my advice to someone doing their first 10 day vipassana course…

there’s the practical: (TODO)

but what do i really want to share

10 day
vipassanas
are Boggarts
⚡️

meaning,
the retreat takes the shape of… manifests as… whatever will affect/scare/trigger us the most

which of course is also: what will allow us to grow the most

(to an extent all challenging situations are Boggarts. but, especially, ‘blank slate’ ones like vipassana, where there’s not much physical to distract you from you)

everything is a mirror (for where you’re not free),
this mirror (for where you’re not free) is just closer, and shinier

and so my advice

don’t resist

however the experience shows up for you

is valid

SO FUCKING VALID

you’re not broken for experiencing it exactly how you experience it

no matter how that looks

whether it’s blissfully transformative, or whether it feels horrible and miserable

welcome that

embrace that

IT’S VALID TO FEEL THAT

it’s bringing up the perfect stuff

(and if you can’t love the feeling, love the resistance)

i remember thinking one morning,

“that sunrise would be SO beautiful… if i wasn’t feeling so miserable”

to some extent i was resisting

and i was resisting the resistance

and yet

zoom out

how it unfolded for me was perfect

even if you resist

that’s the perfect thing to happen at that time

like with everything,

(and why so much advice is less useful than we think, the way we tend to apply it, but that’s a topic for another day)

however it unfolds is perfect

so, surrender

to the feelings and thoughts that arise

if you can

don’t, if you can’t

it’s all perfect

i wish you the strength to feel exactly what you feel
as strongly as you feel safe to feel it
i wish you (and every part of you) unconditional love
you rock
you got this
and, this, too, shall pass