purify your mind by the practice of this meditation technic . Once your metal impurities are cleaned you are really aware of the deep reality of the suffering causing your misery .

So you need concentration and awareness to be aware of the reality itself, and is start with sensation and a full body scan . The more your practice, the more you are aware of your own sensations and learn to accept if fully .

Two words come back often. it is craving and aversion . Indeed for Vipassana meditator it is two components of the creation of misery and sufferings. So you have to learn how to feel and detect those two sensations and remain equanimous in order to got rid of them and live a more beautiful life . Those factors causes distress and pain . If you managed to see the reality as it is, you can end up your pain and reach liberation and real happiness and harmony .

There is a whole philosophy behind it, linked to buddhism . You must first develop concentration ( Samadhi ) , observe the sensation , be aware, don’t react ( stay equanimous ) and create an insight in the true nature of reality

Below a little bit more information about Vipassana

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samatha-vipassana

What is Vipassana as taught by SN Goenka ?

There were many teachers over the years and some had slightly different way of teaching Vipassana. One of the most famous, s.n Goenka create his own courses in the purest tradition and made this style of meditation very famous again al over the world .

He was born and was living in Burma, in a business family . Being successful in his business environment , he started to have some very bad migraines . He went to the best doctors, but couldn’t stop those migraines . He did consult the best doctors in the world , but they couldn’t do anything . One of his friend in Burma then told him to try Vipassana as he might be a psychosomatic disease . After a few experiences, he started seeing the results and became a regular practitioner . He moved to India in 1969 and started teaching , before creating his own centre in India and then spread all over the country and all over the world.

He created the 10-day vipassana meditation retreat to teach one of the India’s most ancient techniques and called it Vipassana as thought by SN Goenka ( initially Monk and other teachers were practicing longer but he decided to do it on 10 days and make  the course accessible for more people ) .

The singularity of his organisation is that it is on donation and volunteering , so you basically give what you want . You are host and they feed you and must meditate and work hard using this technic during those 10 days . They welcome you to help too  if you wish ( once you become an old student and did one course ) .

With this system SN Goenka manage to built many centre all over the world ( in almost all the countries ) . Those buildings are at the service of the community to help them practicing and evolving with the technic .

He didn’t consider himself as a guru and didn’t want his organisation to be profit based.

Goenka passed away in September 2013 in India .

You will find centers all over the world , depending on your location

https://www.dhamma.org/en/locations/directory

And below the biography of S.N Goenka

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._N._Goenka

But why peoples are meditating ? What are the benefits ?

Vipassana meditation is a type of meditation that involves observing the sensations in the body. It is a form of mindfulness meditation, which means that it helps you to focus on the present moment and to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Vipassana meditation has been shown to have many benefits, including:

• Reduced stress and anxiety. Vipassana meditation can help to reduce stress and anxiety by teaching you to focus on the present moment and to let go of negative thoughts and emotions.

✔️ Improved mood. Vipassana meditation can help to improve mood by increasing positive emotions and reducing negative emotions.

✔️ Increased self-awareness. Vipassana meditation can help you to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. This can lead to a greater understanding of yourself and your motivations.

✔️ Improved focus and concentration. Vipassana meditation can help you to improve your focus and concentration by teaching you to stay in the present moment and to let go of distractions.

✔️ Reduced pain. Vipassana meditation can help to reduce pain by teaching you to focus on the sensations in your body and to let go of the pain.

✔️ Improved sleep. Vipassana meditation can help to improve sleep by reducing stress and anxiety and by teaching you to relax.

✔️ Increased compassion. Vipassana meditation can help to increase compassion by teaching you to be more aware of the suffering of others and to let go of negative judgments.

Vipassana meditation is a powerful tool that can help you to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. If you are interested in learning more about vipassana meditation, there are many resources available online and in libraries. You can also find vipassana meditation retreats and classes in most major countries .

There is a lot of benefits and studies are still finding them nowadays . A few more examples below

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-from-10-days-silence-and-100-hours-meditation.html

What are the rules and the code of discipline during one of the 10-day retreats ?

I would say that Vipassana is not strict, but serious . There is rules and you must respect them, otherwise they will ask you to leave . It is not because they want to have the control on your or any shady reasons , it is just that they want to create the best environment for your growth and you meditation practice.

 They don’t want any other practitioners to be disturbed too . Those rules were built and experienced over thousands of courses . And I have to say that I really understand now why.

Indeed, if you respect those rules you will have a way better practice . Definitively .

You have to take it seriously, understand those basic rules and just apply them and you will have a great time and an amazing vipassana experience.

