The focus is to prostrate sit and walk for the time assigned, going longer each day 15 20 25 and 30 min each for the walking/sitting part. There is a 20 min break for tea or pee or walk casually...and then you start again with three breaks - 6 am & 11 am a meal and a 10-15 daily meeting with your teacher.
We each had our own room and I had a chair in mine for sitting. There were two meditation halls in our area of the large Center. At the other end of the center was another meditation retreat operated by Wat Chom Tong. They were more casual but ate together. There appeared to be about 20 of us and about 100-150 of them with nuns and monks mixed in with them.
My Fitbit had a time issue - lost 15 min when the battery got low so I used my phone for time and timer and my Fitbit for timer and alarm. I did not need the morning alarm since the gong gong gong started at 4... when you get up and sit, cleanup and get ready for breakfast.
The most helpful pre-information was an audio by Joseph Goldstein - Mindfulness six guided practices. This practice is based on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness which are:1. Mindfulness of the Body, 2. Mindfulness of Feelings, 3. Mindfulness of the Mind, and 4. Mindfulness of the Mind Objects. Hannah was my teacher and that worked well for me. We met in an office near her home which she shares with her husband Mohamed and her 3yr old son.
The food was very good.. rice soup in the morning ... my favorite and a mix of food at 11. We shared a kitchen in our house for tea coffee chocolate milk and you could store fruit in the frig for your eating hours... I bought oranges...delicious.
Took a few pictures which I will put into a post soon. For now... it is one foot in front of the other... b
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