Alfie

I was thinking of doing 5 days of an at-home meditation retreat in a couple of weeks where I would do something like four 1-hour sessions per day. I've been mediating on and off for about 2 years now and more seriously over the past few months. I recently did my first hour session of do-nothing meditation which was a great challenge but I am interested in going further by doing a more intense few days of this. Do you guys have any advice? Should I do 2 sessions of do-nothing meditation and 2 sessions of self-inquiry each day? Should I do more or less or is this a good amount? Should I take a complete detox from my phone and social media? Should I do some contemplation as well? In general, what environment and techniques will give the best potential for growth (and possibly an awakening experience) in these five days? Thanks in advance for your guys' help, I'm very excited for this

Just interested in your opinions on the book list and the Life Purpose Course. I'm only 16 so, as you can imagine, I don't have loads of money (probably a few hundred pounds saved up) and I'm wondering whether it is worth me buying the book list and the life purpose course or if I should wait a couple of years (particularly for the life purpose course) in order to save up a bit more money. Do you wish you had bought it at my age or am I better off waiting a bit longer and saving up a bit more? Did you find the book list to be helpful and worth the money? I'm pretty sure I will buy the book list but it just seems like quite a bit of money without actually getting any of the books themselves. I think if 2 or 3 books were included within the price then it would be an instant buy. I think that the Life Purpose course would be a good investment but I am just unsure if it is a bit too early for me to be making a purchase like this. . Really interested to hear of your experience with either of the 2 and I would appreciate any replies.

Should I be able to meditate by myself for over an hour, two hours, three or even four hours? Should I be a certain age? (I'm only 16 now but it is something that I am eager to do in the future) Should I have had experience with psychedelics? Should I have had some sort of profound awakening experience? Or should I go as soon as I have the chance and not worry about any of the stuff listed above?

So far I've just been using a couple of my pillows but I can find this a bit uncomfortable and was wondering if it is worth investing in a meditation cushion. Any recommendations would be appreciated