✔️Rule 1 : Noble silence

You can’t talk to anyone during those 10 days . It is a very important rule. Indeed, the idea is to purify your mind, so if you start to have casual chats between meditation session, those discussions or ideas will grow in your head during meditation and it will be impossible to concentrate . You can still ask some basic day to day question to the servers ( if your need something special in the kitchen or whatever ) and you will have some interviews with the teacher , where you can ask him questions about the technic ( in a low voice in order to not disturb anybody ).

No interactions or even eyes contact with anybody . No physical contact .

You can talk slightly on the tenth day , this in order to make your return to normal life easier .

✔️ Rule 2 : No mobile phone, no computer, no notebook, no writing. No music

✔️ Rule 3 : No physical activities

No exercise, no Yoga or anything that could disturb other students of keep your mind distracted by practicing an activity related to sport . You can stretch in your room . Strictly forbidden to stretch in the Damma Hall ( meditation hall )

✔️ Rule 04 : Cover your body

In the meditation hall, your knees and shoulders should be covered . Don’t put your feet extended in the direction of the teacher

✔️ Rule 05 : Male and female separated

Segregation of sexes . male and female separated . No interactions

✔️ Rule 06 : General chores

Wash your dishes and take care of your bedroom

✔️ Rules 07 : Only Vipassana

Don’t practice any other meditation technic, other religion of rites . No bodily decorations , malas or any religion artefacts .

✔️ Rule 08 : Mental issues

If you have serious mental disorders, strong addictions or health issues, you should ask the managers first if you can participate .

✔️ Rule 09 : No sensual pleasures

No sexual activity

✔️ Rule 10 : No substances

No tobacco or drug , alcohol

✔️ Rule 11 : Don’t hurt

No lies, no stealing, no killing of any living being

✔️ Rule 12 : Compulsory sittings

Respect the schedule and the compulsory meditation group sittings and the compulsory evening discourse .

✔️ Rule 13 : Food

No food after the afternoon tea

You will find the code of discipline below :

https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/code

How it works, what is the schedule ?

Those ten days are very … long .

Time is going very slowly, so you will have to learn to work with yourself and be patient !

✔️ 4:00 am ➡️Morning wake-up bell

✔️4:30-6:30 am  ➡️ Meditate in the hall or in your room

✔️ 6:30-8:00 am ➡️ Breakfast break

✔️ 8:00-9:00 am ➡️ Group meditation in the hall

✔️ 9:00-11:00 am ➡️ Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher’s instructions

✔️ 11:00-12:00 noon ➡️ Lunch break

✔️ 12 noon-1:00 pm ➡️ Rest and interviews with the teacher

✔️ 1:00-2:30 pm ➡️ Meditate in the hall or in your room

✔️ 2:30-3:30 pm ➡️ Group meditation in the hall

✔️ 3:30-5:00 pm ➡️ Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher’s instructions

✔️ 6:00-7:00 pm ➡️ Group meditation in the hall

✔️ 7:00-8:15 pm ➡️ Teacher’s Discourse in the hall

✔️ 8:15-9:00 pm ➡️ Group meditation in the hall

✔️ 9:00-9:30 pm ➡️ Question time in the hall

✔️ 9:30 pm ➡️ Retire to your own room–Lights out

You will get a gong bell as an alarm clock at 04:00 m and sit for long period of time, all day long

As you can se the schedule is really intense . It is whole day of hard work and up to 10.5 hours of meditation if you do the whole meditation sessions. The 4 group meditations in the hall and the Teacher discourse are compulsory . You must be in the Damma hall .

For the rest you must follow the instruction of your teacher. He will often tell you to stay in he hall or go to your room for meditation .

I strongly advised to spend the most time possible in the big hall and meditate . Some students tend to go to their room and most of them don’t meditate, some even sleep .

It is not good as you are here to work hard and if you want the most benefits from the technic, you must practice .

There’s a Gong bell 10 minutes before every meditation session .

I have to say it is hard to wake up at 04 am, but my favourite session is the morning meditation 4:30 am to 06:30 AM . It is a very peaceful and quiet time of the day to meditate . There is a kind of magical and mystic energy during this time .

You can find all the details on the dhamma org website

https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/code”>https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/code

What about the food ?

You won’t die of hunger , don’t worry . On the contrary .

It is full vegetarian yummy meals.

The food is abundant and really delicious . The funny thing is that you have so much time during this course that eating is something that you really look forward to . Because this is your only “real” activity with meditating, bathing and sleeping .

