OUR CLIENT’S VOICE
YOGA HOLIDAY RETREATS  
We were delighted to help each of the lovely guests we met, in the stories below.

 

Christmas Retreat December 2019
A much needed healthy break Christmas Retreat!
I loved Ziza’s amazing variety of vegetarian dishes that she prepared each day. I loved Yair’s brilliant yoga classes which varied daily and were never boring. I loved the special restorative healing treatments. I loved the tranquillity of the retreat and the panoramic scenery. I loved having a different and very special New Year’s Eve celebration. I loved meeting such wonderful people and restoring my peace of mind.
I loved the Armonia Healing Retreat Centre in Lanjaron, everything was perfect!

Christmas Retreat December 2019
I had a great time. I felt really welcome and experienced you as pure, loving and careful in everything you do (the delicious and healthy food, the costume fit programme, the attention you give to every person, the way the yurts and the environment are furnished, and so on).
You felt a bit like a father and a mother for me.
I really appreciate the fact that there is a philosophy and spiritual ‘thoughts’ behind/in the whole Yoga Retreat… and it’s clear for me that you practice what you preach.
Again: Thank You for the great stay!
Iris

 

Yoga & Biodanza Aquatica Retreat July 2019
Yair and Ziza,
Wow wow – first of all thank you for a magical weekend. It has carried me through a crazy day at work and has given a whole new toolkit of connecting with the world and getting out of my head. Your love and generosity flows through everything you have created at Armonia Alpujarra and I am so grateful to have shared that magical experience guided by you both. It is nothing short of life changing.
Thank you for everything again.
Sending all my love,
Lallie xx

 

Yoga & Meditation Retreat
This year’s cold rainy start to spring and increasing commitments and demands on my time, left me feeling miserable and stressed, so l booked myself into Armonia for five days.
Armonia is a simple ecologically run retreat, near Lanjaron. It is situated amongst olive and fruit trees, wild and cultivated plants and numerous herbs. The sound of running water and bird song adds to its charm and calming effect.
This idyllic place is owned, and run, by Yair and Ziza, who make you feel like a family member who has come to stay for a while. Yoga and meditation was to be my path to calm and relaxed me after five days. Yair enthusiasm is infectious. It is impossible to feel down or unmotivated around him. His patience, clear explanations of everything we did, his constant encouragement and lavish praise, helped to calm down my racing mind and release some of the tension in my body, during our daily sessions.
On the third day l noticed the skin on my face had a radiant glow, this l attribute to Ziza’s cooking.
The meals were simple but prepared with fresh ingredients, enhanced with herbs and spices, creatively combining flavours and textures, that meant every meal was a pleasure.
Back home, people stopped me in the street to comment on my facial glow, my improved posture my happy disposition and, my weight loss (three meals a day and no snacks; the weight loss was a bonus).
Thank you Yair and Ziza lots of love to you both.
Alathea Kirk – April 2019 

 

Yoga for the Soul Retreat – March/April 2019:
We had an amazing time at Armonia Alpujarra Healing Retreat. Ziza cooked healthy and tasty food, for us, during the retreat. The Yoga sessions with Yair were truly inspiring and nourishing. It was a lot more than yoga: Yair taught Qi-gong, breath-work, guided meditations and lectures of mindfulness, philosophy, spirituality and a lot more.

This was a very special and intimate retreat.  We ate all our meals in the company of Ziza and Yair in their private house. The Yurt was very nice and simple, and we really got in tune with nature. The surroundings are breath-taking and here you can really feel how nature heals you… helping to get into balance and well-being.

