Within the tradition associated with S. N. Goenka, the defining feature of the training is the standard ten-day residential course. This ten-day format serves as the foundational introduction to the method and has become the primary vehicle through which the practice spread widely. It is regarded as the basic container in which the technique can be learned in a systematic and immersive way, and thus stands at the heart of this lineage’s approach to meditation retreats.

Beyond this central ten-day structure, the same tradition offers a range of longer courses for those who have already completed the initial training and wish to deepen their practice. These extended retreats include courses of twenty, thirty, forty-five, and sixty days, and are reserved for experienced or advanced practitioners who meet specific criteria. In this way, the retreat system unfolds in stages, beginning with the ten-day course as the essential foundation and then opening into progressively longer periods of intensive practice for those moved to explore the path more deeply.