Theravāda Buddhism · Pali Canon · ~5th c. BCE

Vipassana Meditation Part 1 — Anapanasati Essentials

Yours with an account — given by donation

10 guided sittings · 5 h 26 min · 37 tracks · taught by Ocean DYNN · on the The Vipassana Path

You can find the whole Vipassana path, with its notes and the course, on vipassana.life.

Open this course in the appPricing

Tradition

Theravāda Buddhism

Practice

Ānāpānasati and Sīla — mindful breathing on an ethical footing

Path

The Vipassana Path

Level

Beginner

Format

Guided meditation + teaching (27 introductions and talks)

Length

10 guided sittings · 5 h 26 min in all

Teacher

Ocean DYNN

Compare

Every course side by side — tradition, length, price, what is free

Unlocks

Each guided sitting opens after the one before it has been sat; the first three tracks are open to anyone

This is Part 1 of a 4-part Vipassana Meditation Technique mini-course—a 5-day introductory program for beginners. It covers the fundamental aspects of Vipassana: ethical grounding (Sīla) and mindful breathing (Anapanasati).

Participants in this 5-day training must commit to twice-daily meditation sessions and strictly adhere to the Five Moral Precepts. These precepts prohibit:

Without this commitment, the course cannot be started.

This requirement mirrors the discipline of a traditional Vipassana retreat, offering an authentic retreat-like experience at home. The commitment to these precepts forms the foundation for cultivating mental clarity, ethical living, and deeper meditation practice.

• Self-Commitment and Responsibility: Commit daily to meditation and ethical guidelines to develop mindfulness, clarity, and discipline.

• Mandatory Ethical Self-Discipline: Commit to following the Five Moral Precepts (Sīla) to live with integrity and deepen your practice.

• Daily Practices: Two 15-minute guided sessions, morning and evening, following the "Kaizen" method for gradual progress. Session lengths increase after day 5, continuing through the 25-day course if chosen.

• Journaling: Daily reflection prompts to enhance self-awareness and track concentration progress.

• The Challenge Section: Daily challenges to build resilience by breaking unhealthy habits and strengthening self-discipline.

This course is ideal for busy individuals, those lacking determination for a 10-day retreat, or alumni wanting to deepen their practice. Experience Vipassana at home, boosting self-awareness, ethical growth, and meditation.

The course was created by the author, who began practicing Vipassana in 2012, trained under teachers S. N. Goenka and Pa Auk Sayadaw in the Theravada tradition.

Watch on YouTube

From our channel · Vipassana Meditation • Self-Guided Course at Home | Part 1: Anapanasati — Mindful Breathing (5 Days)

What you practise

1. Day 0 · Introduction — 4 min · introduction
2. Day 0 · Commitment — 8 min · introduction
3. Day 0 · Purpose — 1 min · introduction
4. Day 0 · What is meditation? — 17 min · introduction
5. Day 0 · Settling — 8 min · introduction
6. Day 0 · Discipline — 4 min · introduction
7. Day 1 · Morning meditation — 16 min · sitting
8. Day 1 · Lesson — 8 min · introduction
9. Day 1 · Evening meditation — 16 min · sitting
10. Day 1 · Motivation — 2 min · introduction
11. Day 1 · Questionnaire — 2 min · introduction
12. Day 1 · Discipline — 6 min · introduction
13. Day 1 · The challenge — 4 min · introduction
14. Day 2 · Morning meditation — 16 min · sitting
15. Day 2 · Lesson — 5 min · introduction
16. Day 2 · Evening meditation — 16 min · sitting
17. Day 2 · Motivation — 3 min · introduction
18. Day 2 · Discipline — 6 min · introduction
19. Day 2 · The challenge — 6 min · introduction
20. Day 3 · Morning meditation — 16 min · sitting
21. Day 3 · Lesson — 8 min · introduction
22. Day 3 · Evening meditation — 16 min · sitting
23. Day 3 · Motivation — 5 min · introduction
24. Day 3 · Discipline — 5 min · introduction
25. Day 3 · The challenge — 6 min · introduction
26. Day 4 · Morning meditation — 16 min · sitting
27. Day 4 · Lesson — 8 min · introduction
28. Day 4 · What is anapanasati? — 2 min · introduction
29. Day 4 · Evening meditation — 16 min · sitting
30. Day 4 · Discipline — 5 min · introduction
31. Day 4 · The challenge — 6 min · introduction
32. Day 5 · Morning meditation — 17 min · sitting
33. Day 5 · Benefits of anapanasati — 8 min · introduction
34. Day 5 · Evening meditation — 17 min · sitting
35. Day 5 · Discipline — 3 min · introduction
36. Day 5 · The challenge — 5 min · introduction
37. Day 5 · The End — 6 min · introduction

Essays about this course

Vipassana · 7 min readVipassana retreat or home practice: what you get from eachVipassana · 7 min readWhy spend the first thirty days of meditation on the breath alone?Vipassana · 6 min readHow I found VipassanaVipassana · 5 min readWhat meditation can and can't do for anxiety and panicVipassana · 5 min readWhat are you really training when you meditate?Vipassana · 5 min readWhy shouldn't you tell anyone you've started meditating?

All 28 essays in Learn

Ratings from practitioners here

No ratings here yet. Only people who have sat three sittings of a course can rate it, so the first ones take a little time.

Sat three sittings? Rate this course in the app.

Every sitting opens only once you have sat the one before it. No one is turned away for money — write and ask.