If you come to a retreat, do not miss Yair’s one-to-one therapy treatments; it was both interesting and healing. I recommend this retreat – for everybody – if you are looking for calmness and if you want to explore spirituality, the power of the mind and the energies within yourself.
March/April 2019

Biodanza Aquatica & Private Retreat July 2018:
I have not long returned from a truly healing and nurturing experience at Armonia Alpajurra. After a week, I feel totally rejuvenated physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The retreat is located in a beautiful setting with fantastic views and peaceful surroundings. From my first day, Yair and Ziza made every effort to get to know me personally and I felt totally spoilt the whole week I stayed, whether it was when I was on my own with them, with another guest Maria, or at the busier Biodanza weekend.
I benefited from so many different experiences – yoga sessions, in and out of the pool, the biodanza aquatica weekend, a trip to the beach, walking with Ziza and Rafa and his goats in the hills, healing, spiritual treatments from Yair and Ziza, delicious, healthy and abundant food cooked with love and thought by Ziza, interesting conversation and so much love and laughter….!
I would have happily stayed for another week (if only!) and I know I will go back. I cannot thank Yair and Ziza enough for helping to restore my inner peace and enabling me to get a better perspective on what is important in life.
For me, Armonia Alpajurra was a rare, life affirming experience.
Mahiri – Dublin

 

Private Retreat July 2018:
I have just returned from a wonderful stay at Armonia Yoga. I spent ten days with Ziza and Yair and had a truly restorative experience. The location in the Alpujarras is spectacular and Ziza and Yair’s home and retreat is beautiful with wonderful uninterrupted views of the mountains. I stayed in the single yurt which was beautiful and it was great to be so close to nature, waking up to the sound of the birds in the morning. The temperature was also perfect, hot during the day and cooler at night which made the evenings and sleeping really comfortable.
The yoga with Yair was both fun and engaging – we did it both outdoors and in the pool. I also had some healing treatments with both Yair and Ziza which were deeply healing – reflexology and mind/body acupuncture.
I cannot thank Yair and Ziza enough for their warmth and hospitality. They were generous and kind hosts. Also the food cooked by Ziza was delicious and healthy and one of the highlights.
I have returned home to Ireland floating and feeling great.
I would highly recommend staying at Armonia Yoga.
Maria (Dublin)

 

Private Retreat May 2018:
“I fully recommend the experience, peace and reconnection, that you can enjoy by staying at Armonia Alpujarra. I was there on my own for a few days (3 nights) and since day one I felt the warmth and good vibe of both Yair and Ziza.
I got into yoga mornings and evenings, had acupuncture and shiatsu treatments, and enjoyed all the delicious and healthy meals.
It was my first time into something like that, but they make it so natural, and close, that it didn’t feel ‘new’, it just felt ‘right’. 
You can go anytime in the year, but spring is a bonus, booming flowers and singing birds – you don’t need anything else! And, if you have time, combine your time at Armonia with some visit to any of the cities in Andalucía, Granada is close and amazing but also any of the other cities you can easily get by car or public transportation!”.
Mar (Barcelona, Spain)

Private Retreat January 2018:
“This retreat was for me like a little ‘heaven of peace’ that I really needed after a few months of hard work. I loved the experience of living in a yurt in the middle of the beautiful nature up there. I also enjoyed very much the morning yoga and the treatments, delivered, heartfully, by my two hosts Yair and Ziza…and the food was so delicious. I hope I’ll be able to reproduce some of the nice meals proposed by Ziza in her recipe book.
I definitely recommend this retreat… just go and let it flow, you won’t be disappointed 😉 “
Thanks again for your warmth and kindness!
Yasmina

Yoga New Year Retreat: 2017/18:
Dearest Yair and Ziza,
It’s taken me awhile to get back to you to say what a wonderful retreat I had with you over New Year – apologies for the delay.
The food, the yoga, the surroundings and your own attention to detail and loving care was just wonderful.  I feel much enhanced by the experience.
Again so many thanks to you both AND Shanti’s presence was delightful and interesting.
Much love and light to you all,
Lainey.
Lainey Ennis

 

Yoga Christmas Break December 2017:
Dear Ziza and Yair,
Happy New Year and may all your wishes come through for a healthy, warm, sweet, flavoury, successful and challenging 2018.
Through my way home last Wednesday, I had the chance to visit Granada for a few hours. The food wasn’t as good as yours and the people around were loud. This means that staying in Armonia Alpujarra in Lanjaron was so good to forget about all the daily, hectic stuff around.
It was a pleasure to stay there. The hospitality, the accommodation, the nature, the food, the yoga activities and treatments were all amazing and so enjoyable. Really nice, what does a person needs more?
Without the lovely company of all the participants I would not have learned about lessons in life, data theory, masters in law, famous people, body language, dreams etc.
Every single moment of this retreat was great, all the good feelings brought me back to a totally fearless existance, as when I was 14 years old. Wow … The amount of energy is still peaking and it makes me feel happy and strong to face the reality.
The recipe book is so inspiring. Thank you Ziza. I tried some of them (my own version) and shopping is more enjoyable than before.
My kids are so happy with their new mom. We experience a warm satisfaction, trust, happiness and harmony. Thanks for all the amazing good influences and loads of energy.
Let every day be a dance party … and
Thank you for this place
Thank you for our body
Thank you to ourselves
Thank you for the food
I deserved to be loved
Big hugs
Sophie de Poucques

