Click link for
Show me current info on centrePre 2005 information on this page.
Please click link above for up to date information
The Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre is the dream come true of Dave Brocklebank.
"My aim is to introduce as many people as possible to the benefits of Yoga and Meditation, and to help deepen the awareness of those who have already built up a daily practice."
Dave Brocklebank was born in Dublin and moved to the West of Ireland in 1988. He began meditating in 1978 and has continued this most of the time over the years. He studied pure psychology in UCD and was awarded a B.A in psychology and an M.A. in psychology in 1985. Over the years since then he has attended many workshops relating to psychology and alternative health.
Dave began practising Yoga in 1989 with the Galway school of Yoga and Meditation which is Satyananda based.
He completed the 2-year teacher training with Shradhmurti and Chetanmurti in the Galway school of Yoga and Meditation.
This training consists of 10 residential weekends each year and a two-week residential course each summer.
The training is very broad and comprehensive and includes practical experience with asanas, pranayama, shatkarmas, karma yoga, meditation and Yoga philosophy. The course includes at least one hour’s daily practice of Yoga for the two years.
Dave’s main interest is to make many people aware of the benefits of Yoga in their daily lives. He is particularly interested in introducing beginners to Yoga and helping them take those first steps in exploring the Yoga path themselves. He is very interested in the area of stress, and the various different techniques to manage and reduce stress.
His classes begin with very gentle loosening up postures which help prepare the body for the stronger postures which are introduced after a number of months. He introduces Pranayama right from day one, and a large emphasis is placed on the awareness of the practitioner rather than their physical ability.
Once the practitioner has loosened the body and built up their awareness sufficiently (this may take weeks, months or years depending on the student), he gradually introduces the usual stronger classical postures. His experience with Iyengar and Astanga yoga bring a detailed approach to correct alignment of the body in order to assume the posture while respecting the limits of one's body.
He also teaches meditation after the practitioner has had a number of months (or years) experience of gentle Yoga.
Dave runs the Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre, co-ordinating courses, facilitating workshops and teaching Yoga and Meditation himself. In addition he teaches various Yoga classes in Galway city. He also maintains his own daily practice of Yoga and Meditation, and regularly attends Yoga workshops throughout the year.
Dave’s training and teaching is Satyananda based. Dave sees Satyananda yoga as being "the most comprehensive body of yoga knowledge which includes meditation, cleansing practices, karma yoga, internal chackra work, pratyahara, working with one's Self in addition to the usual hatha yoga postures.
As a complement to his Satyananda practice, Dave's hatha yoga practice includes Iyengar and Astanga Yoga.
Dave's knowledge of the local area and the many magical places to visit as well as his contacts with local people for various activities often lead to exciting and eventful adventures which 'just seem to happen' on courses at Burren Yoga.
For a list of courses to be held over the coming months please see
Courses for the next few months Front PageDave has recorded a number of Yoga class CDs. He teaches these classes in his usual gentle manner while giving guidelines and reminders to gradually focus and train the mind during one's practice.
For a list of available CDs, please see
CDs of Yoga Classes
