Soon after, he was given ordination by Situ Rinpoche and entered a three-year retreat.

McNally entered a three-year retreat with Thorson at the Diamond Mountain Center in December 2010.

Two years later, Mingyur Rinpoche began a traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling.

In France, he established the first retreat center to teach the traditional three-year retreats of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages to Western students.

During the traditional three-year retreat, retreatants usually focus their practice on the Six Yogas of Naropa.

In the earth-hare year (1759) he started another three-year retreat, at Chimpu near Samye monastery.

Under Kalu Rinpoche's guidance McLeod learned the Tibetan language and completed two, traditional three-year retreats (1976-83).

This was the first of two three-year retreats (1976-83).

Burkhard Scherer mentions that Nydahl has never gone on a three-year retreat, which he calls "the traditional qualification as a lama."

From 2006 until 2009 a traditional three-year retreat took place with over 300 participants.