Om

I enrolled in a 10 day vipassana meditation course in Hyderabad not know quite what to expect. There was no talking, no reading, no writing, not even any looking at anyone. And that was the easy part! The hard part was sitting on a cushion over 10 hours a day trying to tame the mind. My legs were killing me. Check out this schedule:
4:00 a.m. Wake up!
4:30-6:30 Meditate (2 hours)
6:30-8:00 Breakfast and break (When you're taking a morning nap at 7:15, you know things can't be good.)
8:00-11:00 Meditate (3 hours)
11:00-1:00 Lunch and break
1:00-5:00 Meditate (4 hours)
5:00-6:00 Snack and break (Notice how there's not any dinner.)
6:00-9:00 Meditate (3 hours)
9:00 Bedtime
It was grueling. And as if meditating 12 hours a day wasn't enough, they told to meditate even during the breaks, as we were walking, as we were washing clothes, as we were eating. Even the moments of comedic relief couldn't be shared. There were the loudest burps and farts coming from the men's side of the meditation hall. It would be completely silently (except for the woodpecker outside), and then someone would just let it rip. I wanted to bust out laughing and wished someone I knew was there to hear it too. Then there was the night a bird pooped on my head. I swear the bird had diarhhea. I busted out laughing on the inside, but on the outside I just quietly went to the bathroom to wash it off. There were no tissues, napkins, toilet paper, or paper cups. Not a single paper product for 10 days. Being there I realized how much paper we use in the US.
There were plenty of times I thought about leaving. My roommate left on day 7. I'm glad I stuck it out. At the end of it, I was sooooo happy. Not because I felt all peaceful inside but because I could talk and didn't have to meditate anymore. In fact, I wasn't sure at that point if I ever wanted to meditate again! But I have and I do feel much calmer and relaxed having finished the course.