Vipassana Meditation: A Journey in Solitary Confinement

How long can you keep quiet for? Ten minutes or ten days? While many people may not have a hard time holding out for ten minutes, as we lean farther towards the ten-day mark, most people would have a problem. Tons of people travel every year to have meditation retreats, to detox, clear their minds and regain focus. The Vipassana Meditation program has garnered more notoriety in recent years for being the mother of all such retreats.

The Vipassana Meditation program (As taught by S.N. Goenka) is modeled after an ancient Indian meditation technique dating back up to 2500 years. It is believed to be the panacea for universal ills.

As soon as you arrive, they make you a contract stating you will stay for the whole course. There are no phones, books or anything that might engage your mind allowed for the duration of the program. Other core rules include, no killing of any living creature, no stealing, no lying, no intoxicants, no prayers, mantras and no sexual activity.

It all seems pretty overwhelming - because it is! Many who enroll for the program drop out before the ten days are over. It is said that the second and sixth days are the hardest, as most people who quit the program usually do so on those days.

There are various locations in the world, apart from India and Nepal, to travel to partake in the Vipassana Meditation exercise. They all have one thing in common: Breathtakingly beautiful and surreal locations, a strict regimen for the participants and an assured period of solitary confinement where people are expected to be absolutely quiet.

Think you can stay silent for all of ten days? You might want to give this a try.