How I learned to meditate in Herefordshire
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At a centre in the Wye Valley our writer puts aside her initial doubts and learns how silence and focusing on the breath can quieten the mind and boost wellbeing. There’s an itch on the end of my nose and I want to scratch it. Instead, I focus on slowly breathing in and out, noticing the sensation, but trying not to react. My feet feel numb and my hip is niggling from sitting still. I shift slightly on my cushion and try to concentrate on the air as it enters and leaves my nostrils.
![[Dhamma Dipa Vipassana meditation centre]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/016fafbdfaba16d6d1fe294c0720993adeff5fe6/0_0_4032_2419/master/4032.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
It’s day two of a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course at Dhamma Dipa, a centre in Herefordshire’s Wye Valley. I’ve dabbled in various forms of meditation before, but this course – a real deep dive with 10 hours of meditation each day – is on a different level. According to the website, this is the minimum length of time needed to master the technique, so I’ve signed up in the hope it will kickstart a long-lasting practice.
![[The centre is set in rolling Herefordshire countryside]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c009b87d8c2b59af986caceb12314b1f08717ee3/0_66_640_384/master/640.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
It’s a pretty drive through a landscape of rolling hills to the centre, in Pencoyd, 20 minutes from Ross-on-Wye. As I pull in, I’m tempted to turn around and run away. Do I really want to spend the next 10 days in silence? Who are all these weirdos who want to do the same?.
Once an old riding school, Dhamma Dipa is simple but comfortable, with tree-filled gardens and a large, light meditation hall. About 100 people are here and, soon after we arrive, we put mobile phones and reading and writing material into a locker – no distractions are allowed. After a simple dinner and introduction, silence begins and it’s early to bed (I’m in a single room, some people are sharing).
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