#5 - Vipassana Meditation
What is Vipassana?
Vipassana - which means "to see things as they really are” - is an ancient meditation technique that involves observing bodily sensations with complete equanimity. It teaches non-resistance—allowing emotions, pain, and thoughts to arise and pass without attachment or aversion. By practicing this, we develop deep self-awareness and emotional resilience.
Many people learn this specific meditation technique as part of a 10-day silent meditation course. The courses are free, and taught at various centers across the world.
How I Used It
My first retreat in 2018 changed everything. I was freshly married, but already struggling. So I signed up for a 10-day silent meditation retreat, which means I committed to sit in formal meditation for 10 hours each day... for 10 days… to find an answer to my struggle. At first, I kept changing my posture to "get rid" of the pain I was experiencing from sitting for such long times, but then even shifting my body didn't release the pain. After a couple of days, I was in agony - resisting every single ache and pain in my body. Instead of drowning in my emotions, I learned to observe them. Instead of fighting my pain, I learned to sit with it. The practice was simple but powerful: focus on the sensations in my body and don’t resist them. No judgment, no fixing, no control—just awareness.
By the end of those 10 days, something inside me had shifted. I no longer needed to control the outcome of my marriage. I didn’t know if we would work things out or not, but for the first time, I was okay either way. I had surrendered.
Fast forward to 2024. This time, I wasn’t running from my marriage—I was leaving it. My divorce was set in motion, and I knew this retreat wouldn’t be an escape. It would be a test. I made a decision: I would sit in the meditation hall every moment possible, no matter how painful it got.
And it was painful.
The first two days were brutal. My body ached, I felt sick, hot, cold, nauseous. My mind screamed at me to stop. But I stayed. And on the third day, something shifted again. The pain was still there, but I wasn’t fighting it anymore. I wasn’t fighting anything anymore.
By the end of the retreat, I had a realization that settled deep in my bones: I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to fix everything. I am human, and that is enough.
Why I Love This Tool
Vipassana is the ultimate teacher of surrender. It doesn’t take away my pain—it teaches me how to be with it. It showed me that I don’t have to run from my emotions, suppress them, or let them control me. I can just observe, allow, and trust that everything will pass, just like the sensations in my body.
How I Use This Tool Today
I don’t always have time to sit for hours in meditation, but Vipassana - which essentially is just being with the sensations in my body - is still part of my daily life. Now, when difficult emotions arise, I pause and notice where I feel them in my body. I focus on the sensations instead of getting lost in the story behind them. I remind myself: this, too, will pass.
I use Vipassana in little ways—While walking, paying attention to each step. While sitting in discomfort and reminding myself I don’t have to change it—I just have to be with it.
How You Can Apply This Tool
You don’t need to attend a 10-day retreat to start practicing Vipassana - even though I highly recommend attending one. Here are some simple ways to bring it into your life:
Start small. Sit quietly for a few minutes and just observe your breath. Notice the sensation of air moving in and out.
Feel your body. Pay attention to the sensations—warmth, tingling, tightness—without reacting to them.
Practice non-resistance. The next time you feel stressed, instead of trying to push the feeling away, just notice it. Where do you feel it in your body? What does it feel like?
Bring awareness to daily life. Eating, walking, washing dishes—anything can be a meditation if you do it with full presence.
Resources to Explore
🧘 Meditation Courses
Vipassana Meditation Official Site – Learn more and find retreat centers.
📚 Books
The Art of Living by William Hart – A deep dive into Vipassana based on S.N. Goenka’s teachings.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh – A beautiful guide to living with awareness.
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Vipassana isn’t about escape. It’s about facing yourself fully—and realizing you were never broken to begin with.
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