10 Days of Silence: Reflections on My Vipassana Meditation Retreat

Imagine stepping away from the noise of everyday life.

• No phones
• No emails
• No conversations

Just you and your mind, facing each other in complete silence for ten days.

Recently, I embarked on a Vipassana silent meditation retreat. This was an experience that challenged me, stretched me, and allowed me to know myself on a profound level.

This post is my attempt to summarise what I learned – not just for those curious about Vipassana, but for anyone who seeks happiness, clarity, or deeper self-awareness. I’ll share key takeaways here while leaving space to explore further insights in the future.

What is Vipassana?

Vipassana is an ancient meditation technique originating from India. The word itself means “to see things as they really are.” It involves observing sensations within the body with equanimity, training the mind to remain balanced, regardless of external or internal experiences.

The retreat itself is an intense commitment:

• 10 days of noble silence—no speaking, no gestures, no eye contact.

• No distractions—no phones, reading, writing, or music.

• A strict schedule—meditation begins at 4.30 a.m. and continues throughout the day, with breaks for meals and rest.

It’s not a vacation; it’s a mental bootcamp designed to help you break free from habitual reactions and deeply ingrained thought patterns.

The Challenge of Silence

Okay if I’m being perfectly honest this wasn’t really that challenging. You’re in a completely different context to your normal life.

The other 50 guys are on their own solo missions. These are serious people focused on self-realization. No one is trying to talk to you. Everyone is there because they understand the purpose of noble silence.

Under the blanket of silence everything rises to the surface of your mind. Anything that’s not been 100% resolved appears and there’s no way of distracting yourself from facing it.

I think it was probably abit easier for me personally because I’ve already done a lot of deep reflective work over the past year or so. I already knew the problems that might spring to mind out of the silence so was never completely rocked by anything. I also had a positive mindset going in.

During the application process and even when you arrive at the start of the course they repeatedly ask you questions about the stability of your close personal relationships. If you’re in the middle of any serious conflicts or negativities you’d be advised to hold off attending as it might be abit too intense.

Key Insight #1: Impermanence

One of the core teachings of Vipassana is the concept of impermanence–

Everything in life, whether pleasant or painful, is temporary. Just as physical sensations arise and pass away during meditation, so too do the experiences in our lives.

During the hours of sitting meditation I experienced this first hand.

I’d had a severe pain in my left leg from sitting on my sciatic nerve. It felt so bad that I worried my leg would be completely paralysed! But on the 5th day I had a breakthrough, the pain that was there suddenly changed into an immensely pleasant vibrating sensation that radiated out to my whole body. For about 30 seconds I felt complete bliss. After that the pain in my leg was either mild or completely absent.

This was great but now I badly wanted to activate that pleasant vibration sensation again and felt depressed when it didn’t come back.

Understanding the impermanence of any sensation allows you to observe pleasant ones without craving and unpleasant ones without aversion.

Key Insight #2: The Mind-Body Connection

Vipassana emphasises the close connection between the mind and body. Every thought or emotion creates a corresponding physical sensation– tension, heat, heaviness. Observing these sensations without reacting to them can weaken the habitual patterns that bind us to stress, anger, or fear.

After the silence was finally lifted on the last day I had the most enlightening conversation with another student. He'd been suffering chronic stomach pains for years. He'd been told by doctors they were caused by IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) related to stress and past traumas. He’d felt frustrated and fobbed off by the explanation and lack of effective treatment. However since doing the meditation he really understood the connection between his mind and body. He was able to observe for himself the whole process of having a stressful thought or unpleasant memory and then feeling the exact location of his chronic stomach pain flare up.

As a GP it felt really validating when he told me he understood that its practically impossible to explain this phenomenon to a patient in a 10 min consultation and have them accept it without being able to experience it firsthand.

So much of our physical experience is related to our mental well being. The severity of illness, whether physical or psychosomatic is proportional to the level of control we have over our minds.

Developing awareness of this connection can help us really understand the importance of prioritising mental wellness, rather than medicating physical symptoms.

Key Insight #3: The Power of Equanimity

Equanimity—the ability to remain calm and balanced in all situations—is a skill that Vipassana helps you develop. Instead of reacting impulsively to sensations or emotions, you learn to observe them with neutrality.

You might be thinking 10 days of silence and meditation sounds boring but trust me boredom is not an issue. Boredom only happens because you’re not used to sitting with thoughts, memories, and emotions.

Sometimes it got uncomfortable when stuff I didn’t want to think about came up but once I learned to be equanimous I was able to detach the uncomfortable emotional feeling from the memory. Then it lost all its power over me and just faded away. I still remember the event but without any discomfort.

Eventually you realise that when you resist negative thoughts you allow them to live rent free in your head and control your future behaviour behind the scenes. Dealing with them through detached observation is the only way to evict them for good.

This is the real work that you have to continue to persist with if you want to live a happy life. It creates freedom and gives you a space where you can choose how to act instead of being driven by old emotional habits.

The Aftermath: Re-entering the World

Coming out of the retreat and re-entering life was like jacking back into the Matrix. I could barely look at my phone for more than a minute without this sense of apathy kicking in. My mind was so clear and calm that I just sat on the sofa with my cat for about an hour doing absolutely nothing but feeling great.

I’ve noticed a huge shift this week in the way I face challenges, especially in terms of trying to catch up with work after 10 days absence.

I would summarise it with a thought I kept having in the later stage of the retreat:

‘The pain is there, but it doesn’t feel painful’

The tools I gained during the retreat—patience, observation, balance—are helping me change my life and the lives of so many others.

Why This Matters for You

You don’t need to attend a ten-day silent retreat to begin exploring these ideas. Vipassana taught me that the answers we seek—peace, clarity, fulfilment—already exist within us. They’re just buried beneath the noise of our thoughts, distractions, and conditioned patterns.

Whether you meditate for ten minutes a day or sit quietly with your thoughts for a moment, there’s value in turning inward.

I’ll be sharing further insights inspired by this experience as and when they arise.

I hope these reflections will help you navigate your own journey of growth, balance, and fulfilment.

Closing Thoughts

The Vipassana retreat was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life.

It taught me that the way to always be happy regardless of your circumstances is to learn to observe and accept life as it is—one moment at a time.

Stay Healthy

Lewis

Are you wanting to change your life but drowning in distractions?

Check out my virtual coaching room The Empowerment Clinic - now imbued with even more wholesome vibrations courtesy of Vipassana.

You can book a free 30 minute introductory call to find out more.

And if you’re curious about meditation or have questions about my experience, I’d love to hear from you.