It (10-day Silent Goenka-style Vipassana retreat)'s meant to be an experience like being alone. No eye contact, no talking, gestures etc. To me the retreat as

It (10-day Silent Goenka-style Vipassana retreat)'s meant to be an experience like being alone. No eye contact, no talking, gestures etc. To me the retreat aspect is a way of getting huge blocks of time with all your needs (including cooking) taken care of. Its so conducive to serious meditation and removing obstacles and distractions. It's often challenging coming home and trying to meditate due to the distractions that are around.