Reflections from the Vipassana Meditation Retreat

It is a silent retreat that lasts 10 days in which you are taught to meditate. You wake up at 4:30 AM every day and meditate approximately 8 hours a day.

I decided to do it in Marrakech (Morocco) because it was the only one that had available dates to do it in January 2020. The facility was on the outskirts of Marrakech, it was a rural hotel with incredible views of the Atlas Mountains,

There are 3 types of participants in the retreat :

• Servers: They are volunteers and you can contact them if you have any problem.
• New Students : People who its their first Vipassana retreat.
• Former Students : People who have already completed a retreat and are repeating it again.

Before starting the retreat I was lucky enough to meet former students, they gave me the advice that if I started to have pain from sitting in meditation for so long, that I should tell the team of servers to give me cushions or something to help relieve the pain.

This advice would be key later, the first few days were easy for me. I came mentally prepared to overcome this experience and I knew it was not going to be easy.

During the retreat I had many conversations with myself about friends/family/work that helped me choose my priorities and focus on what really matters to me. I have realized that in the last few years I have not spent enough time caring about my personal relationships and how much they matter to me.Párrafo

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to go so fast in life, it’s okay to stop once in a while to readjust your course. I have been in the survival stage for many years and my top priority was to gain the financial freedom to not depend on anyone. I have come close to achieving this and I know that in the future I will achieve it.

I thought a lot about my stage as an entrepreneur and the person I want to become. It is clear now that I have to take care of my body both physically and mentally if I want to become the who I want to be. It help me to choose my priorities.

The days of retreat were passing and it was becoming more and more difficult for me to keep focused on the meditation. My mind wanted to build so many things and not being able to do so, It was affecting me negatively. During the last days of the retreat I realized how negative the mind can be. I learned how to manage it in the following way: if I had a negative thought, I would give it space, but after 10 minutes I would try to move on, I was not going to let that thought ruin my day.

On the last day you are allowed to talk and start getting to know the other students, I realized how much I had judged each one of them. I’m definitely going to repeat the experience – it’s a good way to meditate and evaluate your priorities.

At the end of the retreat I feel calmer, less anxious. The key is to keep meditating every day to keep getting results.Párrafo

If you have any questions about the retreat, let me know in the comments