Yoga Christmas Break December 2017:
A wonderfully unforgettable united experience in the surrounds of the beautiful Sierra Nevada. Sharing their home, their wisdom, their freedom, the magic of dance and touch and delicious home cooked happy, love filled food.
Ziza and Yair welcome you with open arms..
x x x
Charlotte Ellis 

Yoga Christmas Break December 2017:
Hola Yair and Ziza,
I had the most wonderful time at the Christmas retreat. Your hospitality, humanity and kindness are extraordinary. We enjoyed 10 sessions of yoga/meditation/ biodanza, as well as the opportunity to opt for additional treatments. After the biodanza I felt so much more able to let go that I was ready for reflexology with Ziza. Truly amazing, empathetic, cleansing. All this at the same time as having three beautiful and tasty meals a day.  The four others on the retreat became good friends, a truly enriching experience.
I will remember my time with you, I feel so much more at one with myself. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Love
Celia 

Yoga & Biodanza Retreat June 2017:
Must have experience!
Would highly recommend everyone to immerse in this experience at least once. It is a beautiful, purifying and peaceful environment, everything from the unique yurt stay to the fresh, home-grown food and the first-time biodanza experience! The best part yet is the wonderful hosts, Yair and Ziza. They felt like family and made this an unforgettable experience!
Manasi Shah from India

Yoga & Nature walks Retreat May 2017:
I had the most amazing time, met wonderful people, which I will keep in touch with. Yair and Ziza were very friendly and welcoming, I felt very comfortable, like being at home. Food was amazing, brought lots of ideas back home, even brought the recipe book and already made some soup. Yoga was excellent, beautiful surroundings, just what I needed, highly recommend the foot reading. Recommended the retreat to ladies at my yoga class.

 

Yoga New Year Break 2016-2017:
“Thank you Ziza and Yair for the beautiful time spent together…
I came to you because I had the intuition I had to… So many places we can go for to do yoga and treatments, and really my choice was just perfect and the expectation I had were highly fulfilled!
Thank you Ziza for your great fresh food from your garden and from the local people… !!! I had amazing meals… so diverse and so fresh… Waouhhh BRAVO!!! you are a perfect health cooker!!!! Thank you for all your tips concerning the way to take care of my skin and my body in a natural way when I get sick, I took notes of everything and it even helped a friend of mine who cough a cold right after I got back home! Concerning the feet reading reflexology, it is amazing and it revealed to me a very important point: It made my understand my guilty attitude towards close people to me and you helped me to get that out of me! I am impressed!
Thank you Yair for the running, the beautiful walks in the nature and your amazing yoga classes! I continue to add your postures to my weekly yoga trainings. You personalized your yoga teaching depending on people’s needs and problems.  You gave us perfect feedback! You’ve helped my back and my shoulders to come back to a better posture!!! Thank you also for your great treatments, I really enjoyed body mind acupuncture & shiatsu! You helped me to get my aura back on the sides and on the back of my body!!!! Waouhhh I don’t feel my energy dead in my back anymore… it is warm and I can still feel it!!!
Next time I would rather come in spring, autumn or summer… even if we had beautiful days and could have breakfast and lunch on the terrace in winter time, I was a bit cold in the house where I slept…
To conclude, I really advise persons who love yoga, nature, good vegetarian food, great personalized treatments and who want to take some time off from their daily activities and to relax before going back to work, THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO GO TO.
Warm regards to you two,
Aurélie

