Can you imagine being so focused and meditative that you could allow a major itch on your body just away without scratching it?

I just got back from an incredible journey of 10 days of silent meditation- Vipassana course – in Joshua Tree, CA. It was the longest 10 days of my life -intense, challenging, emotional, painful, peaceful….life-changing. What is Vipassana? It is the original teaching and gift of Buddha to see and feel things the way they are- help eradicate misery and develop more love and compassion. It’s for any one, from any religion, from any background.

This 10 day meditation camp/course consists of:
- Waking up at 4am and meditate throughout the day til 9pm (of course, with breaks and meals in between)
- Working in solitude though you’re surrounded by others
- No talking, no cell phone, no internet, no music, no writing- NO DISTRACTIONS besides your own mind
- You are served fresh, delicious vegetarian meals every day
- You live in a modest environment
- It is a donation based course (you can offer to donate for the next students and/or volunteer)

The concept is that misery is a part of life. But when we react to our emotions, it brings more misery to us and those around us. Simply put: When an event happens, our mind interprets it and emotions come up and surface as sensations in our body. If we are able to notice these sensations as they arise and just observe them, not letting them manifest into a verbal or physical response, then we can hold equanimity = peace.

And what better way to believe in something, than to actually experience it in our own body as the ultimate truth, rather than what we were taught is in a book, a teaching or because someone said so.

What led me here?
Beginning of this summer, I had a conversation with my soul sister, Vaishaili, about wanting to slow down in life and taking this summer to focus on my spiritual path- to be more conscious of my actions before and after. She said to me, “I know the perfect thing for you and it won’t cost you any money.” Who knew that what she was about to suggest to me would send me on a deep diving journey and would become a life-changer for me.

What I gained for Vipassana?
- There’s a lot things I can go without or less of (meat, luxuries, dinner, beauty products)
- How I am responsible for my own life, misery, refuge and not to seek that in others to save me
- How my childhood has impacted my behaviors as an adult, but it doesn’t have to be the master of me
- How having compassion for my exs gave me even more peace
- How important motherhood is to me. I had a lot of images of me being a mother
- How technology, email and modern life is such a distraction
- How without those distractions, I had the biggest surge of pure creativity
- My roomie, now wonderful new friend, Jacqueline, and I are planning to serve & volunteer somewhere in the world

My favorite parts of this journey:
- At 7am, after meditating and a great breakfast, I would take a stroll in the wonderful cool desert.
- Before the evening meditation, getting to see the sun set in the desert. So many brilliant colors in the sky.
- The awesome fresh, healthy vegetarian meals that were served. The healthiest meals of my life.
- Image of future me meditating, wrapping my arms around my belly. I was 8 months pregnant and my baby was smiling contently in the womb.

Best Practical tips for First Timers (esp for the ladies going to Joshua Tree):
- When you’re doing the group meditation for an hour and your body is getting tense (your stomach is growling or your digestive system is making noises)…Don’t fight it. Let your body work itself out and make it’s sounds. Everyone’s stomach is going off. It’s a freakin’ orchestra in the meditation room.

- If you have to share a bathroom with others, don’t be embarrassed about poo-ing. It’s natural. Just be courteous and get this

- Bring sunscreen (esp if you’re at Joshua Tree)

- Bring shampoo and conditioner. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I wanted to be minimal and use my organic face wash for my body and hair too (just like Dr.Brommers soap). Wrong. It dried out my hair, made it oily and I’m sure half of my hair fell out.

- No shoes required- all you need is a pair of flip flops. Be comfortable. You’ll be taking your shoes off all the time anyways.

- Don’t bring make-up. Waking up at 4am, you’ll be miserable enough not to care. No one else does. Plus men and women are separated, so there’s no need to impress

- Bring light colored comfortable clothes. No one cares that you wear your pajama pants to group meditation. In fact, I loved it because it was soo comfortable.

- Though there are gong bells to let you know when meditation starts, you should bring your own alarm clock or borrow from the center.

- On the Day 4 is when you really start Vipassana – meditation where you can’t move at all. Also, the schedule of the day changes a little bit for this day.

- SURRENDER. Don’t fight any sensations or thoughts. Just let go and surrender yourself to the process. You’ll gain a lot from it.