After the lunch at 11 am, you will get a tea time at 5 pm and there is not much to eat ! only 2 fruits . So you have to be ready to not eat too much in the afternoon .

As Goenka said, it is important not to fill yourself too much on the 11 am lunch . Many students do that at the beginning , but this could disturb your meditation concentration .

What’s happening during the meditation course ?

You will be meditating, of course . and meditating a lot.

But firstly you will be learning the Vipassana meditation technic . So every meditation session, you will get audio discourse from Goenka that will explain you the technic step by step. The explanation is detailed and easy to understand . You will get headphones if needed, with the translation in your language .

Every evening, you will have a video discourse from Goenka during 1h15 min where he will explain you the global philosophy of the buddhist technic .

You have interviews every day with the teacher on specific times. You can ask some questions if there is misunderstanding on the process .

The first 4 days you will only focus on a small part of your body situated on your upper lip . You will have to learn to feel the sensation on the small part of your face. And stay equanimous towards those sensations .

Day 4, you will learn the Vipassana technic and scan you whole body .

On day 09, they will teach you another method called METTA, based on positive affirmations and love awareness .

Some examples of peoples that do Vipassana

I am always amazed by the crowd doing Vipassana. Old, young , rich, poor … Some people with crazy and tough lives, some other with some addiction issues , some curious, some with criminal pasts, some that had a break up and suffering . A lot of new peoples that are just trying because of the experience and don’t know anything about meditation .

But most of the peoples are already into Yoga, meditation, spirituality and consciousness . You will find a lot of travellers too as there is many international centres and students travel from countries to countries ( like me actually ) .

One common ground about all those peoples : they all want to change or operate something different about their life .

Another very important thing too , as said Goenka : if you don’t practice on a regular basis after the course, it is useless. Indeed, you will get results and benefits, ONLY if your practice on a daily basis . and this course won’t definitively solve your problem if you had some . You must practice afterwards .

What to bring during your vipassana course ?

I wish someone would have told me this before my first course , It is important to have good gears or equipment for your silent meditation retreat . Actually you don’t need much, but it is always good to have the right gears for your daily routine

• ✔️ Sarang ( even 2 ) or a large piece of fabric ( to cover your knees or your shoulders ). This can be really helpful if hot or cold, easier to cross legs and it is a lighter outfit .

• ✔️ Depending on your location , but bring a benny, a scarf . I would advise a linen shirt or large cotton shirt too

• ✔️ Hoodie or clothes with a hood ( Some peoples like to meditate with their hood )

• ✔️ Appropriate toiletries : you will have some free time and even shaving or taking care of yourself can be something you look forward too

• ✔️ I used essential oils too ( however no smells or perfume are authorised )

• ✔️Washing liquid or powder : you will have a lot of time to wash  your clothes

Why is it so hard ?

So, most of the peoples that did a 10-day course found it very hard . The second, fourth and sixth day especially . You will go through physical pain and mental challenges. Some peoples told me that they didn’t understand why as this is just basically sitting for a few hours per day .

Well, I always tell them that they should try then !

In our modern days, the mind is distracted and always fully occupied with mental distraction ( phones, screens, activities ), so we don’t know what your elders used to do sometimes : just chilled, step back and be with yourself . You real self . It is what every humans should experience , but unfortunately it is impossible in our current world .

It is hard first for the mind . Indeed, during my first one, I only meditated half of the time during the first 4 days . Why ? because I was overthinking and going through my past and future . But after a few days, once you explored all your history and project , you have nothing to think about and then the serious meditation can start .

You might go through you recent issues or trauma too or anything that is worrying you . Yes, when the brain is not distracted by technology or environment , you can really go deep into your inner self and analyse your being .

Another topic is concentration : you will get distracted all the time . You mind wander and this is totally normal . Sitting for 11 hours per days trying to meditate, especially of you have no experience, is hard . The only way you can get better in concentration will be by practicing regularly and working hard ! No other solutions

Boredom : spending 10 days with no activities, no distraction and no friends to talk to is challenging . You will have to learn to live with yourself again and every small activities can become something important then . I remember that I was looking forward to shave, or you are spending long time observing insects or walking very slowly in the centre .It will be very beneficial, especially after your retreat .

Physical pain . Many peoples don’t expect this, but you might be in pain due to the long sitting in the Damma hall . Indeed, it can be painful as your legs, back, butt can suffer from prolongated sitting postures . It is very important that you find the right position and that your try not to change too often . It is part of the process too : you have to observe the pain and not react to it . After a few Vipassana retreats, I generally have one posture that I changed every 45 minutes . It works well like that . If you have physical issues , you can ask for a chair, sit against the wall or use the small meditation stools that they provide .

