My Vipassana Meditation Part 1: First 3 Days Were Torture

Meditation hall, Vipassana meditation centre, Malaysia

I expected to explore feelings, thoughts and memories in the 10 day Vipassana (“Vee pash na”) meditation course, Instead, it was more objective and purely based on observing sensations on the body.

Over the course, I went from feeling like I was being humanely tortured through solitude, to seeing my concentration improve, to experiencing new sensations from head to toe like tingling, vibrations, aches and later, even phantom bee stings.

I found words to articulate things I couldn’t express before, like lessons I’ve learned since my journey started, and had epiphanies about my behaviour from why I love holding a Starbucks cup to why I keep thinking about certain things.

Noticeable effects from the course

My course ended a week ago and I still notice an improved focus and a calmer mind. I have:

• Less cravings: I haven’t craved chocolate or Starbucks (shocking, I know!)
• More focus: No desire to spend untracked time on Facebook, Twitter and online
• More body awareness, even when I’m not meditating, for example, feeling sensations when I eat, talk to others, or think
• More objectivity: about stress and anxiety, like around my year-off is up, what to do next with myself

10 days of vipassana is not for the faint-hearted

You commit to complete silence and mental pureness for 10 days.

In addition 10+ hours a day of sitting meditation starting at 4:30am everyday, there is:

• No talking, no phones, no internet
• No outside food, no books, no writing materials, no cameras
• No religious/superstitious symbols
• No physical contact with anyone
• No yoga, jogging or exercise except walking
• No smoking, alcohol or other drugs

Day 1 to 3: Humane torture through solitude and concentration

I thought no talking, no writing, no internet and sitting all day would be difficult. But concentrating for 10 hours a day turned out to the hardest.

For 10 hours a day, we sat and observed our breathing, concentrating on the sensation by the nostrils.

I couldn’t focus for more than a few minutes at a time. I was bored. My mind wandered. I felt drowsy. I fell asleep and woke up to a course assistant gently pulling on my cushion telling me to keep my head up and to keep trying.

These three days were painful, boring, annoying and hair pulling days.

I thought the government should use this meditation technique as a humane physical and mental torture to interrogate detainees or suspected terrorists.

Luckily, these three days was only the pre-meditation.

The real Vipassana meditation started on day 4, and some amazing things happened.

Continue reading Part 2: Tingling, Vibrations and Sensations →

>> Have you tried Vipassana or other meditation techniques? How did you feel when you first started?

This is the part 1 of 3 describing my 10 day silent Vipassana meditation course in Malaysia.
SeePart 2: Tingling, Vibrations and Sensations and Part 3: Phantom Bug Bites, Insights and After the Course.
Visit dhamma.org for a list of meditation centres around the world.

Article search terms: 10 day meditation, vipassana experience blog, vipassana meditation malaysia, silence meditation retreat Malaysia, vipassana malaysia schedule, vipassana meditation 10 day course review, vipassana meditation centre malaysia, vipassana meditation day 1, blog on vissapana gambang, vipassana - is it hard