California Vipassana Center

If you’re reading this, then you must be thinking about attending this course. I’m going to make it short: STOP thinking and sign up right away! You will understand why after you complete your first 10 day course. Don’t play games with your mind trying to debate if you should attend or not. Your mind will trick you unless you have a good control over it. Your ego will give you billion reasons not to go there (especially inflated ego), because Vipassana also help dissolving ones ego. Just look at the stats, 95% of people admit that Vipassana improved the quality of their lifes. Vipassana alone can not make you happier, but it will give you a knowledge and a tool which you can use to become a happier person. Oh and yes you will have to work hard within your mind and body! In the end you will be very proud of yourself. 10 days of your life is a very small price for the benefits which can change your life forever.

So I completed my 10 day Meditation retreat right before Thanksgiving this year. I know it’s hard to believe especially for people who know me. I mean no talking for 10 days!!! Even I thought this would be impossible but I did make it through and did well. I feel the need to review this location as far as amenities and location as well as to share with my fellow Unilocalers a little about the experience.
It is a remarkable thing to do and to experience and if you have 10 days to make your life better and to be a happier person then I suggest you do it. I think this is good for just about everyone and I think everyone should do it. I am a pretty happy-​go-​lucky person and didn’t have any of the «suffering or miserableness» that they say this technique can eliminate but being a naturally curious person and always up for a challenge. (No talking, communication, TV, reading, writing, computer, phone, or contact with the outside world for 10 days!) Yes you read that right.
I signed up in the summer for a Fall course and never really could wrap my mind around what would happen or how this would even be possible for me personally since I make my living talking and just really never shut up unless I’m sleeping. Well I found it to be very lonely at first, the first 3 days were tough I did get weepy but it was not impossible. I felt as though I was in a really bad movie at times. I mean we are all living together and some people even have roommates and there is no communication happening. 60 women in the dining hall and everyone doing their own thing just hearing the clanking of dishes was sort of surreal.
I’m not going to get into too much of what happens or the technique itself but would like to say this location is very nice. It’s located off the road a bit and very quiet, your in nature with deer being a daily sight in the mornings on the way to breakfast. I came in the Fall and I would suggest Spring or Fall being the best times to come here. Summer would be rough and too hot for me. The women’s side is much more spread out and there is a little bit of walking involved depending on what building your staying in. The suggestions and list of thing they tell you to bring is pretty complete, however I wish I would have brought a watch and a thermos so I could have tea or warm water through out the day. I did bring a water bottle good for hot and cold water made out of glass but a small thermos would keep the water warmer longer and a better option. I was in Building 10 Room J and had a roommate and a bathroom to ourselves (which apparently was very fortunate). We were close to the Dhamma Hall and the Pagoda and there was a ¼−½ mile trip to the dining hall down the hill you make that 3 X a day. They have nice places to walk around on the women side as well — nature walks and just nice places to get away and think on your own if you don’t want to sit in your room staring at the wall on your break times. I would suggest getting out there and finding a nice place to call your own and visit it daily. I found a few of these places and they saved my sanity I think, and gave me something to look forward to. The rooms were very nice and clean and all your supplies (paper towels, toilet paper, tissue and cleaning supplies) are provided.
The facilities are very nice and the Dhamma Hall were nicely heated especially on the cold evenings and mornings. The food was fabulous! Very nice vegetarian meals and they think of everything every condiment you can think of is available, several different kinds of teas, even vitamin C and cough drops were available on the counter. I really enjoyed my tea with honey at every meal and looked forward to see what they had cooked for us each day.
You can really get to know yourself in a place like this, no distractions is just all about you and the servers and teachers are all there for you to have the best experience possible. You go through a wide array of emotions throughout the 10 days and they go from one extreme to the other but you end up leaving a happier and healthier person. Some people feel lighter and just high on life. I came in that way so it was more of a feeling of accomplishment and excitement for me. I recommend this to everyone and anyone if I can do it I know you can. Look into the technique and its benefits and the different locations they are teaching this class and see if its something that is right for you.

