Learning to sit still with spiders | Triti Maheshwari | TEDxElproIntlSchool

In her talk titled "Sitting Still with Spiders," Triti delves into the theme of self-transformation, drawing from her personal experiences with Vipassana meditation. She begins with a lighthearted yet meaningful analogy, describing her fear of spiders and how they symbolize anything that evokes discomfort, fear, or avoidance in her life. This sets the stage for her journey of learning to face these “spiders” through the practice of Vipassana.
Triti recounts her first Vipassana experience after her 10th-grade exams, where she initially viewed the meditation camp as a challenging yet peaceful escape. However, the reality of adapting to complete silence, long hours of stillness, and unexpected roommates-both human and arachnid-transformed her perception of discomfort and fear. Through her vivid storytelling, she shares how Vipassana taught her the value of equanimity, self-observation, and letting go of attachments.
Meet Triti, an IBDP learner and President of the student senate here at Elpro. With her ever growing love for debate and discussion, nothing beats challenging perspectives and exchanging ideas with her peers. You would often find her at the tennis court perfecting her serves, or at the piano playing “Clair de lune”. She’s outgoing, curious and driven, always ready for a new adventure whether it's on the court, at the debate podium or in a galaxy far far away. Her immediate cure for a slow day is a cup of hot chocolate and a Star Wars marathon. She believes in learning from experience, not just her own but others’ as well. Everyone has a different story to tell and she looks forward to sharing hers about how vipassana helped her grow. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx