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Monday was a public holiday in Singapore so we spent an extra day in Bangkok and went to the Wat Mahathat Temple to do a 3 hour intro to Vipassana meditation.  Kingsley has done quite a bit of meditation over the last few years but this was my first experience and I was a little nervous.

We begin the session by waiting in a small room with a few other backpackers from Holland fior the main monk to arrive.  He eventually showed up almost an hour late which might have been intentional and actually been part of the whole experience.  Once he sat down he began by sharing some details about Vipassana meditation.

Here are some of my takeaways from the experience.  The first thing is to be aware of your actions, your body, your mind, your heart. Whatever thought passes through your mind, just be an observer.  Whatever emotion you feel, just remain an observer. Don’t get involved, don’t try to identify, don’t evaluate what is good or bad.  It is also important to become aware of your breathing. As the breath goes in and out your belly rises and falls. It is important to observe this.

While sitting and meditating, the primary object is to be watching the rise and fall of the belly. While watching your breath, many other things will take your attention away. Nothing is a distraction in Vipassana, so when something comes up, stop watching the breath and pay attention to whatever is happening until it’s possible to go back to your breath. This may include thoughts, feelings, judgments, sounds, and body sensations.

It is the process of being the observer that is significant, so it is important to remember not to become identified with whatever things came up during the meditation.

All of this sounded pretty simple as the monk was explaining everything but when the time came for us to actually sit in silence and meditate everything flew out the window.  I was hot, cold, uncomfortable, bored and restless.  Kingsley, having done 10 days of meditation in the past, was a pro. I have to admit I peaked at the clock several times and was shocked to find how slowly time seemed to be crawling by. However, at the end of the experience I really did feel a bit more peaceful and centered.  Not sure if I could ever do 10 days of it but I enjoyed learning more about meditation and it was interesting to catch of glimpse of what it must have been like for Kingsley during his 10 days of Vipassana. I have a newfound respect!