If you want to change your life and yourself for the better, this is the place to start.
Despite all the difficulties it is one thing in life worth doing. You will be on the journey towards liberation and you will see things as they are, not as you want it to be no accuses! It will save you a lot of pain and suffering in your life.
The difficulties: not talking, not reading, not writing, being away for 10 days from your cell phone, the internet, TV etc. and no interaction with people however you can talk to the assistant teacher and course manager if you need to ask a question or have any needs that has to be addressed. I LOVE silent so, to me it was a vacation from chit chatting and interacting with people. Another difficulty is sitting in meditation without moving however worth the effort, you will get great benefit out of it, your mind will come down, be quiet and it will carry on after you finish the course. You will get yummy vegetarian meals, and you will be taking care of very well. Accommodation is very comfortable and the landscape is beautiful, near Yosemite in a mountain setting.
There is no charge for the course and everything from the teaching to the accommodations; food etc. is depending on donations. So please do not forget to contribute. I was told, it cost the center $ 250 to support a single student. They will not ask you for money but it is my hope students will support the center as much as the center supports them so, if you can please leave at list the cost of the course to support future students and the center. Thank you.
Please do not be discouraged, do it and you will be surprise how easier and enjoyable it can be-​:)) also keep in mind not everyone is ready to go through this experience and only you can decide if you are ready. Best.

I have sat several 10-​day courses both abroad in India and in the US as well as serving a 10-​day course. This is a great place to do the inner work. The method of the technique is taught with integrity as it is elsewhere yet what distinguishes this center as opposed to others is that it very much feels like you are in a National Park as it located on the outskirts of Yosemite.
For those sitting their first course know that it will be equally challenging and rewarding.
When the going gets tough keep trying. Know many people before you have gone through it so you can too with a balance of surrender and perseverance!
This center provides a great facility to practice and learn a profound technique that I have found most useful off the cushion into the world in my day to day life.

I’m grateful for time I spent here. Just came back from 10 day silent retreat from July 8 ~ July 19, 2015. Truly exceptional and well designed meditation program. Greatly exceeded my expectations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is an elegantly designed program. I had GREAT experience. I highly recommend it.
This is what I wrote on my Facebook:
«#LifeHack: #Vipassana — I just came out of 10 days in seclusion. It was intense and wonderful.
For 9 of those days, there was no contact with the outside world, no cell phone, no talking, no eye contact with others, no acknowledgement of others; just deep meditation and silence. Meditate, eat, sleep, bathroom breaks, repeat (notice the schedule)…It was incredibly tedious and truly challenging. It was very hard work.
During meditation, memories would come at random. I couldn’t trace where the memories were coming from since I wasn’t conversing with anyone. Some of these memories were experiences from childhood that I completely forgot about; profoundly negative experiences that would dictate what opportunities I would choose or deny myself, who I would or wouldn’t date, what I felt I was good at or not good at; all sorts of limitations regardless of objective data; ultimately leaving me with a low experience and opinion of myself AND a shit ton of anxiety and depression (regardless of my naturally cheerful/​playful disposition). Interestingly, I didn’t even have to choose to let go of these memories, it was as if the bad feelings just dissolved and left my body. And suddenly I felt like I could breath freely. Kind of like the clouds parted and life is sunny again.
This is the first time in years that I’ve felt this profound sense of happiness and a feeling of being at peace with myself. The great thing is that I know life is never going to be perfect; things aren’t always going to go as anticipated OR things will happen in ways we aren’t prepared for (good and bad), but I feel like it’ll be okay no matter what. I feel good about the future even though it’s uncertain. :)
Thanks for reading and I want to share a saying that I really dig (said at the end of our sittings): May All Beings Be Happy. «
:
UPDATE:
A fellow Unilocaler asked for more tips, here is what I wrote her:
«Hi,
Just try to follow the rules as honorably as possible, suspend your doubts. Leave everything you know in regards of how to approach you problems and just do the course the way it’s designed. It’s really well designed. And be super gentle and kind with yourself. Do the hard work. It’s only 10 days. The 4^th day is the real deal.
Practical stuff:
— I just brought 5 outfits (all sweats) and 1 pajamas set. I didn’t care about repeating outfits. No one is paying attention to you. They shouldn’t. Everyone’s busy meditating with their eyes closed.
— bring a water bottle
***just bring your happy self or just come as you are. It truly is «wax on, wax off» and be natural, do not force yourself or the process.
ENJOY!!!
Loan
:

Greatly exceeded my expectations. I wish I had done this twenty years ago. This is simply the most effective way to know yourself I have encountered. Like five years of therapy.
What I can add is: everyone involved is volunteering their time for your benefit, the teachers, the people that serve your food. It’s all paid for by former students that want you to have this gift. What more do you need to know? Just do it. I and other graduates are paying your way.
As to the reviewer, the hypnotist with zero friends and 14 one star reviews (out of 22): Vipassana does not guarantee to cure mental illness.

