Thinking of heading off for a yoga weekend, but not sure where to go? I’m happy to recommend the Burren Yoga Centre.
It is most definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, and I will explain later why this is the case.
But if you are a certain kind of yoga lover looking for a certain kind of weekend, it may suit.
First off, the food is delicious. Everything is made from scratch, and feels so good for you, even the desserts. It’s vegetarian and organic and genuinely tasty. The chef is Paddi Keane; she used to run a restaurant called Seventh Heaven in Galway City a while back.
The location is superb. It’s nestled underneath a brooding limestone rock scattered hill in the North of the Burren close to the pretty village of Kinvara.
For me heading off on a yoga weekend, the most important aspect to consider is the quality of teaching. Michael Ryan was the teacher at the centre last weekend when I was there.
His teaching was top notch; it was intense, authentic and produced results. He is based in The Yoga Room in Dublin, and has been practicing yoga since he was a child.
He started us (7 of us) slowly on Friday night with gentle poses, turned up the intensity on Saturday and Sunday morning, and then the last session was a relaxation session.
Michael teaches Hatha, inspired by his experience of Vinyasa flow, Anusara and Somatic styles. We were stretched to our limits, and found muscles in our bodies we never knew existed.
And it wasn’t all yoga. On Saturday afternoon we took a spin down towards Black Head, and climbed up it to see fantastic views all the way across to Galway Bay, and on the way back stopped by at a lovely pub- Linnane’s Lobster Bar in New Quay- for lunch.
Overall the package is great; you feel great from the yoga, you are well fed; the location is beautiful and highly conducive to getting away from it all.
It cost me €300 for the whole weekend; you pay more to get a single room.
The one problem that I feel people may have about this venue is the Karma Yoga. If you have never heard of Karma Yoga before, and did not realise it was part of the programme, it may be an unpleasant surprise.
The Karma Yoga aspect basically involved helping out with kitchen duties such as loading the dishwasher and setting the table for breakfast. It is part of the philosophy of yoga, which involves letting go of the ego and doing something for the greater good without looking for a reward.
For most people who attend the centre, they enjoy this aspect, and see its benefits, but for others it does not fit in with their expectations of a de-stress weekend. You have been warned!
Before you think about attending, I would also advise seriously considering the rules of the centre, which include switching off your mobile phone, not drinking or being noisy after 11pm. These rules would not suit everyone, so bear these factors in mind before booking. You need to be fully prepared for a detox weekend, and to be in a mental state where for a weekend you are ok to give up the pleasure of a glass of wine or chats on your mobile.
Overall, I think that the founder of the centre Dave Brocklebank has succeeded in his vision of creating an ideal environment for people to learn and deepen their practice of meditation and yoga.
The purpose built centre has a beautiful yoga room; the building is warmed by underfloor heating; the lighting is nice and subdued and the workmanship visible from the carved wooden shelves and beds is impressive.
Many of us yogis attend weekly classes, or practice a few times a week. But nothing can compare to leaving the world behind, and focussing on the practice for a weekend. You will go to a deeper place, learn a lot and improve your practice. I would highly recommend doing so to bring your yoga to a higher level.
Links
http://www.burrenyoga.com/
http://www.yoga.ie/
