- The Vipassana strengthens the areas of the brain associated with attention, self-awareness and compassion.
- It can help manage anxiety by training your mind to stay in the present moment. It teaches you to observe anxious thoughts as they arise and pass away, thereby reducing their influence over you.
Meditation offers a solution to stress amid busy schedules and demanding lives. Although there isn't a right or wrong way to meditate, it's essential to find a practice that meets your needs.
Vipassana Meditation involves cultivating awareness of physical sensations and developing insight into the nature of reality. Vipassana, meaning "insight," emphasises observing sensations, thoughts and emotions without attachment or aversion.
It encourages a non-reactive awareness of the present moment, helping you to note the arising and passing away of experiences and develop equanimity in the face of changing circumstances.
Vipassana isn't a way to escape your thoughts or feelings; instead, it is a way to become more familiar with them. By practising this form of meditation, you can accept that thoughts and feelings come and go.
You become an observer of your mind, watching everything with curiosity but not getting too caught up in what you find.
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It often involves a period of intensive practice. An example is the 10-day retreat, where you begin by focusing on the breath and then gradually expanding awareness to other bodily sensations.
The goal is to cultivate deep inner awareness and emotional balance. It aims to quiet the mind, allowing for mental clarity and stillness. You learn to stay grounded rather than dwelling on past regrets when you focus on the present moment or worry about the future.
It encourages the gentle acceptance of thoughts, the embracing of emotions, and the mindful awareness of physical sensations as they arise. Through this non-reactive observation, the practice gradually reduces mental turmoil, enabling individuals to live with greater peace, presence, and purpose.
The key is to be an attentive and non-judgmental observer of your own experience.
It can help manage anxiety by training your mind to stay in the present moment. It teaches you to observe anxious thoughts as they arise and pass away, thereby reducing their influence over you.
You gain a more profound understanding of yourself, which enhances your self-esteem and self-acceptance, leading you to consider ways to improve your brain for the better.
The Vipassana strengthens the areas of the brain associated with attention, self-awareness and compassion.
Unlike other meditation forms that emphasise relaxation or focused concentration, Vipassana is all about developing deep insight into the nature of reality, both within and around you and enabling you to observe thoughts, feelings, and sensations non-reactively, thereby enhancing your understanding of their transient nature.
It goes beyond just being present in the moment, encouraging an in-depth exploration of the impermanence, dissatisfaction and non-self of experiences. This insight-oriented mindfulness sets it apart from other practices.
Other meditation forms use mantras or focus on specific objects.