I am a pro-​meditation and I still meditate, however Vipassana is a cult. It took me 3 time to go to 2 different centers before I formed my opinion. It is a centralized for-​profit organization with a cult like structure. Do your homework before you go. I did 10 day course and two times serving. With that said, if you want to meditate and have no other place to train you — Vipassana is an option. Just keep your grounds and do not submit your free will. Also their teaching that physical pain from long sittings is caused by your mind and your old Karma is completely wrong…

3.5 Stars out of 5
What a journey! I can only speak from my personal experience and to be honest, the first five days for me was like a living hell. so much anger, crying, sadness, etc. I was so mad they had so many rules. The hardest thing for me was eating fruit for dinner, lack of sleep (because of knots and pain from hours of meditation) and being told I was to stay in the hall during meditation, even if my bladder was about to implode from needing to go to the bathroom.
However, I feel my mind has become so much stronger. I have had certain OCD habits and surprisingly, I’ve been able to stay away from the habits I have not been able to overcome, even with prescribed medication. My biggest takeaway though was appreciation for life, such as laughter, joy and human connection. I found peace within myself that I didn’t find before. Very grateful for this center!

Please don’t go! As a Hypnotherapist and intuitive I can tell you that my experience there leads me to believe that there are clever and purposeful mind control techniques used at this Center. As well as the «prison» type mentally. The founder actually jokes about this in a video he made 12 years before his passing.
If you value your sanity and your soul please stay away! Don’t believe me? Talk to some of the local towns people. They tell stories of «escapees» having to hike out with only the clothes on their backs and people wondering the streets and hardly able to function after leaving there. I went, like a fool, and once I realized that I’d been put in a trance, it took me three days and nights to de-​hypnotize myself and leave.

I’m not sure I can add anything that the other reviews didn’t already say very well but I wanted to just add another review that says — EVERYONE should do this at least once in their life. It exceeded my expectations and I had all of the same reactions as the other reviewers — I was counting the days to get out on day one (in fact, for hours I was rehearsing in my head my speech to the management on why I needed to leave) but by day 7 I felt like the Jack Bauer of the meditation world. The life is simple, the food is delicious and the pace and clarity of your life for ten days is a gift.
If you’re even considering it, do it. i signed up in April and then chickened out. I’m glad I did it this time, and like some of the other reviewers, I’m sure I’ll do it again.
Mette,

Truly the best things in life are free.
I was on what you could call a «conscious sabbatical» during the time I took my first 10 Day Course (I’ve done 4 so far). After 15 years in the technology industry and having a great run at it for a time, I got to a point where I was emotionally, mentally, and spiritually burnt out and needed to take a break from it all.
I unexpectedly came across the North Fork Vipassana Center as I was on my way to hiking the Sierra Mountains, not too far from Yosemite. I had heard of Vipassana and in particular this center and heard from friends that they had an amazing experience. Because of this I had always been curious about it and as fate would have it, I stopped in and sure enough, there was a 10 day course starting in two days time and there was one space available. So, I signed up and the rest is history.
Over the years I have done a lot of personal development (it’s what I like to do) and as well as other spiritual practices and nothing compares to Vipassana mediation in my experience. I now experience a peace, joy, and happiness at a level that I have never experienced before and it’s priceless. I’m just at this being on this journey but the long search is over and the hard work begins. You won’t necessarily get his from one 10 day course but over time and with consistent practice you most assuredly will. What you will get from the course is a profound experience and a taste of the truly trans formative power of mediation which most people never get to experience in their entire life time.
Be warned there is nothing easy about this course and it’s not for the faint of heart but it was 1,000% worth it. I have seen it first hand change many wonderful people’s lives, myself included. It was the perfect experience at the perfect time. I would recommend this course for anyone at anytime but especially for those who have the feeling that change is in the air and who would like to have a solid foundation for moving through that change which we all know can a scary time.
It’s worth noting that Vipassana is considered to be a spiritual path however there is no conversion going on here. These centers are strictly dedicated to Vipassana mediation and that is it. There are no rites, or rituals, or anything along those lines. And at the end of the course you have an opportunity to make a donation but their is zero pressure to do so which makes it all the more amazing. Vipassana was born in Buddhism and these courses have a Buddhist feel to it but it doesn’t reside there; it’s all about experiencing the unbelievable benefits of Vipassana meditation.
May you all find the peace, joy, and happiness you are looking for.

