Original subtitles

okay I think I'm on I'm recording hey

guys this is Tom um this is the first

video I've made for a few months now cuz

I've actually been out doing some

volunteer work in Kenya um I made a was

making some videos on this YouTube

channel around the beginning of the year

and also uh last year and I was quite

enjoying the process so I'm going to

continue it now I'm home and and talk

about a few things and today I'm talking

about theer again one of my first videos

was me talking about my experience of

the first time I did a 10-day goenka for

passer Retreat here in the UK um and I

recently just got back from my second

one last weekend and I noticed a few

differences and I also realized how much

easier it was knowing what to expect and

how it really helped me in making the

most of those 10 days so I thought it'

be useful to make a video with some

advice and some tips for any perspective

new students who are about to go on

their first 10day vassa course and also

for anyone else who's maybe done it

before a few years ago who is thinking

about doing it again and just a little

reminder because it really helps just

having your mind clear on a few issues

to make the most out of it whilst you're

there so let's get straight into it I've

got 10 points I'll try and move through

them quite quickly um and keep it as

useful as they may be number one try not

to expect too much when you go into the

uh the pasta experience you've probably

if you're doing it or if you're thinking

of doing it you've probably read some

blogs on the internet uh you probably

read uh watched some videos maybe like

the one I made last year and you've

heard all these experiences people have

had you've heard people maybe seeing a

white light or having out of body

experiences or um becoming free from an

addiction they've had or or having

strange feelings and tingling Sensations

in their body yeah that stuff all

happens but every experience is unique

to the

individual um so if you can go on with

an open mind not hoping you're going to

experience anything uh you'll be able to

keep your mind clear on the technique

how to practice it and then you just go

of the flow and you see what happens

it'll make it a lot easier okay so

that's tip number one let's get on tip

number two follow this is linked to the

first follow the instructions implicitly

now maybe you've been meditating for

years and suddenly you're learning a

different way of meditating and you

might think well you know this this way

I've been practicing before works for me

doing this so maybe I'll practice that

instead of what they're saying or maybe

I'll just twist it a little bit so I can

practice that um it's a start of a

slippery slope because once you're doing

once you start thinking like that you'll

start to continually question and doubt

what you're being taught and you'll just

end up in really mixed up and in a world

of confusion um I'll admit this kind of

happened to me the first time I did it I

started doubting a lot of the things

that were being said and I kind of I

didn't spend as much time as I could

have practicing what I was being taught

and therefore I wasn't ready or didn't

have the tools available to deal with

the the things that I experienced or to

make the most of those 10 days second

time round I just stuck to what was

being said and and just did it it frees

up so much mental energy

um and just makes it a lot easier to

keep your focus and also I found the 10

days On's a lot quicker as well um by

doing that number three decide on your

position of meditation um your your

posture as early on as you can it's

always funny when you go into the the

meditation Hall and you look around and

you see everyone's uh Creations on their

meditation mats of the all the different

cushions they use some people are on

these towers it's like the uh Princess

and the PE you know that they're sitting

on cushion after cushion after cushion

cuz they think that's going to make them

more comfortable um other people have

got blankets wrapped up to support their

arms and legs there's just it's just

funny uh seeing all the different

Creations but if you can find a position

which will either probably be sitting

down cross-legged in the half Lotus or

full Lotus um sitting in a chair if you

have a some kind of back ailment or

kneeling on your knees figure out which

one of those is right for you and then

just try and keep it simple uh because

if you're trying to feel comfortable the

entire time it's

impossible no matter how flexible you

are no matter how long you've meditated

for there will be a point throughout

this 10 days where you suffer some

physical discomfort so the best thing to

do is instead of thinking by adding

another cushion here or another blanket

there which is going to alleviate it is

just find a position where you at least

feel comfortable to sit down to start

with and stick to it I found just a

single cushion underneath my bum sitting

cross-legged was the best way to go

first time round I tried all sorts of

different ways to sit so figure out

something simple and stick to it again

