Join Kim Dastrup for an unforgettable spiritual pilgrimage to Co. Clare, Ireland! Enjoy a week of yoga, meditation, hiking, poetry and music in the Burren, one of Ireland’s most sacred spots. We will have some phenomenal special guests joining along on our journey, including poet and musician, Mícheál O'Súilleabháin, his lovely mother and Irish songbird, Nóirín Ní Riain, Irish bagpiper, Blackie O’Connell sharing their beauty and talent with us. We will also be honored to be led on a pilgrimage through the Burren with Patrick McCormack (close friend of David Whyte). This experience is truly impossible to describe. Patrick, with his unique spirit and deep devotion to this land, will guide us on a journey through the Burren intermingled with poetry, music, folklore, silence and wonder.
Patrick McCormack
The Burren is one of Ireland’s most intriguing, beautiful, and magical landscapes, one of Ireland’s six national parks. This mystical land, with its rolling green countryside, ancient limestone, and windblown shores, is bound to "catch the heart off guard, and blow it open." (Seamus Heaney, from Postscript)
TUITION
$2395 - double occupancy $2795 - single occupancy
**EARLY BIRD SPECIAL** $2295 if enrolled by December 1st 2024
WHAT THE PRICE INCLUDES
This price includes everything except airfare and minor incidental costs during the week. The price does NOT include airfare, travel insurance, transportation to/from Shannon or Dublin airport, massage and other treatments, extra excursions, occasional meals off-site.
THE VENUE
The Burren Yoga Retreat is motivated to provide the best quality luxury health and wellness retreats with exceptional yoga and medtiation teachers, and the highest standard of vegetarian food in one of the most beautiful places in Ireland… The Burren.
Our ethos is to help our guests learn and deepen their yoga and meditation practice in a very warm and welcoming, enjoyable environment.
The Burren Yoga Retreat is committed to running our luxury health and wellness retreats in an environmentally sensitive way, ensuring that the environment of the Burren Geopark and our community are sustainably maintained.
Please check out their website: The Burren Yoga Retreat
ACCOMMODATIONS
Each en-suite bedroom is very spacious, very bright with a large triple glazed window, super insulated so they are warm in Winter and cool in Summer, underfloor heating, and excellent sound proofing.
They also have an air ventilation system which continually brings in warm freshly oxygenated air.
The beds are all extremely comfortable, with hotel quality mattresses, Egyptian cotton bedlinen with high thread count and a choice of a firmer pillow and a softer one.
Each bedroom has a small writing desk, a comfortable upholstered armchair, hair dryer, bedside reading light, electrically controlled black out blinds, a bedside locker, bedside usb charger, and ample storage shelves and a rail to hang your clothes or coats.
Each room has heated towel rails and a spacious showers with plenty of hot water.
You may choose from:
Single bedrooms
Twin bedrooms
Super king sized double bedroom
Triple bedrooms
YOGA
There will be two yoga sessions offered per day. The morning session will be more active and energizing, while the afternoon session will be more gentle and restorative. The yoga is open and accessible to all levels, with many options to modify. We will also offer early morning meditation and pranayama sessions.
The Burren Retreat Center
MEALS
All meals at the retreat are fresh, seasonal, organic and vegetarian. Dietary restrictions and allergies will be accommodated.
locally sourced organic ingredients
seasonal organic vegetables
careful selection of food types and flavours to create inspiring dishes
the use of fermented foods & planning and balance of each meal for digestive ease
careful selection of herbs and spices
the intention and love in the food preparation
attention to textures and colour as well as flavours
the balance of each dish to form a healthy sumptuous meal
the lovely atmosphere in our new dining room
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES & EXCURSIONS
- Walks along Cliffs of Moher
- The Burren Perfumery
- Hiking and walks through the Burren and countryside
- Poulnabrone and other dolmans and ancient sites
- Doolin (caves, shopping, pubs)
- Boat tour of Cliffs of Moher
- Aran Islands
- Irish pub tour
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Please schedule your arrival at the Shannon (SNN) or Dublin (DUB) airport by 2 pm on Friday, June 13th. Please schedule your departure out the Shannon (SNN) or Dublin (DUB) airport anytime after 10 am on Thursday, June 19th.
TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM SHANNON OR DUBLIN AIRPORT
As we get closer to the retreat, we will clarify transportation to/from the airports. The Shannon airport is a 45 minute drive to the Burren, while the Dublin airport is a 2.5 hour drive to the Burren. Some participants will be renting cars for the week, and we will arrange carpools depending on your arrival/departure times. If you do not feel comfortable driving or renting a car in Ireland, we will make sure you are placed in a carpool with someone else. Rental car costs will be split among carpool groups. We estimate this cost to be approximately $50/person.
PASSPORT
Each participant must have a valid passport.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Please note that $500 of your tuition is non-refundable. You may cancel and receive a tuition refund (without your non-refundable deposit) prior to March 15, 2025. You may also sell or give your spot to someone else in the event that you cannot come. If we have a waitlist, we can help you find someone else who may want your spot, however it is not guaranteed. Full tuition is due March 15, 2025.
PRE-RETREAT: June 11-13, 2025
Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands
The pre-retreat will consist of a guided walk along the Cliffs of Mother, lunch in Doolin, a day trip to Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands, and an evening of traditional Irish music and pints in Doolin. Tuition does not include lodging or dinners.
Recommended lodging: Atlantic View B&B (I can book this for you upon request.)
Cost: $500
POST-RETREAT: June 19-21, 2025
Newgrange and Dublin
The post-retreat will consist of a day trip to Newgrange, UNESCO World Heritage Site, sacred passage tomb built in 3200 BC (making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids), overlooking the River Boyne. We will spend two nights in Dublin, enjoying the pubs, music, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and Stephen’s Green. Hosted by Sinead Murnane. Tuition includes transportation, lunch and admission to Newgrange, Trinity College and other sites. Tuition does not include lodging or dinners.
Recommended lodging: Wren Urban Nest (I can book this for you upon request.)
Cost: $500
