WELLNESS
BY MILOU STAUB
HOW SILENCE REWIRED MY BRAIN( AND MY PATIENCE)
You’ d be amazed how loud your brain is when no one else is talking.
I signed up for a Vipassana retreat at
Dhamma Patākā, the meditation centre near Worcester, about an hour and a half from Cape Town. Ten days of total silence – no phone, no wine, no books, no Wi-Fi. Just me, my thoughts, and what I hoped would be inner peace.
A gong wakes you at 4am, which feels less
“ spiritual awakening”, more“ alarm from another universe.” You meditate before sunrise, break for breakfast, meditate again, have lunch, meditate some more, then watch the sun set before another round. No talking, no writing, no reading, no eye contact. Just you and 10 hours of meditation a day.
The first few days are an internal riot. The mind does not go quietly. Mine replayed arguments from 2008, composed imaginary emails, and staged a full-blown musical featuring my regrets.
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