April 2026

Vipassana retreatGallery / 12 images “Cigarettes and Alcohol” was not the spiritual anthem I’d envisioned for my journey to a silent meditation retreat. But there we were, a coachload of enlightenment-seeking strangers, rattling through the English countryside while being trolled by a bus driver and his ironic playlist. Cigarettes and alcohol? Definitely not for the next ten days. No phones or laptops either. In fact, not much of anything: no books, writing, eye contact, gesturing, eating past noon and – crucially – no talking. Just ten, long days of introspection.  Vipassana, which means ‘to see things as they really are’ is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. The practice involves repeatedly scanning the body from head to toe until you feel...