My first time at the CVC and at North Forks, CA. It is like a 5 stars boot camp meditation center. I love love the CVC & the techniques taught on the audio & video of G.N. Goenka. I will come back to CVC in April again that’s how much I love the teaching. I learn so much, These people really goes out of their way to make everything possible & as easy as it can be so that I can deepen my practice. Thank You all! I just love it so much & I have been to many others retreat center some pay, some no-​pay, but this one is the best of all.
I can’t say enough, if you want to learn & to practice Vipassana meditation, CVC is IT! At least for me.
See the pictures I took after the course at North Forks, CA so you’ll know what to expect if it is your first time.

I was a very casual meditator before going to my first (and currently only) 10 day course. I have a friend who’s been 10 times so I was a little familiar with what went on here and was very excited to go.
I did a fair amount of prior research, and for me I found that very beneficial. I think for others it’s probably more beneficial to do no research and just sign up and go. It depends on your personality type – I don’t like surprises.
It was a really amazing experience. On day 9 I thought, «this has been great, but who would ever do this twice?» and by day 10 I was already thinking, «when can I sign up and come back again? I need more of this!» Well, I will be going back in just a couple of months. I just signed up for course #2! I can’t wait.

I just came back from the retreat less than a week ago. It’s been five days and I believe I am sufficiently reintegrated back in society and putting the technique to practice to write a proper review — which I feel so compelled to write that this is my first review on Unilocal.
First off, the teaching has been very effective in making progress towards a positive change in my life. I will only cover the logistics to make your preparation and make the most out of your experience. I will save the core teaching for you to experience.
Noble silence — Easier than it sounds. Enjoy it.
Much easier than I thought to be silent. Only after a day I got used to not talking, looking, or otherwise interacting with people. Eating becomes an event to cherish. Time alone becomes a time reflect to enjoy. I believe everyone got used to it by day 2. On day 10, noble silence is lifted. I actually had a little anxiety coming out of that — feeling the social pressure of talking with others. The anxiety was unfounded since all other fellow students were so friendly and ready to share their experience. In fact, some told me they also had anxiety coming out of silence. That’s what this course does: it takes your ego and shell away, allowing you to really connect with others.
Accommodation — New and/​or young students ready to share a room/​bunk.
For the male students, there are four buildings: 20, 21, 22, and 24. 20 and 24 are older, well-​used trailer homes with partitions. Each partitioned space may be single, double (two beds), or bunk. They remind me of hostels. 21 and 22 are very new single room buildings. Old students (students who enrolled in the course before) and older students (age wise) tend to be assigned the newer rooms in 21 and 22. While new and younger students tend to get the older, hostel style beds in 20 and 21. I am 36 and new and got a bunk bed in 24. I requested to switch to a single room if possible since I am a light sleeper. The management was very friendly and told me all the single rooms are full. On day four, someone left the course and management informed me a room in 22 — and I moved in.
Food — It really is good not to eat that much.
Vegetarian food all around. Not one day I craved meat. Breakfast is at 6.30. Lunch at 11.00. As a new student I am allowed to have fruits and tea at 5.00. I realize by day 2 eating and sitting for meditation for a long time don’t go well together. Your stomach reacts with noises and aches that impact your meditation. Day 3 I decided to follow what old students would do and not eat fruits at 5.00. I did not suffer hunger at all and had better evening meditation sessions and sleep from it. As others have said, the food is delicious. Each student is responsible for scrubbing their own plates before the server staff take them back for deeper cleaning. On the 10^th day, management asks students to help clean the kitchen and dining hall. I did for the kitchen and it felt great to do what little I could to «give bacK» to the server staff.
Clothes/​packing list — Pack like you are going camping/​running/​biking/​hiking
I am an avid hiker and have a good collection of outdoor clothing. This includes loose, dry-​fit, polyester, wool, and down clothing. I went in Feb 2014 — an unusually warm winter with some days in the high 60s with evenings in the 30s. We also had few days of considerable rain. While you do not spend a lot of time outside, you will have to walk outdoors between different buildings. I also enjoy the trails at the center during break and my clothes allowed me to be outside comfortably. There is no laundry service and you do your own laundry. Outdoor clothing materials allow very quick dry time. They are also very comfortable for meditating. No need to invest in new clothes just for this retreat. But if you already have performance clothing, bring them.
Secularism — Buddha the man. Not Buddha the religious figure
The teaching puts the responsibility of liberation and happiness in the hands of every individual. By looking into ourselves, we find the source of our misery and a place to stop it. Blind faith and devotion to any god, goddess, religion do not work, according to the teaching. In fact, Buddha himself did not seek out to form a new sect or religion. He was a man who found liberation in mindfulness and taught thousands the technique. I find the secularism refreshing and liberating. But those who are deeply devoted to their religion may find the repeated renouncing of «blind devotion» disrespectful. If you happen to be someone like this, just note this is a teaching of the technique that puts the responsibility of attaining happiness if your own hands.
Cushions, back rests, chairs — Keep experimenting
Take some time to experiment. You will be sitting more than 10 hours a day. There are plenty of cushions of different sizes, back rests, and even chairs. Tell management if you do not see them and they will be happy to help.
Much Metta

