I agree that some people recommend the retreats with too little restraint. I&#x27;m a fairly young and healthy person, and I still found sitting still while cross-legged for long periods of time very painful. Even on the last day I found it impossible to sit longer than an hour without moving. And this practice is encouraged -- they were called &quot;sittings of strong determination.&quot; This is not to mention the difficulty of meditation itself and the ten-day abstention from communication and all intellectual activity.<p>That said, I can&#x27;t plead ignorance, just overconfidence. Since the retreat, I have lasted no longer than fifteen minutes at a time. I prefer lying down (I&#x27;m not tempted to sleep). It actually feels like I&#x27;m a worse meditator now than I was before the retreat, though I&#x27;ve been assured that this is a &quot;sign of progress.&quot;<p>Truthfully, after maybe 140 hours of practice, I have doubts about the purported benefits. The ultimate aim, the end of suffering, seems like an impossible and likely undesirable goal. For now, I use it as needed to clear my mind when I need to focus.