The Light of Insight is a podcast conversation series about self-growth and purpose, tools for healing and grounding, and topics about community engagement and development. I'm your host, Nina, and I've been on a deep healing and reflective journey for the past 2 years. Originally from Missoula, Montana, I moved to Tokyo, Japan to further my studies in international relations and now in my 2nd year of a PhD program focusing on the history and politics of the U.S.-Japan relationship. I was feeling stressed not just with academics but my personal life, and went on a 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Chiba, Japan. The experience taught me that there was a lot that I needed to heal. When you're in silence and stillness with your self, you start to learn about the "monkey mind" - those jumpy voices and never-ending negative thought patterns in your head that bring you frustration and shame. In Vipassana, we are trained to observe those thoughts. If a thought arises, observe it, acknowledge it, then let it go. I had to learn that those negative thoughts were not me though. Towards the last few days of the retreat, my internal dialogue became quieter and I felt lighter. This meditation experience really taught me that most of the pain we are dealing with are really only internal narratives and thoughts. We have the agency to not give them more of our energy. I am still practicing this meditation, and eager to have conversations with people about their personal healing journeys and the tools that have worked for them and their communities.