Tranquil peaceful environment
As one approaches the Burren the first thing that one notices are the fields of rock.
This limestone rock was once the bed of the sea 350 million years ago.
One knows that one is entering a special place.And then you see the Burren hills in the distance.
The centre is situated at the foot of these Burren hills.
As one approaches the Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre one is greeted by a sign in the shape of a sun and moon.
Looking in the entrance, one sees the standing stone which is a fusion of an old Celtic standing stone and a yogic figure in meditation pose.
"Lig do Scith" is Gaelic for "Take a rest" or "Put up your feet".
The literal translation means "Allow you bones", or "Lay down your bones".
We encourage you on entering the grounds of the centre to also lay down your troubles, leave behind your worries as you are welcomed into
the open, friendly and warm retreat space of the Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre.
The Burren is a place unique in the world.
The tranquility is cleansing
As one enters the grounds one sees the main building nestled behind the trees.
The centre is set in a peaceful, tranquil location at the foot of the Burren Hills and offers spectacular views of the Burren.
The photo below is taken in Winter coming up to the front door.
Passive solar heating & oil fired underfloor heating
The main building is an eco-friendly timber frame construction, with timber floors, underfloor heating and very large south facing ceiling to floor windows to pull in as much heat from the sun as possible.
The outer layer of the house is block and plastered to hold in the heat no matter what the weather conditions.
The second building is the accommodation building and is 20 metres away from the main building.
Both buildings are warm and comfortable all year round, no matter what weather conditions outside.
The main building consists of the Yoga room, lounge, reading area, kitchen, dormitory, bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The decor is bright and colourful and there are many images from India and Tibet throughout the two buiildings.
Beautiful yoga room
The yoga room is bright and airy with huge windows, under floor heating and timber floors.
The energies in this room have been described as calm and tranquil but also highly charged with a fine energy.
The centre was blessed by Ven. Panchen Otrul Rinpoche a tibetan lama in 2001 and the resulting energy shift was quite noticiable after he finished his chanting, prayers and the blessing ceronomy.
Yoga room: warm and friendly, 25 feet long, 20 feet wide, timber floor, large windows for natural light, underfloor heating, Yoga mats, stove for additional element of fire if required. Sound system if required. Holds 15 people and a teacher comfortably.
Natural light
The centre was designed to capture the light and heat from the sun.
And as a result the environment is colourful, bright, open and ever changing and alive.
The ever changing light in the West of Ireland can make the colours appear quite different at different times of the day.
Upstairs the velux windows shed light into the comfortable reading area and the centre has a library of over 400 books, over 200 of them yoga books.
The huge velux windows bring in natural light and heat from the sun. The attention to detail and natural comfortable feeling is evident throughout every room in both buildings.
The plants love living under this huge window.
The underfloor heating makes for an interesting experience.
The centre is warm and cosy all year round, and the atmosphere is relaxed, informal and friendly.
Lounge: 22 feet by 12 feet, is on the first floor and has spectacular views of Burren Hills, large windows, underfloor heating, can also be used for smaller workshops.
The comfortable surrounds are lovely to relax in between classes or after we come back from our outdoor adventures in the Burren, or in the evening time before going to bed.
These velux windows face south east and bring in direct sunlight and heat from early morning until eary afternoon.
And the views over the Burren hills are breath taking.
In the afternoon the lounge upstairs is a beautiful place to soak up the rays from the sun and look out onto the spectacalour scenery of the Burren hills.
Most of the wall hangings were brought back from India by Dave.
Some were brought from Dharmsala and would have come from Nepal.
The upstairs patio door faces south west, and gets direct sunlight from early afternoon right into the evening.
The mountain which is 300 metres from the centre is called Sliabh Carron
and not another house to be seen in this protected area of the Burren.
Spectacalor views
The upstairs lounge looks out onto a stone circle which can be used for outdoor workshops. The Burren Hill to the right is about 300 metres from the centre, and takes about 40 minutes to climb to the top.
The atmosphere is tranquil, but also relaxed and friendly.
The warm colours of the centre are both up-lifting and mood enhancing.
The two acre site has over 200 mature native trees, grassy areas, and ample parking facilities. There is a recently built dolmen which weighs over 20 tons and a large stone circle which may be used for outdoor workshops and events. The circle is 40 foot in diameter and the walls are 8 foot high.
Comfortable surrounds
Reading and chill out space.
Amazing vegetarian food
The vegetarian food is prepared by Paddi formerly of the 'Seventh Heaven' restaurant in Galway City. For a sample menu see
Delicious Vegetarian meals
Home away from home
Kitchen: organic shaped work counters, bright spacious food preparation and eating area.
The light dimmers throughout the whole centre are used to create mood enhancing atmosphere.
Paddi the cook used to run Seventh Heaven restuarant in Galway city for over 12 years.
And all that can be seen are very happy smiling faces of those who come back time and time again to enjoy Paddi's food....and oh... yes.... and the amazing yoga teachers at the Burren Yoga and Meditation Centre.
Sorry .... its impossible to describe how good this food tastes!
You will just have to come and experience it for yourself !
After each meal the guests clear the tables, pack the dish washer and clean the whole kitchen.
This aspect of Karma Yoga where one puts ones good energies into work is actually good fun and the feeling one gets from helping out also lends to the whole atmosphere of the experience of staying at Burren Yoga.
The patio area outside the yoga room
New accommodation building
Accommodation
The accommodation at the centre is in single rooms, double rooms, and rooms of 4 or 6 people sharing.
The single rooms have a single divan bed and a suspended bed above the divan, so can sleep two people. These rooms are quite small.
The main building of the centre which has the yoga room and the kitchen is about 50 yards from the accommodation building and all within the same two acre grounds of the centre.
The warm tiled floors have under-floor heating for bare foot comfort.
We don't wear shoes inside either of the two buildings.
The room for 4 people sharing has two suspended beds and two pine floor beds.
This is one of Johney Ray's beds which are suspended by strong steel rods and fixed solidly into the side wall. These beds are rock solid and are a work of art.
Depending on the time of the day, the light of the room can appear quite different.
The bed below is made of tubular pine complete with douvet and pillow. (fresh bedlinen supplied in normal price).
Carved elm beds bring a touch of the surreal to the weekend's adventure.
The single rooms have one of Johney's suspended beds and normal divan bed beneath.
So the single rooms can sleep two people.
The single rooms are quite small.
All rooms are bright, clean and warm.
All the beds are comfortable with newly purchased mattresses, mattress covers, douvets, pillows, and freshly washed douvet covers, sheets and pillow cases.
The room for 6 has 3 carved suspended beds, each with a single divan beneath it.
The carved beds and the natural light in this room creates a lovely atmosphere and the underfloor heating makes the rooms warm and cosy at night.
There is an additional charge for single rooms and there are also b&b's and a hotel 5 miles from the centre.
Show me current info on accommodation
