Posted on • March 22nd, 2025 • Aimeé Durán Triujeque • Yoga

Spending 10 days in complete silence, almost isolation, and disconnection from the world can seem like a luxury not everyone can afford. A friend once told me, “If you’re going to go on a journey, go on the journey toward the inner self.” Those words echoed in my mind as I embarked on a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat.

At its core, the experience was a true pause—on life, noise, worries, burdens, and responsibilities. At first, the rules felt strange: no speaking, no eye contact, no touching, and no acknowledgment of others. This detachment from external connections created an almost ethereal solitude. The daily schedule was rigorous: 10 hours of meditation every day, punctuated by minimal movement. It was peaceful until the cacophony of my inner world began to surface.

Vipassana, which translates to “seeing things as they really are,” is rooted in Buddhist principles but is secular in practice. It teaches practitioners to observe bodily sensations without judgment, fostering an awareness that extends beyond the meditation cushion.

One of the retreat’s central teachings was on impermanence—acknowledging that all sensations, emotions, and experiences arise and pass away. The pain we feel when a loved one hurts us, the frustration of waiting in traffic, the joy of an accomplishment—all are fleeting. By learning to detach from these experiences, even positive ones, we can cultivate a more stable and enduring sense of peace.

But as enlightening as this was, it was also difficult to put into practice. The road to happiness isn’t complex in theory: recognize the impermanent nature of life, remain equanimous, and act with compassion. Yet, in reality, it requires a lifetime of practice.

While the benefits of meditation are well-documented, the process isn’t easy. Sitting immobile for hours at a time can be physically and emotionally challenging. For me, the physical discomfort of prolonged stillness often gave way to emotional discomfort and restlessness.

There was one day, right at the middle of the retreat, when we were encouraged to not move one muscle for two full hours. They said that it would be an almost surgical intervention that would rewire our brains and promote neuroplasticity… I’m not sure if I actually experienced that but the mixture of agony I felt when my already tense hips got even more tense, and the determination to sit through it no matter what, did shift something within me.

While most of us couldn’t endure those two hours, the practice of staying present and observing the sensations, rather than reacting to them, revealed a new level of mental strength. While I didn’t achieve perfect stillness, the experience taught me that resilience isn’t about avoiding discomfort—it’s about staying with it, observing it, and letting it pass.