I would like to join in stephth's inquiry. I have no experience with anything intense like vipassana, but I used to meditate regularly, and eventually made some progress in the way of walking meditation and the like. When I write code however, the focus is on "holding" the right thoughts until I solve the problem, at which point most of those thoughts get flushed. But in many ways it is as if these thoughts are holding on to me! It is more of a reactive process then a contemplative one. Of course, this is just my experience. Perhaps you have a different experience when writing code, or are talking about a different kind of mindfulness.