Group Sitting

Last weekend I attended my very first group sitting. A group sitting allows you to connect with other vipassana meditators for a period of time in the same space. I felt this would be a positive push for my meditation practice, bringing some awareness to the fact that I am not alone in this process. 

The sitting I attended was scheduled for one hour and was located in a small room at a local rec center. There were three meditators present, including myself. We chatted for about ten minutes before finding space for our mats and beginning our meditation session.

Listening to a recording of Goenka, I felt relaxed and a bit less scattered than I had been at home. I noticed the ability to center myself on my sensations came to me just a little easier. I was much less fidgety and found it easy to be gentle with myself as I fluctuated between noticing my sensations and drifting off into my thoughts.

The closest group sitting is about 30 minutes away from my home and happens once each week. There is a second group sitting location, about 45 minutes from my house, that has more frequent sessions (including a three hour weekend sit). Now that I have experienced the differences sitting together with others, I hope to make it to more group sits. It would be wonderful to have a location much closer and more accessible, but for now I will work on my own until I am able to work with others.