it's amazing how much mental pain and

anguish your mind will create if you can

uh if you're trying to fix every single

little ache uh and niggle because it'll

just make it worse and worse it will

make it a big thing if you just sit down

you become focused you don't even notice

them so find a position and stick with

it number

four obviously uh

not many of us are used to getting up at

4:00 a.m. in the

morning but once you're awake try and

stay awake for the rest of the day it's

very tempting and very easy to take the

the times out in you're given in the day

at lunchtime or after breakfast or even

when you're told that you're allowed to

go back to your room to meditate it's

very easy to use those times as like oh

I can escape and and sleep and chill out

and lie on my bed um if you do that one

it will kind of mess your mindset up up

and your focus because you're going to

be drowsed L the time you're going to go

in and out of sleep um and also it will

create start to create a mental barrier

between you and the practice of trying

to learn this technique and if you do

that it's kind of like there's not much

point of you being there in the first

place um you'll just end up having a

boring time and looking at your clock

and your watch all the time counting

down the minutes counting down the days

till it's over so just try and stay

awake and just try and keep working and

practicing and it's tough at times it is

a lot of self responsibility and

sometimes the constant meditating can

seem monotonous but believe me if you

just have a bit of discipline and you

just keep making the most of every day

you will get into a Groove and once you

get into that groove it becomes a lot

easier if you feel tired just go for a

brisk walk or even have a cold shower

just to anything to just keep you awake

tip number five don't and this this

relates to the last tip about feeling

tired when it comes to meal times

especially lunch don't go overboard on

your portion you'll be told this but

it's always worth keeping it in mind cuz

it's amazing watching just how much some

people will eat um obviously you're only

being fed twice a day but the food at

lunchtime is plentiful it's really good

food really good vegetarian food and

there's plenty of it um yeah if you eat

too much you're going to feel drowsy

you're going to feel heavy uh it's not

going to be condusive a good mindset for

meditating plus even though you're

getting two meals a day you're not

really doing anything you're not being

physical you're not running around you

don't need a lot of energy um and you'll

feel better if you don't starve yourself

obviously but if you just eat enough

don't eat till you're full just eat a

little bit less than you normally would

save the food enjoy it trust me you'll

feel much better for it so go easy on

the food don't go crazy tip number six

um you get some free time during the day

or some rest spite to walk around uh

explore the area a little bit um chill

out sit down whatever these are great

opportunities to instead of turning off

mentally to actually practice just being

present being in the present moment

keeping your eyes open while still

meditating because in truth most of our

days we spend with our eyes open so it's

not good to only keep that mindset when

you're sitting down to meditate try and

carry it with your eyes open so it

actually is useful for you in your

day-to-day life so when you walk around

just be mindful look at things but try

not to label them or think about them

just

experience what it is you're

experiencing at that moment go for a

mindful Walk The Walking areas are

usually uh in very beautiful spots so

the one in UK in dader is anyway a nice

little Woodland and you can notice so

many things and it's a really good

opportunity to just keep you in that

meditative mind State rather than just

going to sleep or just switching off or

just daydreaming for an hour so just try

and stay present it's a great practice

and it'll help you in your daily life um

when you get back to all right number

seven this is a bit of a funny one um

but it is something that will arise for

a lot of people and arise is you'll have

to excuse the pun when you figure out

what this is about but um sexual

fantasies are something that will

probably come and and uh try and deter

you at some point this is maybe the

first time for a lot of people U unless

you live in the basement of your parents

house where you will be separated from

the opposite sex for such a long amount

of time now you're not completely

separated from them you will still see

the opposite sex as they shall be

sitting across from you in the

meditation hall now it's very easy to

come a bit distracted you start looking

over maybe you see a a nice guy or a

nice girl that takes you fancy maybe see

a couple and as you're sitting there

your mind starts to kick into action and

starts imagining certain situations that

maybe you and these lovely counterparts

across the hall could end up in now once

you do this it can become very

distracting believe me so it's good to

just obviously not suppress it be aware

of what's happening but quickly throw

