In one paragraph: the retreat lands at 4.59/5 with two thirds of the room giving it full marks. Verena carried the week — 19 of 29 name her unprompted — with the group’s own warmth close behind. The generosity topic surprised the skeptics R4, the MR-first structure with a lake day between is unanimously endorsed, and the split afternoons worked for everyone (FOMO is the only tax). The fixes are few and concrete: reframe bingo R7, publish logistics earlier R16, mind the pacing, fix the showers. Next year people want it deeper, more embodied, and more creative — starting with the next pāramitā R5. Every claim in this report links to the exact answer — R# chips jump to the verbatim response; use the back button to return.
A young sangha: 11 of 29 were on their very first Buddhist retreat, and another six had done one or two. At the other end sit seven people with more than five retreats behind them — the room spans complete newcomers to old hands, which is the backdrop for the depth question (Q26).
An almost perfect split: 15 did both retreats back-to-back, 14 came fresh to Shyönnu. The transition answers (Q6) suggest the doubled-up group was served well by the order and the rest day.
The fifteen who attended rate the Meditation Retreat 3.87/5 — warm but not rapturous: five 5s, five 4s, and a five-strong tail at 3 and below. The tail tracks the first-timers: it was demanding for people new to sustained practice — R1 simply struggles with meditation, and R29 says it “took a toll” while still calling it inspiring.
The teachings are the highlight: Khenchen Rinpoche’s video teachings R4, the “simple yet powerful” return to fundamentals R7, and the well-paced guided build-up across the days R24. Two people independently reach for the same phrase — “wonderfully difficult” R22R23.
The asks: more introduction to Buddhist philosophy for first-timers R27, announce the afternoon workshop topics before lunch R12, more sharing moments and the return of voiced mantra practice R25, more meet-ups with the Shyönnus R15, and going past “scratching the surface” with mantra or image-support methods R4.
Unanimously positive — every one of the 14 answers endorses the order, and the rest day at the lake between the retreats is the hero R1R25R24. This order worked better than last year’s R4, landing people at Shyönnu “déjà dans le bain” R26. Nuances: still a bit busy for organisers R5, batteries can be low when a whole new energetic group arrives R23, one person would add a welcome moment at the start of the MR itself R16, and one is curious what the reverse order would teach R27.
4.59/5 — 19 fives, 8 fours, two 3s, nothing below. 19 of 29 people (66%) gave the retreat the top mark.
Verena, by a landslide — 16 of the 29 name her here unprompted: R4R5R6R8R10R12R13R14R17R19R20R22R24R27R28R29. The social fabric comes right after: the sharing circle and the plate-writing goodbye R9R26, meals all together R28, gathering for sunset R6, and the free-time adventures — waterfall and lake R23, chess, cards and music jams R24. Individual standouts: the dance workshop and 1-to-1s with Verena R17, and the sense that sessions got better as the week went on R21.
Verena’s morning sessions are the spine of the retreat: 4.76 with 26 fives, the only item all 29 rated. The dancing evening (4.75) and Jigme’s monastic Q&A (4.88, small n) top the extras; the somatic meditation and light offering both hold 4.5. Generosity bingo is the one clear miss at 3.45 with four 2s — the why is in Q24 and Q30.
One data caveat: nearly every stray “1” in the grid belongs to a single respondent (R20) who rated the retreat 5/5 overall and left glowing comments R20R20 — almost certainly a reversed reading of the scale. Without those 1s, Verena’s mean rises to ~4.9 and several other means tick up. Small-n caution: the debate, Q&A, film and creative evening were rated by fewer than ten people each.
| Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | n | mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monastic Q&A · Jigme | · | · | · | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4.88 |
| Film: self-compassion · Jade | · | · | · | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4.78 |
| Verena’s morning sessions | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | 26 | 29 | 4.76 |
| Dancing evening | 1 | · | · | 1 | 18 | 20 | 4.75 |
| Somatic meditation · Lara | · | 1 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 4.50 |
| Light offering · Lena & Anouk | · | · | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 4.50 |
| Welcome evening | 1 | · | 2 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 4.43 |
| Morning movement | 1 | · | 2 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 4.42 |
| Sharing circle | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 4.10 |
| Vision boards & the feminine | · | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 4.00 |
| Forest mandala offering · Lena & Anouk | · | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 3.90 |
| Tibetan debate-lite · Fionn | · | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 3.75 |
| Working with impermanence · Bodhi | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 3.64 |
| Creative evening · Isa | 1 | · | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3.60 |
| Generosity bingo | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 3.45 |
| Respondent | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | S12 | S13 | S14 | S15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 · Jadypooh | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 |
| R2 · Rémy Groussard | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | 3 | — |
| R3 · Léo | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| R4 · Leander | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 3 |
| R5 · Hugo Baucher | — | 5 | 4 | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | — | 5 |
| R6 · Alice J | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | — | 5 |
| R7 · Alma | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 2 |
| R8 · anonymous | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| R9 · Arno PERONNET | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | 4 |
| R10 · Lukas | — | 5 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| R11 · Sonam | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 4 |
| R12 · Marijn | — | 4 | 4 | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 5 | 3 |
| R13 · Aru | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 3 |
| R14 · Cyann | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
| R15 · Till schmickler | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | · | · | · | · | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | · | — | 3 |
| R16 · anonymous | 4 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| R17 · Sidonie | 4 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — |
| R18 · anonymous | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | 3 |
| R19 · Vitor | — | 5 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 4 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| R20 · anonymous | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| R21 · Malo | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 5 | — |
| R22 · Deun | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 2 |
| R23 · Matthieu Carillon | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 |
| R24 · Luke | — | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | 5 | — | — | 4 |
| R25 · Vladou | — | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 |
| R26 · Coco | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | 4 |
| R27 · anonymous | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 |
| R28 · anonymous | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 2 | — | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | — | 5 | — | — |
| R29 · Boris Faure | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 4 |
The warmest words go to Lena’s dancing evening — placed early, it bonded groups fast R25R17 — and to the forest practices R14, with the trumpet workshop with Karma a surprise hit R24. Movement every morning is a concrete wish R9 R17.
