I’m really looking forward to participating in a 10 Day Silent Vipassana Meditation Training Course August 8th-20th! We will be completely off the grid, practicing meditation each day from 4 am – 9 pm. I’d like to send out a great big thank you to the previous students at Vipassana Dhamma Association for accepting me into this 10-day course.

Vipassana, a term which means to see things as they really are, is one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a remedy for all universal ills, known as an Art Of Living. This non-sectarian meditation technique aims for total eradication of mental impurities and also aims for the highest level of happiness and liberation.

All students attending the course observe “noble silence” — that is, the silence of body, speech, and mind. We each make an agreement to refrain from communicating with our co-meditators. The entire practice is actually a form of mental training. Just as we use physical exercise to improve our bodily health, Vipassana can be used to develop a healthy mind.

I CHALLENGE YOU!  #rytchallenge

We live in a noisy world. Life can get very busy and sometimes quite stressful. There are many stressors that could be impacting us. Our job/career, relationships, children, health, or fear of the unknown that may be weighing us down. Many of us have forgotten to practice the art of silence in our lives. During the month of August, explore the many ways that you too can slow things down a bit, “insert a pause,” and find space for stillness and silence throughout your day.

S – SLOW DOWN and Create Space for stillness. Take a few moments for prayerful gratitude and reflection before you go to bed, or when you wake up; Pause for a moment before pulling out of the garage or before walking into the house after a long day at work; or take an extra minute in the bathroom stall before going back out into the public.

I –  Make “I Am ….” statements. “I am peaceful, I am joyful, I am grounded, I am loved,” etc. Practice self-love by taking quiet moments to repeat your statement (silently) in an attempt to show yourself that you appreciate and value your body, mind, and spirit.

L – Listen and Trust your Intuition. Your inner guidance system is speaking to you in every moment. It wants nothing more than for you to trust your gut instinct.

E – Expand your horizons. Step out of the house, office, or hospital and go for a quiet walk out in nature. Be sure not to play digital sounds that could distract you from the natural sounds that surround you.

N – Nurture yourself. Create moments of “pause” throughout each day.  Take 3 deep, cleansing, nurturing breaths to reset your energy. Fill your own cup!

T – Tune into your own heartbeat. When was the last time you took a moment to get still enough to hear the sound of your own rhythm?

The silence is right here within us. The purpose of meditation and also the challenge of meditation is to create space to become still enough to allow this interior silence to emerge. All we must do is tune in and enter into it… to become silent and access the depth of silence available to us. Silence is the language of the Spirit! 

Let me know how you are adding some space for silence in your life by adding the #rytchallenge to your social media posts. I’d love to hear from you!

ABOUT THE VIPASSANA COURSE

“Vipassana focuses on the deep interconnection between mind, body, and spirit, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the many physical sensations that surface that in essence from the life of the body. These sensations continuously interconnect and condition the life of our mind. It is in this form of observation-based, self-exploratory meditation journey, that allows us to get to the common root of mind chatter and our bodily discomforts, and assists us with dissolving mental impurities, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.” 

Vipassana Dhamma Association Website: https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana

I am so very excited to experience this magical opportunity to be in silence. Stay tuned for updates!