Taking my first 10 day Vipassana retreat at the North Fork, CA center was the most important thing I ever did in my entire life. Every subsequent retreat was the same. That such a thing is free in this world is preposterous, yet there it is! Waiting for you to take up the glorious opportunity and go!
And the food is so good!

The California Vipassana Center (more formally known as «Dhamma Mahavana», or «Great Forest of Buddhist Teachings») is a large meditation center in the woods near Fresno, in central California. It is the place where I did my first intensive meditation retreat (in 1994), and I have sat two more there since then (in 1996 and 2003 — I have also sat about sixty five-​to-​thirty day retreats with other lineages of Buddhism). The CVC is also the place where many of my friends have done their first (and only) meditation retreats.
The CVC is part of a network of over 120 meditation centers around the world founded by Satya Narayan Goenka. Goenka was a wealthy, culturally conservative Burmese businessman of Indian ethnicity who suffered from debilitating headaches until he began a serious meditation practice under esteemed Burmese meditation master Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Soon after that, Goenka dedicated himself to spreading the message of Dharma around the world. It is now estimated that about 100,000 people take a course at one of his centers each year.
Like all of S.N. Goenka’s worldwide network of meditation centers, the CVC offers constantly-​scheduled ten-​day meditation intensives. Many of these retreats are perfect for both beginners and advanced students, while a few of them are reserved for senior students only.
The context of a retreat there is many hours of sincere, diligent meditation practice, day-​after-​day. The structure and guidelines are old-​school, simple, firm, and clear, and they serve to provide a container in which we can go deep and uproot the deep impurities in our minds.
The basic retreat starts with three days of mediating on the respiration around the rings of the nostrils, as a means of focusing our awareness. Next comes seven days of «body sweeping», systematically moving the awareness through the body, as a means of breaking up knots in our awareness and in our body’s free flow of energy. The final half day is spent in loving-​kindness meditation, cultivating a wish for well being for all.
Over video and audio lectures, Goenka explains meditation techniques clearly, both the «what to do» and the «why to do it». Goenka’s talks are uplifting, inspiring, clarifying, and occasionally even hilarious. The video tape of his lecture towards the end of each evening is fun and watch-​TV-​ish; it’s a welcome break after an otherwise long, austere, challenging, go-​deep-​and-​burn-​off-​impurities day of spiritual workout.
The accommodations at the center are spartan, basic, and look donated, yet they are clean and comfortable. The volunteer staff work to ensure that food is cooked and needs provided for, so that meditators are freed to concentrate all day. And retreats are, basically, by donation — one pays what one can afford. It all adds up to a positive, heartfelt feeling for retreatants at the center.
The area where the center is located is hot in the Summer and cold in the Winter, but the buildings have air conditioning and heating. The food is vegetarian and healthy. Dinner is offered to first time students, but returning meditators are expected to, like Buddhist monks, not eat after the middle of the day.
My problems with retreats at the CVC are relatively minor:
* Goenka, in video lectures, seems to repeatedly make the sectarian and fundamentalist claim that his lineage of Buddhism is the only true, deep, or actually liberatory spiritual lineage — a claim I disagree with
* Many insight meditation retreats offer teachers available for questions and practice reports, which can be especially helpful for beginners and for people on retreat while in emotional turmoil. Goenka retreats have junior teachers available for in-​person personal support and questions late at the end of each night’s final sitting, a time when most retreatants are more than ready for sleep, and there is usually a line formed of others wanting to ask a question. So, access to these teachers may be less than optimal for some.
* The expectation at the CVC is that one will just sit in meditation most of the day, without any of the walking meditation that most other meditation centers also schedule in. I usually try to take sloowwwww walks from my cushion to the bathroom and back, but they also have a volunteer monitor who hustles you back to the hall if you dawdle too much. So, usually, for me at least, I have always had super-​creaky, inflamed knees by the end of the ten days of sitting cross-​legged (I have old knee injuries) .
But, all told, the CVC is a great place to go for a retreat, especially if cost is an issue, and especially if you are looking for something structured, powerful, sincere, and clear. If you are willing to challenge yourself, I imagine you will be richly rewarded by experiences of insight, focus, and liberation.

