Impressions after my first Vipassana meditation retreat
This is a summary I wrote to a friend after my first 10-day Vipassana meditation course I participated in. It was in South Korea in July 2025.
Vipassana was a very powerful experience. I had done little research about it and did not realise the intensity of the experience. It was very special, powerful, insightful and definitely one of the most difficult things I have done.
There were around 30 men and 50 women. We had to observe noble silence and not speak, communicate by any means or have eye contact with others. We would meditate from 04:30 until 21:00 with breaks. Theoretically 10h but in practice 8h to 8.5h.
The technique is really all about seeing reality as it really is and the goal is to purify the mind and liberate oneself from suffering. The first technique, anapana, is about observing your respiration without trying to change its flow or cadence in any way. We practised that for 3-4 days to enable us to perceive subtler physical sensations on the body (such as the shallowest of breaths on your nostrils). Vipassana was about observing the sensations on each part of your body from head to toe and back. But you were to do so while trying to practice equanimity and always with the embodied knowledge that every sensation is ephemeral; it arises and passes away. The hardest are those last two. If it is an unpleasant sensation, just observe it and do not try and develop aversion towards it. If it is a pleasant sensation, do not try and develop desire for it.
The first hour I sat, my legs were in so much pain I had no idea how on earth I was going to be able to sit for ten days. You're allowed to shift positions but it was always painful at first. And of course the mind was jittery at first. But when you stopped meditating the mind was so calm and I would observe beauty and things I would never have otherwise. Sounds, fauna and flora, the enjoyment of food (which was really good). Sometimes you no longer experience the body as you usually do. You feel these subtle sensations everywhere on the body and it flows everywhere. It's an incredible experience. But most of all it brings such calm and peace, and empathy.
I really recommend it, you learn a lot about life, and it brings clarity and calm. If you have the opportunity, I think it would be a great thing to try.