Yoga Christmas Break 2016:
Dear Yair and Ziza,I’ve been meaning to write for days now since getting back to life in London. Inevitably, there was a jolt getting back but I was launched into string quartet rehearsals with wonderful music so I went from one enriching experience to another.Thank you again for your welcoming hearts and for your generosity to us all. You seem to find endless time and energy to support each and every one of us. And you seem to enjoy it, which is even better!I’m sending much love and gratitude to you both and hope to see you again in the nearish future. Lucy xx
Lucy: UK

Yoga Christmas Break 2016:
WOW JUST WOW !  Go for it you will not regret it!
My experience at Armonia Aljapujarra was unique. I didn’t expect to live a so intense experience when I came. Life sometimes smiles at you by giving you hints that you are on the right way and going at Armonia Aljapujarra was, for me, one of them. 

The environment was just perfect, in the middle of the mountain with amazing views. Relaxing, peaceful and close to nature. You can’t imagine the pleasure of taking a shower and, waking up hearing the birds. The Yurts are very comfortable.
It’s the perfect place to do a yoga retreat. The yoga sessions were very nice. Yair is patient and a very good teacher – he gave me a lot of insights to help me continue the exercises when I am back home, which I do.
The treatments they provide are mastered and healing for the body and for the mind.
Yair and Ziza are two amazing and inspiring persons. In minutes you feel at home. They are cheerful and welcoming and they share so much.  I learnt a lot from them and they made me discover so many things such as Biodanza which I loved. I am grateful I had the chance to meet both of them.  Ziza is also an amazing cook!  Every meal was a pleasure for the eyes and for the taste 🙂 This is hard for me to write about this fulfilling experience, my only advice would be just go and experience it, you won’t regret it. Thank you Yair and Ziza from the bottom of my heart. Lots of love.
Noémie

Yoga Christmas Break 2016:
“I just wanted to get away over Christmas, and ended up in a magnificent environment with people I’ll never forget. This place is magical in all ways. I can’t wait to go back, not only for the yoga, the meditations, the treatments, the landscape and the wonderful food, but to dive back into this parallel world where love and harmony is surrounding you. Where you feel at home. Ziza and Yair, I will never forget you, and I will definitely be back.”
Ida

Yoga New Year Break 2016-2017

Whilst sitting on the porch of my gorgeous wooden hut, watching the sunset behind the mountain, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. The yoga, the food and most of all the healing therapies made me feel like I might float from my seat! 

Ah hold on… I think I’ll call Yair & Ziza magicians not actors. Yes that’s it. What they create between them is an elaborate magical trick to make you feel alive, peaceful and lighter.  I know their game ;0) and now you do too. But you don’t have to thank me for forewarning you… just go and feel the magic for yourself :0) Yair & Ziza I love you. Namaste
Jackie 

Yoga & Nature Walks: October 2016:
I had an incredible time here.  The surroundings are peaceful and beautiful, the accommodation is very comfortable (In the small yurt, i’ve never slept better, surrounded by the smells and sounds of the local nature).

Ziza and Yair are faultless hosts, i felt like a part of their family.  They have a beautiful way of life, which for the duration of my stay i was lucky enough to experience and share.

The food is delicious and beautifully presented, i could’t wait to get stuck in at every meal time, Ziza is an amazing cook.
Both Ziza and Yair were happy to take me on hikes, to the beach, pick me up/take me to the bus stop as i arrived and departed and were just generally helpful and lovely people all around.

Come here to regenerate, heal & reconnect; it worked for me. I look forward to visiting time & time again.  I can’t wait to introduce my family and friends too.
Carly UK

 

 

Yoga & Nature Walks: March 2016:
Dear Yair & Ziza
Thank you for a wonderful retreat. I have come away feeling beautifully relaxed, recharged and encouraged to keep going on my journey!
The generosity and care you both showed us was so heartwarming.
Sharing your home reminded me about the joys of nourishing healthy food prepared with love and also about living with the environment not inspite of it. A deep and expanding experience. You guys rock!
I look forward to seeing you both again.
With love and gratitude.
From Lucy

 

Yoga & Biodanza: June 2015:
Ziza understands food is medicine but she makes it so tasty.  I have transformed how I look at vegetables now and realised there are so many wonderful ways to cook delicious nutritious food.  So after having spent 5 days eating Ziza’s amazing array of food, I’m a convert.  I am cooking and preparing differently and I am so much the healthier for it.  I also have an insight into how to make a variety of vegetarian dishes that are so delicious you don’t miss the meat!  Ziza’s food is a feast to behold.  If you can get her recipes or are lucky enough to go to her retreat, you are in for a very special treat. 

