Vipassana

On Sunday I went to a one-day Vipassana meditation course. I have previously done two of the ten-day Vipassana courses, but I haven't done any meditation for a couple of years now. It was great to get back into it again.

Although I haven't been meditating regularly, so much of what I learnt in the two ten-day courses has stayed with me and helped me in my everyday life. That's not to say that I am completely 'zen' now, but I am at least aware of some of my patterns of thinking that tend to make me unhappy.

Vipassana is a truly wonderful technique. It is a buddhist-based meditation practice, but it is taught as a secular technique - there is no religious dogma or rites and rituals to follow. It's all very good common sense.

My body is aching from having to sit cross-legged from 9am to 6pm, but my mind feels pretty refreshed! The day actually made me long to do another ten-day course again. After a couple of days of silent mediation your mind really slows down and focuses, which is something that rarely happens in my crazy busy life these days.