Amidst a white stone balcony overlooking a green garden just outside the “Pink City” of Jaipur, I write the first words I have been able to put to page in nearly two weeks. When I started this adventure I knew it would be challenging, but I had no idea how much it would change me.

Getting There

Leaving Rishikesh after five weeks was an odd mixture of emotions. Excitement for the next part of the journey… sadness for leaving behind some truly beautiful friendships… awe at the memories that had been formed in such a “short” amount of time… and gratitude for every part of it. Of course, as per the style of this trip, it was not a graceful endeavor. I had mindfully booked a car the day before to ensure that I would have a ride to the airport hours prior to my scheduled departure time. The morning came and Ylva, Nanna and myself ventured to a cafe for some drinks together before I left. It was a lovely morning, as I got to say goodbye to some of the local friends I had made as well. When it was time for me to leave, I was standing ready, by the same alley I had been dropped off at in the beginning of such a whirlwind experience at 4 in the morning back in early November. Now the time of my taxi’s scheduled arrival came and went, leading me back to the hotel to inquire about it. Which then led to me getting on the back of a scooter, my bag on my lap, holding on as we cruised through the crowded streets, thin alleys and across the Ram Jhula bridge one last time. I could not hold back a smile, adventure in every moment.

Dehradun is supposedly about a one hour drive from Rishikesh. Now, I know I had my eyes closed for a good part of the drive because I tend to get car sick pretty easily here, but I promise you that it took us less than thirty minutes to reach the airport, which is completely impressive and may give an indication as to why I kept my eyes closed.

Upon arrival, I was nearly three hours early so they would not allow me to check in. I found a seat and began reading, soaking up the last of my time I could read before the Vipassana course where I knew that I would have to hand over all such objects. At one point a lovely lady asked me to watch her bags. When she returned we sparked up a conversation and I immediately recognized one of those passing souls that you were meant to meet. Paris, her name, was from New Zealand, experiencing India on her own as well. We swapped stories and connections and ended up sitting next to each other for the flight to New Delhi, where she departed and I remained to head to Jaipur. One of my biggest takeaways so far from the trip has been how so many people take advantage of traveling the World. It is becoming clear it is not just for few, but for anyone who actually has the desire, you can make it happen. Talking to her was a nice and refreshing encounter before the oncoming silence.

Once landing in Jaipur, things were a blur. I grabbed my bag, tried to post a Live Video to Facebook (hilariously failing due to lack of service), a quick chat with my family and found a cab to the center. On our way there the driver started to slow down and pulled over on the side of the road (this is totally normal in India) and this guy came up to the passenger side and started talking to me. Apparently, it was his brother and he wanted to know how long I would be in Jaipur. I tried to remain polite but stern and insisted that I needed to get where I was going before sunset, not really giving him an answer and the driver got the message and continued on. We drove out of the hustle and bustle of the city, through the hills of the outskirts where you get an immediate sense of air quality change- for the first time since arrival in India I could breathe fresh air. I watched the passing scenery in the colors of the sunset and the idea came that they may not only call it the “Pink City” because part of the city is painted that way, but I have never seen a landscape take on the colors of the sunset in such a way either. It was like the whole sky and earth were shades of pink. We pulled down a long road, now far from the city and in the “mountains,” and as I got out the last words my driver told me were to be careful at night time and then drove away. Not weird at all.

Entering the course, I was a day early. I had talked to them about this prior, but they were still surprised to see me. They helped me get settled and took all the things I would not be allowed to have access to in the course period (cell phone, books, notebook, laptop, etc.). One of the servers led me to my dorm for the next 12 days, pointing out some of the campus as we went. It was truly beautiful and one could easily appreciate all the wildlife, surrounding and within. Monkeys, peacocks, puppies (!!!) and so many different birds were all around! My silence basically began that night, as I laid down on my bed and began to ponder on how I felt and what would come in the following days…

The Course

The next day marked the first day of the course and the other students’ arrival. I had spent the morning in silence, wandering around the campus and taking it in. There was a nice walking path outside the meditation hall and I spent most of my time there, observing the nature, animals and working on walking meditation because I obviously would not be meditating enough within the next ten days. Ha!

