Do you have any Vipassana Retreat Advice for me?

[Kensho]

Take some earplugs, an eye mask, and whatever you need to make your sittings more comfortable, like small pillows for under the thighs. Ask for back support if sittings with a straight spine gets painful, or move against a wall. 

An other point that I d like to mention is that the mind can at times become like a rollercoaster during the retreat, and among others, thoughts about leaving can occur. So... whatever your mind tells you, no matter how convincingly it will justify leaving the retreat, stay till the end!

Have a great time!!

Edited July 26, 2021 by Kensho

[BipolarGrowth]

Three characteristics contemplation practice is what will create lasting results. Good luck. Smash some formless jhanas open. 

[evolving55555]

@Consilience Wow, thank you. I haven't read that advice anywhere, I'll act on it. 

[evolving55555]

@Kensho Awesome, thanks so much!

[evolving55555]

@BipolarGrowth Thank you!

[evolving55555]

@Kensho By the way, are you allowed to use the eye mask and earplugs while meditating in the hall? Or from your experience, is that what you did? I was going to use them while sleeping of course but I see how they'd be beneficial in group meditations as well.

[Kensho]

57 minutes ago, evolving55555 said:

@Kensho By the way, are you allowed to use the eye mask and earplugs while meditating in the hall? Or from your experience, is that what you did? I was going to use them while sleeping of course but I see how they'd be beneficial in group meditations as well.

I did use them but not all the time. Maybe in the first morning session when there is no audio or when i felt easily distructed by coughs or other sounds. The eye mask is mainly if the sleeping room is for many people. If Light is distracting  during sittings, a hoodie is very helpful if you have it over your head down covering the eyes, but that s probably only for winter time. 

Try to get enough sleep every Day. 

My cheating was some cerial bars i had in my suitcase in case i got very hungry. In the course of the 10 days i  ate them all... (shy) 

[Matthew85]

@evolving55555 Try to take naps during the breaks if you can. This helped me not to fall asleep during the meditations. Start to disconnect from using your phone, internet and social media 2 or 3 days before the retreat. This will make the transition easier. Align your sleep schedule to retreat schedule ahead of time. You will be starting very early in the morning. Give yourself a couple days or more after the retreat if are able to intergrade the experience and readjust back into normal life and socializing again. All the best! 

[evolving55555]

Thank you, I'll use your tips:)

[Seeker531]

On 23.7.2021 at 2:36 PM, evolving55555 said:

@Seeker531 Ok, thank you. I'm acquainted with basic meditation techniques. Do you have suggestions of more advanced techniques I could explore?

@evolving55555

That isn't that easy. It also depends hugely about how well you get on with a technique. 

After you've done your retreat you can try this one for comparison:

This monk is also from Canada and has his retreat center there. I was in europe with this technique on a 15 day retreat once and the technique kept getting complexer and complexer each day until day 10 and then down from 6hrs to 4 hours of sleep. That was very effective to face all the suffering and let go. But that's just my experience and I only have hearsay from people who tried Goenka and came disappointed to the other technique but that doesn't mean the technic is invalid or so, it may have various reasons like eg it just didn't fit with the person and I am a bit biased too.