It felt like two hot knives were stabbing me in the back-- right into my kidneys. It was a burning pain-- unavoidable.
As my mind scanned this area of my back, it imagined two white-hot spots searing through my flesh. My knees also burned. My ankles burned. My feet were numb with a dull ache. But my back was the worst.
I felt a wave of panic-- butterflies in my stomach and a tremendous urge to get up and run away. I gulped, refocused my mind on the sensations in my body, and remained still. I tried to follow the advisors instructions-- don't flee from the pain, go deeply into it. My mind concentrated on the burning kidneys. I tried to observe the pain dispassionately. What was it exactly? What is pain? How, exactly, did it feel? How large was the painful area? How deep?
As I delved into the pain, an amazing thing happened-- the panic and fear drained away. My body heaved suddenly with a long, slow, very deep breath. As I exhaled, I felt a deep sense of calm wash through me.
A natural, unforced smile crept onto my face. My mind remained focused and suddenly the intense pain didn't seem "painful". I noticed that the pain was, in fact, an area of more intense vibration--- but I was no longer experiencing it as something to escape or avoid.
That was the moment I broke through-- at the end of the 8th day of a 10 day Vipassana meditation course.
Vipassana is a form of meditation, sometimes translated to English as "Insight Meditation". It consists of a deep and systematic observation of one's mind and body. Vipassana has many variants and is taught by many different meditation schools, teachers, and groups.

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