Yair is special.  He has a gift to transform your energy.  I always feel more centred, more energetic and more positive after a session with Yair.  He has been my secret energy transformer but his gifts are so powerful, the secret needs to spread.

Ziza can give you insights about your life, through your feet.  She uses a combination of reading the feet to reflexology and the result is a real shift of perception.  That perception shift has lead to a behaviour shift and an opening up of many more opportunities for me.  Thank you Ziza.
From Kate

 

Yoga Holiday:
“I have just had the most wonderful experience with Yair and Ziza in their home. It was a surreal experience, that took my mind, body and soul out of the the hustle of London and strengthened it in the middle of the mountains. I was taken by the serenity and quietness of space we occupied. I felt so blessed to have been in the company of Ziza and Yair. Yair was an excellent yoga and meditation teacher, I have yet to explore his other talents. Ziza was kind, nurturing and had the most breath taking cooking ability. I always looked forward to dining with them and tasting her delicious and healthy food.”

“The facilities were just right. I stayed in the big yurt, which had a view of the mountains and was surrounded by trees. It had a kitchen area, sleeping and relaxation area. It was full of cushions to sit on and very spacious. The outside seating area, hammock, shower was so wonderful. The compost toilet experience was also fun!I have no doubt that I will go back there again, the yoga experience was great, and Ziza and Yair’s warmth and conversations was just what I needed to grow and feel contained within. They were so accommodating and did quite a lot to make me feel at home. I felt comfortable to be myself, felt free and strong. Thank you Yair and Ziza, I’m very grateful for this experience and I look forward to seeing you both again.”
Shimu Khamlichi, UK

 Yoga Holiday Detox:
“Thanks so very much for the important lesson you taught me this year. When I was on detox in May, after the setback in my career, you taught me how to see things from the point of view of my adversaries, to understand that we are all connected with one another – in short, you taught me how to learn to love my enemies. This is truly one of the hardest lessons to learn in life, and I have found it deeply challenging to apply it over the past few months. At the same time, I have also found great power in trying to apply this lesson, hard though it can be.  I look forward to seeing you and Ziza again in 2012.”
Josh Adams

 

Yoga Holiday Retreat:
Dear Yair and Ziza,
“My husband and I chose Yair and Ziza’s retreat for our last holiday as a couple before having our baby. Towards the end of my pregnancy I feared that I wouldn’t be able to connect with my child. After a session with Ziza something magical happened… I actually produced milk – the ultimate connection between a mother and baby! Both Ziza and Yair enable you to untangle emotions and use energy in a subtle yet profound way. Yair’s energy reading class made me feel like a child again, within a world of possibilities. Their company is easy, interesting and warm, and the food is just delicious. I still want that cabbage recipe. Mmmmm, I really did love every meal. We will return with our son one day. Thank you both for a very special experience”.
Love from
Liza, Pete and Hector.

 

Yoga Holiday Retreat:
I really enjoyed the morning yoga, Qi Gong and meditation sessions; the afternoon teaching and practice sessions, often spent outdoors; and the warm lazy evenings spent outdoors, around a table of light, healthy, delightful food; with easy, good company. The energy and foot reading teaching and practice sessions really supported me to get in tune with my mind, body, heart and spirit. They supported me to let go of things that were blocking me, holding me back; and to open up to new possibilities.
Kay

Yoga Holiday Retreat in Greece Sifnos:
“A retreat week on the magical and unspoilt island of Sifnos in Greece helped me to unwind, restore, and re-balance. The unique combination of therapies, bodywork, teachings, and mindful meditation combined so naturally with the warmth of the island, so stunningly beautiful, so unassuming. Meditating to the sunrise, swimming at deserted beaches, sharing food so fresh and alive with energy, balancing being and doing, mind-body-spirit. 
Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Emma