How Meditation That Restricts Movement Changed My Life
13 January 2025
I recently went on a 10-day meditation retreat for the first time. During this experience, I gained valuable insights and adopted new practices into my daily life. Today, I want to focus on the so-called “Strong Determination” meditations, or Adhiṭṭhāna (the term comes from the Pali language, meaning “decision,” “resolution,” or “strong determination”).
The technique is incredibly simple: you cannot move during the practice. At all. You can’t even move your tongue in your mouth, let alone change your posture.
These meditations are part of the daily routine at vipassana retreats that follow the Goenka technique. In the retreat I attended, we practiced Strong Determination meditations twice a day, starting on the fifth day.
The first sessions were extremely challenging. Although each meditation lasted an hour, I began to feel discomfort as early as the 15-minute mark. My back and legs grew stiff and sore. By the end of the practice, the pain in my legs was almost unbearable.
Typically, the Strong Determination technique is combined with Vipassana meditation, which centers on non-judgmental, all-encompassing attention to whatever arises. When you feel excruciating pain in your legs, for example, you resist the impulse to “run away” by adjusting your posture. Instead, you remind yourself that it’s not actually pain — it’s just an intense sensation.
Our brains label these strong sensations as painful, but they’re really just heightened sensory perceptions. More importantly, we can choose how to react to them.
The goal is to sit still and accept everything that arises without judgment or evaluation. You learn not to listen to your brain when it starts screaming things like:
UGGGH! IT FREAKING HURTS! JUST MOVE YOUR LEGS ALREADY! GIVE THEM SOME REST! THIS IS DANGEROUS! NOT HEALTHY! YOUR LEGS WILL BE SORE FOREVER!
Instead, you let these thoughts come and go without acting on them. The same applies when you feel an unbearable itch. Rather than scratching, you direct your full attention to the sensation. Amazingly, you’ll notice that the itch fades away. Even agony-inducing pain gradually recedes and becomes less intimidating.
Day after day, this practice made me reflect: how often do I run away from pain and difficulties in life? How often do I chase comfort and act on selfish desires?
The answer? Far too often.
Now, I’m exploring the possibilities that limitations can offer. A year ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. Recently, I’ve almost stopped overeating — I listen to my body, recognize when it’s full, and resist the urge to keep eating just because the food tastes good. I’m learning to let go of my dependence on comfort and so much more.
To be honest, it feels incredible. I’m trying to live according to the Strong Determination model and observing the changes it brings to my life.