I was able to meet a few people before we had to enter mandatory silence, and from what I gathered I was the only female in the course that was from the USA. The first night was exciting as many of us were new students to Vipassana and did not really know what to expect, but they guided us in and walked us through the whole time. I remember during the announcements they had described some of the differences for the course for the old students versus the new ones. One such rule is that old student should not take dinner, just warm lemon water. When I heard that I thought, “wow. On top of everything else, that would just be too much right now. I would hate to miss dinner, even if it is just light snacks!” But the Universe had its own plans for me and a funny sense of humor during the course… come the seventh day I got very sick and my body would not allow me to eat anything. At all. It took three days for me to be able to start to eat food again, and then finally on the fourth, I was able to start to eat somewhat normal amounts. Even now my body is still building back tolerance to food. Adding to the intensity of sitting meditation for 10+ hours a day and not being able to talk, communicate or express one’s self at all…

They ease you into the technique, and it is a brilliant technique. Simple, yet difficult at times as you are left to deal with yourself and form a deeper understanding, and extremely effective- if you are willing to be serious about it. But there is no reason to not be open to it- it is completely non-sectarian, and can be practiced by anyone. If you wish to learn more about it I suggest going to this site and even trying for a course yourself, though maybe in your home country. Honestly, a large distraction for me was that it was bilingual. I do not know if that is carried in every course, but trying to hold meditation as you wonder when the instructions will switch from Hindi to English was slightly distracting.

Funny enough, I found not talking to be pretty easy. The hardest part for myself was the lack of self-expression, either through writing, music, reading, yoga, dancing- none of it was allowed. When it came time to talk again, many of us found it hard- how do you converse normally with others?! After being alone with your own mind for so long, you become unsure of what is acceptable anymore. When I got to my phone I actually was confused by it for a second, the feeling was so odd. You are still processing so much, after all, you did just learn a lot about who you truly are, where your mind goes when it is completely on its own…

I will not lie, there were days I considered leaving. There seems to be a good reason behind them taking your valuables, as that does make it harder to leave! But I always came back to the fact that it is only ten days, and it is a worthy experience, though it is difficult. It is not a light or easy task to delve into the soul and just observe the mind and body, but it is a worthy one.

A bit about the course:

The timetable is as follows, and is observed strictly:

4:00 am		Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am		Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am		Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am		Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am		Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher’s instructions
11:00-12:00 noon		Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm		Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm		Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm		Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm		Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher’s instructions
5:00-6:00 pm		Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm		Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm		Teacher’s Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm		Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm		Question time in the hall
9:30 pm		Retire to your own room–Lights out

When entering the course, you are asked to take five precepts:

1. to abstain from killing any being;
2. to abstain from stealing;
3. to abstain from all sexual activity;
4. to abstain from telling lies;
5. to abstain from all intoxicants.

You are also to stay for ten days. Of course, if there is a true reason, they will not hold you back as you are your own master, but they encourage all to stay the course and will not accept you into the course if you do not intend to try. You are to maintain noble silence throughout the course as instructed, not communicating with anyone in any way unless to the teacher as necessary and a server if absolutely needed. The males and the females become segregated during the course and are only together during group meditation hours, at times it is easy to forget they are even around.

One of the most interesting things about these courses- they are completely donation based. You can only give if you have taken a course, and all centers are run this way! It was inspiring to see so many people working on the campus, serving and cleaning and whatnot, keeping it all going simply by volunteering to keep it all together. It enhances the idea of giving, and what a difference your time versus your money can make.

Why Practice Vipassana?

It takes you to the depths of one’s unhappiness, suffering, feelings, sensations and allows one to observe them. It gives you the ability to be truly present and begin ridding yourself of cravings and aversions, to be aware of the self and the moment and just be happy as you begin the path towards enlightenment, of liberation from the cause of one’s suffering. There is much more to this than I can possibly explain, as it is for each individual to experience in their own path. Yet if this seems even slightly interesting to you, look into it. You will not regret trying to understand and help yourself more.

Love & Light