Sayadaw: It is difficult for meditation to improve because yogis don’t really practice continuously.
For example, they practice till Level 7 at the retreat and then regress after the retreat; they cannot go beyond Level 7 because this gets repeated retreat after retreat.
For the quality of mind to change, yogis need to practice continuously over a long time.
Yogi: Does Sayadaw encourage long-term retreats of 1-3 years?
Sayadaw: I don’t encourage yogis to stay a long time at the center because it is not real for you; but for monks and nuns, the center is their real life.
The motivation is not strong enough at the center, so people cannot practice continuously. When the mind suffers in lay life, they are motivated to practice.
It should be retreat time all the time, whether at the center or at home.