How to get prepared ?

✔️ Firstly, in link with what I wrote above, you should get physically prepared . If you are a drinker or smoker, you should stop one week before and do some exercises as if you were preparing a marathon . This will sharpened you mind and you will be definitively ready to crush it !

✔️ Work on your posture : a few days before, you should sit already and find the right posture for you . You will save time and your body will get used to it . I would recommend 30 min morning and 30 min evening during one week .

✔️ Try to meditate before your 10 days Vipassana retreat . Indeed, you should conditioned your mind too

✔️ Read some books or watch Youtube video of Goenka . It takes a little bit of time to understand the philosophy , so if you work ahead this will definitively help

✔️ Consult and read a few blogs like mine . Having the experience of different students will give you a better insight of what happened during a 10 days silent retreat . And don’t forget, every students is different, so you might have different feedbacks . But the technical part of the course itself stays the same . It is important that you know what to expect in order not to have any bad surprises . Indeed, most of the students that give up are the one not prepared .

✔️ Don’t eat too much  the week after and the week before, in order to get your body ready for the retreat ( as a reminder, the afternoon tea is very light during the course )

My experience as a server

Once you have completed your first 10 days vipasana practice course, you are officially considerated as an ” Old student “. Therefore, if you wish, you can become a server at the next course ( but you can do another normal 10 days course too, your choice ).

In the philosophy of Vipassana as thought by Goenka, helping other and doing your drama is an important topic and it is strongly linked to Buddhist philosophy.

So for my third Vipassana course, I decided to give it try . Some old students told me that it could really be challenging as in some centre there is a lot of work . Luckily the one I did in Bali was pretty well organised and it was finally light work , so we had some time for meditation . I did managed to sit for meditation 5-6 hours per days .

When you a server like I did, you can talk with your colleagues , but very lightly . You can’t talk with the students of course .

The job is quite straightforward actually . It include serving food to students, help cooking, clean dining room and kitchen, clean meditation hall and bathroom and make sure that the students respect the rules. Doing the gong bell before every meditation session is another task too and prepare the food for the teacher .

There is a large white board where you can put your name in front of the task you decided to do .

It is possible to come and help only for a few days too, which is perfect if you want to do your dharma and meditate at the same time .

I really enjoyed serving as you feel helpful as you contribute to the community and you can see how it is organised from inside . I will definitively do it again . But as a more experienced meditator now, I really want to do some student courses  again too , as you can really focus hard on your vipassana practice .

So give it at try !

Final words on my ten-day vipassana meditation course

The first one I did , I was a little bit shaken, as it was difficult physically and mentally . But the good thing is that with time and practice it becomes easier . You can sit with less body pain and your mind wander way less after a few courses .

I got many benefits from my meditation practice. First this course gave me a discipline to be able to practice on a regular basis. Then I learnt the technic with the Goenka discourses , in order to practice correctly .

Once you start meditating on a daily basis , you will find some changes in your life. You will get less nervous, more still and chill, and you won’t overthink that much . You will get more meditation and focus , and your sleep will be better . If you are suffering from anxiety or any mind problems, it can be highly beneficial . It will give you some perspective in life too . Actually, some studies are still discovering, even 5000 years later al the benefits of this wonderfull tool .

There is many different types of meditation, and Vipassana is one of my favorite . It is easy to understand and practice .

I will definitively do many other courses in the future .

You want to work on yourself ? Go and sign for one course. It will be a great life experience and a way of self-transformation and and great switch in your life .

Please check it out !

https://www.dhamma.org/en/courses/search

FAQ : Frequently asked questions about Vipassana

1-) I have a flight on day 10. Can I leave day 09?

You must stay during the entire course . So you have to organise your planning accordingly . You can’t planned to leave before as then the course won’t be completed .

2-) I have specific food requirements .

If you have any already of requirements you must ask the centre beforehand . If should theoretically not be a problem, but you should communicate before with the manager .

3-) Do you have a washing machine ?

No, you should wash your clothes yourself. Please bring hand washing liquid .

4-) Can I do some exercise ?

You can do some stretching in your room . But it is forbidden to do exercise during the course in front of others

5-) Can I listen to podcast ?

No. Music, podcast of reading is strictly forbidden

6-) Can I practice other meditation technic ?

As Goenka will saying in his explanations the first day, you can’t practice other technics . Not because it is not good, but because it might interfere in the process and then in the results of the Vipassana .

I wrote more than 70 articles about the Island of Bali :

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