The chanting begins and I’m eying my quick escape. No one will know… everyone has their eyes closed…
Somehow between the hardest ten-​days of my life, I stopped eying that door. Stopped thinking about my getaway and well, did what I came to do.
Through zero sweat, but a lot (and, I mean A LOT) of tears, I’m definitely stepping more in the «right direction».
This isn’t a spa. This isn’t a fun camp. You’ll leave here needing another vacation. This is a kick you in the head variety, that will benefit you greatly in the long run. Will it hurt? Of course. But, what great lessons are learned about yourself without a little (or a lot of) pain?
Ultimately, commit to yourself these 10 days. Just stick it out and you’ll find yourself with the utmost respect for… you guessed it, yourself. What a novel idea!
And, Ladies… whatever you do… bring the most conservative and warm clothes (even in June!). I brought mid-​calf pants from Indonesia and when I sat, rose to knee-​length and that was still a no-​no. Spaghetti straps are a gasp-​out-​loud-​you-​will-​be-​forced-​to-​change situation and if you think you can cover it with a cardigan, plan to never take that cardigan off. Bring lots of layers and long scarves to cover your bum from any tight yoga pants you might be strutting.
While you’re working on cravings… know that dessert isn’t served every day. I’m still convinced it was a mind game. Okay, okay… I’m still a work in progress!

Conversations like this happen all the time when I tell people I’m going to a Meditation «Retreat».
“Ohhhh, so you’re going on vacation… it must be nice! Have Fun”
«You’re just going to relax for 10 days and feel good about yourself? Totally unfair!»
«I hate you, I wish I could pamper myself and clear my head for 10 days»
WRONG!!! This meditation retreat will kick your ass, it is boot camp for the mind. Meditation is about observing endless pain and suffering (oh those wonderful sensations). It is not easy, fuzzy-​feel good about your «self» meditation. This is examine your deepest habits of craving and attachments, and try to train your mind to break them so you become a better person eventually.
Friends ask me, «How hard can it be? Meditation does sound that hard, just close your eyes and relax.» If you want a taste of how real Meditation works in the Buddhist sense of the word, try focusing on your breathing without having any mental distractions, while not trying to focus on any pain that will arise for 1 hour (Oh yeah, don’t move or change your position… keep your body perfectly still).
That’s basically what we did 10 hours a day. The energy at the end is so great and positive, you feel great after working through the pain and suffering.

I just got back from my first 10-​Day course here.
I had done other 10-​day courses before through other organizations, and I must say that this was FAR superior. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, and I had a truly life changing experience. Like mentioned by another reviewer, it is an excellent foundation for a meditation practice once you leave.
What made it so great was:
— The tight organization. It’s strict, but it’s fair and orderly.
— Clear, very clear instruction. Goenka is a brilliant teacher
— Beautiful (as most meditation retreats are, but gotta say it anyway)
— Very caring, all volunteer staff, and all donation based organization. They clearly do it for the love.
It is tough. You will work hard. But, if you put in the effort, you will see the results… it’s that simple. I don’t know anything else so effective.
Highly Recommended!
EDIT (May 2012): I have since done about 12 more Goenka courses, and a few other courses with other traditions, including a 40-​day in India. I still like Goenka courses and will be going back for #13 this summer.
Someone asked me about the difference between Goenka courses at different centers, and basically the course is completely the same between centers (India, California, etc.) The course is all on audio and video tape anyway. What is different is the particular campus, with it’s arrangement of accommodations, meals, and the culture, etc.
The center in North Fork is a particularly large center with lots of walking space. It’s quiet, serene, and surrounded in nature. It has some single-​room accommodation, but expect to share a room with others if it’s your first course.