some water on it cool it all down and

move on go back to your focus um of

meditation

um because otherwise every time you

leave that dhall you're going to have

some very embarrassing and awkward

shapes uh prodding from your pants areas

well especially if you're a guy if

you're a girl then well you're probably

sitting on the wrong side of the hall if

you're getting those shapes proding um

so yeah just be aware it happens just

save it till you get home number eight

quite an important one uh the pasta is a

bit of well it is it's an emotional

roller coaster so don't go in expecting

10 days of mental Bliss um away from the

craziness of the outside world it is

that but you'll also have down days um

no matter how good you think you are

following the meditation or how good

you're doing or how high you might feel

one day be rest assured you're going to

have times where you are going to feel

down the best thing to do is just accept

this don't allow it to put you off the

technique to make you think it's not

working to make you think you're wasting

your time just accept it um

the quicker you accept it and you get

back on the horse so to speak uh the

easier it is and you'll find when you

talk to people at the end that everyone

goes through this it's just it's normal

you're you're allowing so much stuff

inside of you to start to come up to the

surface and not all of it's going to be

pretty so just be aware that sometimes

you're just not going to feel all that

hot just again allow it to pass and

continue number nine you will get the

opportunity to ask ask questions and if

you're a new student you are going to

have a lot of questions to ask maybe

you've got lots of doubts um or you just

you're interested you want to know more

about certain things uh it's good to ask

questions the assistant teachers that's

kind of why they're there is to offer

guidance um and so you can ask questions

to them but don't get too caught up in

your head trying to formulate really

clever questions or to have

philosophical or intellectual debates

with them because they won't they won't

play with you that's then that's what

they're not there for that so a good

thing is to if you have a real pressing

issue that you can't ignore ask the

question otherwise just keep following

what you're being taught it makes it a

lot easier and it'll FP a lot of mental

space number 10 um again a bit of a

funny one to end on um and this is going

to be personal preference but get used

to chanting maybe I wasn't expecting to

hear as much chanting as you do hear at

a pasta now this isn't chanting that

everyone has to do you're not told to do

this chanting this is just chanting that

is played over the loudspeaker and it's

a recording of guenka the uh the

teacher's voice this chanting is in par

the ancient Indian language that is uh

supposedly the language spoken by the

Buddha and the chanting I think is most

of it is uh words that apparently were

spoken by gotam of the Buddha and it's

being chanted kind of as a a a a

dedication or a blessing or as

encouragement to the students who are

practicing but the funny thing is uh

goenka incredible man a man one of the

wisest men I've ever had the pleasure of

witnessing one of the wisest human

beings compassionate uh full of love

full of humor but not blessed with the

most um aesthetically pleasing Voice or

pleasing voice to the ears um so the

chanting is not everyone's cup of tea

and maybe the first time you arrive the

first thing you hear is this chanting

and you're like what is this I didn't

sign up for this it sounds like a crazy

cult it's not it's just it's just a bit

of cultural conditioning from uh his

past his background of being from India

and Burma and it just so happens that

it's being spoken in the language other

than English so just accept it allow it

to pass over you or maybe you love it

maybe you enjoy it maybe you're going to

go home and buy the CD of G's Greatest

Hits if there's one around but it it's

just just is what it is okay there we go

that's my 10 tips hints words of advice

for anyone who's about to go on their

first for passner course so I hope that

they have been helpful I hope it has

maybe cleared up any doubts or or

anything that you were were worried

about and made you feel more confident

the pastner kind of like anything else

in life uh you get out of it what you

put in so just even if you realize at

the end of 10 days it's not for you you

know I'm to be honest I'm still

undecided and I've done two now um what

I do realize is it does have benefit and

it is a technique that does work if you

follow the what you talk so if anyone

who has watched this video has any more

questions please don't hesitate to ask

if there's anyone who has done a retreat

before and has anything they would like

to add please leave a comment um thanks

for watching if you've enjoyed this

video hit like hit subscribe I've

noticed I've got some subscribers when I

was out in Africa so thank you to you

guys and uh hopefully I can continue

putting on some videos that people enjoy

or find of value thanks have a great day

and peace out