Experiencing My First Vipassana Meditation Retreat 

“The healing I was seeking was waiting in silence”

For years I have been wanting to attend a Vipassana Meditation Retreat and finally sat down and registered to attend the next available sitting.

For ten days, I stepped away from the noise of everyday life with no phone, no speaking, no eye contact, no distractions. Just silence. What I discovered in that stillness changed me. This wasn’t a relaxing getaway. It was a deep dive within and being a meditator I thought this would be an easy adventure. I journeyed through discomfort, clarity, emotional release, and ultimately…peace.

I want to take you behind the silence and into the raw truth, the breakthroughs, and the unexpected beauty of a Vipassana meditation retreat. If your soul has been whispering for more presence, more depth, more truth…come with me as I share my experience!

What Is Vipassana?

Vipassana means “to see things as they really are.” It’s one of the oldest forms of meditation, believed to be taught by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago.

It is a silent retreat but Vipassana is more than silence. It’s a process of observing your inner world, your breath, sensations in your body and your thoughts with complete awareness and without judgment.

Through this observation, anything that needs to heal will begin to rise to the surface. Old emotional patterns and pain in the body will bubble to the surface and dissolve. It’s not always easy, some people didn’t last the full ten days, some secretly whispered to others but if you stick through it and do it properly it is powerful.

The Challenge of Silence & the Transformation Within

When I first arrived, I was super excited and wasn’t sure what to expect. Blackheath Vipassana Centre provides a gorgeous and peaceful nature setting in the Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia. I checked in, handed over my mobile phone, keys and my wallet (just in case I decided to take off…) and went over to settle in my room, which I had all to myself!

For ten days, you commit to complete silence. No talking, no phone, no reading, no writing, and no eye contact. I wanted to do this properly to feel the benefits. There were people not committing themselves and I knew deep down within, my spirit wanted to make the most out of the ten days of silence for my Soul to evolve through this experience this is why I was grateful to have a room to myself.

Wake up call was at 4am and we would begin our first meditation at 4:30am sitting for 2 hours. I used to break this up 1 hour in my room and 1 hour in the meditation hall then we would break for breakfast. We would meditate for a total of 8 hours per day and eat simple vegetarian meals in between.

“You don’t escape your mind, you meet it, with presence…

and that’s where the healing begins!”

The first 3 days were the hardest, some people had already left and I was wondering how I would get through it. My meditations became noisy, I would meditate and the faces of lost friendships or people who betrayed and hurt me kept popping up which would irritate me because it distracted my meditations.

Going for walks meant thoughts of them would appear until I sat in my room one day and meditated waiting for each of them to appear and this time instead of pushing them to the side I faced them, shared how they hurt me and that I forgave them, now moving on sending them healing and compassion on their path. This worked for me and then I could go back to enjoying my meditations.

10 Days, Countless Shifts

As the days went by I could feel peace, energy rising within me, occasionally feeling the need to smile for no reason. I am aware that the more you meditate the more magic you experience this is something I have experienced many times so I was looking forward to what would come out of this retreat.

My most profound moment was during a mediation, I kept seeing a seafood platter I enjoy at Bondi Icebergs and then when I left the room I saw someone had hung a jumper outside their room which I didn’t notice before and when the breeze turned it the jumper said “Bondi Icebergs!”. I was beside myself!

Another thing I noticed was all these great ideas would appear after my meditations and I would reach for my phone to make a note of it but couldn’t and had to learn to let it go, trusting that it would somehow come back to me if its meant to.

“If your Soul is yearning for peace or answers, maybe silence is your next teacher too”

Returning to the real world, I noticed how I was sensitive to the noise of chaos, I wasn’t sure how long it would last but for a short period of time I couldn’t handle having headphones in my ears or the sound of busy traffic.

Once you have completed your ten days you are considered an old student and can attend the 3 day retreats and other events but this is only available to the students who have completed their full ten days of silence and are encouraged to continue the practice everyday at home as often as you can to maintain your true divine essence.

Vipassana was a beautiful experience for me and I would do it again. Have you ever considered a silent retreat? I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions and if you’re seeking a space to go within, our Centred Awareness retreats or workshops may just be your starting point. Follow me on Instagram or join our Community Platform to keep in touch!