Sit Your Self Down: A Novice's Journey into the Heart of Vipassana

Gayatri Jayaraman

When Gayatri Jayaraman embarks on a ten-day vipassana course in the Himalayas, she has no inkling of the ways in which it will transform her.

Sharing the rarefied air with nine other women initiates, she begins her journey inward, learning to focus on her breath and body, and spring-clean her mind. With good humour and an open mind, she seeks to simply observe her thoughts - but as days of absolute silence sink into introspection, what comes tumbling out catches her unawares.

Tugging at the thread of the breath from the tip of the nose unravels a lifetime of action and reaction - some good, some bad - and wrongdoing, both her own and those of others. She persists with this intense process and, guided by her teachers, starts to sift through the clamour and goes through a cleanse that plumbs depths no juice diet has ever reached.

Sit Your Self Down is Gayatri's witty, heartfelt, searingly honest account of what it takes to make this journey. Through serious self-exploration and with cheerful humility, she arrives at deep insights and invaluable lessons for any beginner looking to learn about vipassana and discover their inner self.