Diving right in

The theme of my travels involves experiencing "mindfulness" in a variety of ways. I've done a decent amount of meditation and yoga, and many of you know my area of PhD studies relates to this topic of mindfulness. However, I have a very limited perspective on such a profound concept, and I'd like to expand my knowledge by approaching it through new means.

In that vein, a few of the things I have planned during this trip are:  meditation retreats, extended yoga retreats, massage classes, and deep water solo rock climbing. Alright, so it may be a stretch to call that last one a "mindfulness" activity. But those of you who also struggle with heights and have done any outdoor rock climbing, you know how easy it is to "lose your mind" when you tense to a bracing breeze 50 feet up a rock wall where you're trusting your life to a few bolts somebody drilled into the rock who knows how long ago.

But I thought I'd start out with something basic, something that seems simple. Though by all accounts it will be incredibly challenging. Three days after touching down in Kathmandu, I'll be participating in a 10-day silent vipassana meditation retreat. I'm including a link here that has some information on it: https://courses.dhamma.org/en/student_apps/907448/pages/4/edit

Essentially, it's 10 days straight of no talking or communication of any sort (beyond one brief, daily meeting for questions), no technology, no reading, no writing, no physical activity beyond walking, and 11-12 hours of daily meditation. 11-12 hours?! Here is the daily schedule:

4:00 am		Morning wake-up bell
4:30-6:30 am		Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30-8:00 am		Breakfast break
8:00-9:00 am		Group meditation in the hall
9:00-11:00 am		Meditate in the hall or in your room according to the teacher's instructions
11:00-12:00 noon		Lunch break
12noon-1:00 pm		Rest and interviews with the teacher
1:00-2:30 pm		Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30-3:30 pm		Group meditation in the hall
3:30-5:00 pm		Meditate in the hall or in your own room according to the teacher's instructions
5:00-6:00 pm		Tea break
6:00-7:00 pm		Group meditation in the hall
7:00-8:15 pm		Teacher's Discourse in the hall
8:15-9:00 pm		Group meditation in the hall
9:00-9:30 pm		Question time in the hall
9:30 pm		Retire to your own room--Lights out

To put that in perspective, the most I've ever done in one sitting was 1 hour. From what I hear though, that is the case for most people who go. It'll be quite the crash course, but sometimes that's just what you need to jar you out of monotonous patterns of thought. Going cold turkey is a solution for drug addicts, sometimes the only way to really quit the habit. In this case, one habit I'm trying to quit is negative reactive patterns of thought. We all have them, but rarely pay attention to them. And even when we notice them, it's a rare occasion that we take the time to question their effects and take action to control them. This retreat will provide the opportunity to try that work.

It starts September 1st and ends September 10th. Hopefully I make it through and have something interesting to say.