Vipassana is a 10-day silent meditation retreat—and there is nothing like 10 days of silence to show you the nature of your own mind. Vipassana means “to see things as they really are,” and that is exactly what I experienced in the course. Vipassana meditation reveals the ways in which we create our suffering, and once this is understood, we can begin to free ourselves from that suffering. Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea are served daily. The meals are simple and vegetarian. Fasting is not allowed. Modest, comfortable clothing suitable for long hours of seated meditation is encouraged, and tight, transparent, revealing clothing that could distract other students is not permitted. Students are not allowed to consume any intoxicating substances during the course—and this includes sedative medications and tobacco products. As you can see, there are a lot of rules in Vipassana—and that’s probably one of the reasons it’s so effective! Vipassana is not actually taught until the fourth day of the retreat. The first three days are about mastering the mind by observing the dynamic nature of reality through the breath. Everything is always changing, including the breath, so the technique practiced on Days 1 to 3 is one where you focus all of your attention on the area just below the nostrils and concentrate on the breath as it graces this one spot just above the upper lip. After three days of this, the mind is calm and students are taught Vipassana. Vipassana meditation is the practice of observing the subtle sensations throughout the body without reacting to them. You scan the body with your attention, noticing the sensations arise and simply watching them. If a sensation is pleasurable, you observe it and let it pass. If it’s uncomfortable, you observe it and watch it pass. Neither is superior, and both are impermanent. If you can cultivate this understanding in meditation, you can apply it to your whole life. Vipassana is taught to be shared with all beings everywhere, so on the final day of the course, a lovingkindness meditation is shared. My mind was spinning, and my emotions building, and then all of a sudden, I saw myself. I saw how I created my own suffering with my thoughts. When I entered Vipassana days earlier, I was not upset with my partner. This conversation happened weeks ago. Nothing had changed except my thoughts. I saw how my thoughts affect my feelings and my feelings drive my (re)actions. I saw how my mind had left the present moment, time-traveled to the past, yet created my current state. And if this was happening on a solo silent retreat, this must’ve been happening everywhere in my life. This woke me up deeply, and nothing has ever been the same. Eastern philosophy threads through all of Matluck’s work. Combining over a decade of experience working in conventional and alternative medicine, she brings a truly holistic lens to medicine, addressing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual obstacles to health. Prior to opening a private practice in New York City, Matluck spent eight years at One Medical Group and has delivered onsite wellness workshops at countless prominent companies. She is also the founder of Seven Senses, where she leads transformational wellness experiences throughout the world.