The constructive critique clusters on bingo — nice idea but hard to act on R15, better framed as a recap of ways to be generous R26. Practical notes: Hugo was hard to hear in the forest loving-kindness practice R13, the offering workshop ran too deep for where one person was that day R28, people want more Verena time R2, the optionality of everything deserves more emphasis R25, and one lovely idea: a full final day just for goodbyes and plate-writing R25.
The topic landed harder than people expected. Several arrived unconvinced and were turned around — R4 thought they wouldn’t relate “but actually it was sooo relevant and vast”, R24 wasn’t pulled by it until “my vision felt awake”, and R19 was surprised how hard it resonated. For others it met life exactly where it was R2R7, opening onto love, open heart and wisdom R8 — one says their mind “has been altered, in a good way” R18.
Two precise reservations: keep the regular vs pure generosity distinction crisper — the switching was hard to track R27 — and the interdependence detour stretched beginners R23.
23 say just right; six found it slightly too basic; nobody found it too deep — clear room to go one level deeper. The six aren’t only veterans: alongside experienced folk (R1 has done 5+), two were first-timers, so “deeper” reads as appetite, not just seniority. Pairs with the Q32 requests for śūnyatā, buddha nature and a shedra taster.
A clean win — everyone who answered liked having the choice. Smaller groups meant more space and less overwhelm R7R2, people could match sessions to their energy R18R15, and the message that everything is optional created real safety R28 — several used that freedom to take alone time R4R10.
The only tax is FOMO: R9R26 name it outright, and others were sad to miss overlapping sessions R17R25 or found choosing genuinely hard R22R17. One found the afternoons a bit light R19.
The majority verdict is perfect/good — well-timed R10, restful enough while still full R17. But a solid minority found the days intense and packed: R1R5R6R7R11R27R29. Three sessions a day is a lot R6, evenings stack up after long days R27, and mornings came early for some R16. Concrete ideas: a three-hour lunch break R1, and note that the sleep people lost was mostly self-inflicted field-party joy R23R23. One wish in the other direction: longer meditation sittings, even optional daily ones R17.
Organisation, food and atmosphere get straight praise — “sooo lecker!!! und richtig gut organisiert” R20, “bravo à tout le staff” R9, “I never felt lost” R29. The fix-list is specific:
Eight of the eighteen answers are a flat, cheerful no — two even blame only themselves R5R11. The real items: the bingo framing gets its fullest critique here — huge potential, but it needed the why/how/motivation explored and a conclusion to land the journey R7; the heat R10; wasps that kept one allergic participant away from shared meals R17; the camping showers again R14; conflicting kitchen-rota instructions across the two retreats R29; and a wish to have properly visited the main temple R9.
Three currents, all compatible: go deeper (more and longer meditation, more teachings, a shedra taster), more body (morning yoga and movement, more dancing), and more making (painting, drawing, film). Plus a thread of taking practice outside — walking meditation, forest bathing, sessions in varied places. Counted below; one person can appear in several rows.
The strongest pull is simply the next pāramitā — continuing the series reads as the natural move, with discipline R5 and diligence/vīrya R24 both named directly. Behind that: more grounding in the tradition itself (history, schools, terms), heart practices (loving-kindness, unconditional love), and Buddhism meeting modern life — screens, addictions, loneliness R19, and how it adapts to a Western world R15. Two people happily leave it open — every year’s topic has spoken to their life anyway R14.
Seven firm yeses and eight maybes — more than half the room is open to helping. Luke already has a format in mind (a slide-show presentation on a topic); several left numbers in Q34.
10 people left ways to reach them. Contact details are withheld in this shared edition — the organising team has them in the response sheet.
A wall of gratitude — 17 of the 19 answers are thanks and love, from “massive gigantic thank you” R17 to “vous êtes des tigres” R26. Two substantive additions ride along: a wish for longer afternoon meditations, 20 minutes like Verena’s morning openers R24, and the one structural critique of the week — “pas assez de mixité culturelle”: how do we make the young retreat attractive and accessible to other socio-cultural backgrounds? R19