The Art of Living – Vipassana Meditation Retreat Experience

I made up my mind a year ago that I was going to attend the 10-day silent retreat.  This stemmed from a need for empowerment and/or enlightenment.  It was simply a dare to myself to do something that scared me.  I could not fathom the fact that I could survive for 10 days without talking, let alone, waking up at 4:30am daily, eating two meals a day, one at 6:30am and the last meal by 12 noon.

The day came, and I asked my husband to drop me to ensure that I would not change my mind and give up and make the 2-hour drive back home after a couple of days.  Vipassana Lodge is tucked in on the side of a mountain just before getting to Merritt BC.  The place is surrounded by tranquility.  I was feeling good as we approached the gates.  I then noticed that there was an electric fence, an electric gate and my mind went crazy.  What was I getting myself into?  Was this like a Branch Davidian Compound in Waco? As you can imagine, my mind was racing.