Nirvana with Nav Nav Wirach

In June, I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat at a center just north of Toronto.

During my time, I had no access to my phone, was prohibited from speaking to others, had nothing to read, no where to write, no music to listen to, discouraged from any physical exercise while being asked to meditate for upwards of 10 hours a day.

It was a profoundly intense experience.

I sit down with my friend Aous to talk about this Vipassana experience (loosely translated as Mind Purifying or Purification of the Mind)

There's a lot of great stuff discussed throughout this episode and Aous offers a great perspective about what meditation and mindfulness can mean for the average person. 

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SHOW NOTES

https://torana.dhamma.org/ -- Vipassana center, just north of Toronto

TIME-STAMPS

00:00-20:33 - Introducing Meditation and Vipassana, what a practice can look like, my mind-set leading up to the retreat

20:33 - 38:48 - Daily Course Schedule - discussing wake-up, meditation schedule, food

47:55 - The Possibility of Quitting

58:58 - The Five Precepts

66:00 - Introducing MBSR - Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Choice-Points**

76:26 - Opening The Heart

84:30 - Day 11 - Closing Ceremonies

Sharing my thoughts before heading out for my 10-day Vipassana/Silent Meditation Retreat.

Over the course of the next 10 days, I will be disconnected from the outside world, with no access to phone. I will be observing noble silence - no talking, reading, writing, exercising, listening to music. Meditating 10 hours a day for 10 days.

Now, let us begin,

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"The whole cosmos has come together to create you. You carry the whole universe inside you. That is why, to accept yourself and to love yourself is an expression of gratitude" - Thich Nhat Hanh

Our daily lives come with stress and anxiety that unnaturally separate our connection to our bodies and one another. The quality of our life depends on how deeply we can connect with the elements of the natural world.

In this meditation, we will connect with the elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Space to better understand the lessons that nature is meant to teach us.

Although this meditation can be practiced sitting down, it is a great practice to explore while you are outside. To help you better notice how these natural elements exist both within us and outside of us.

Come back to this session whenever you need to reconnect with the flow of the natural world

Now, let us begin,

Follow, ask questions and provide feedback on Instagram @NirvanaWithNav or email me at NirvanaWithNav@gmail.com

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In Japanese Zen Buddhism, there is a term known as Shoshin, which translates to Beginner's Mind and refers to a paradox - The more we know about a subject, whether through knowledge or experience, the more likely we are to close our minds to further learning about it.

In a society where most individuals attempt to cultivate an "expert's mind", we fall into the trap of closing ourselves off to growth and improvement by getting "stuck" in habitual and limiting patterns of thinking and doing.

In this podcast I break down the qualities that make up that mind of a beginner, certain actions we can take in our daily lives to cultivate those qualities and then a guided meditation at the end in which you can hopefully apply the mind of a beginner to a practice of sitting and breathing, as if it were being done for your very first time.

Now, let us begin,

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In a world where we are constantly overwhelmed with anticipation of the future or exhausted by being made to dwell on our past, the present becomes a gift in which we can connect to our deeper selves as an integrated and unified organism. 

This 15 minute guided mindfulness meditation will help you cultivate stillness, silence, peace and ease by connecting you to your senses and grounding you into the present moment to experience a deeper level of awareness

Come back to this meditation whenever you need to reset and reconnect with yourself in your busy life

Now, let us begin,

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A Meditation of love and gratitude towards the body with an aim to express care and affection for our body.

Our organs, such as the lungs, the heart, and the liver work diligently over many decades, but how often do we take the time to show them any attention or compassion?

By simply breathing consciously and putting ourselves in touch with all the different parts of the body, we come to feel and understand how we can bring ourselves peace and joy.

By bringing in love and gratitude, we can go out into the world mindful of our place within it, aware of our connectedness to all beings, of our interdependence, and of our oneness.

You can practice this exercise seated or lying down to relax, waking up in the morning or before going to sleep. Whenever you need a few moments to connect with yourself, this meditation is available to you.

Now, let us begin,

Follow, ask questions and provide feedback on Instagram @NirvanaWithNav or email me at NirvanaWithNav@gmail.com

Subscribe through Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts