CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES

Personalized Retreats
We were so delighted to meet and support each of the guests in the stories below.

Personalised Retreat April 2019:
We were rather tentative about our first ever Yoga Holiday, but Yair’s warm welcome, and generosity of spirit, soon put us at ease. We enjoyed the Yoga sessions, which were tailored to our abilities, and it was a joy practising while looking out over the beautiful countryside in the sunshine.
At mealtimes, the food was varied and delicious, and the company and conversation enjoyable and interesting. Casa Iris provided us with everything we needed, and the view and tranquility from the terrace was blissful, with Chiquita and Manchita for company.
We also enjoyed walking in the surrounding hills as well as visits to Lanjaron and Pampaneira, Yair made us feel most welcome and at ease in his home. As a first yoga holiday experience, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Armonia Alpujarra.
A Cox

 

Personalised Retreat March 2019:
Hi Yair,
I had a wonderful experience in this beautiful retreat place, the nature is amazing and the energy is very safe, and welcoming. To sleep in the yurt is a very rich experience, it feels warm, cosy and close to the nature around it. Yair was a very kind, open and wise teacher. Ana and Alberto were beautiful yoga teachers and cooks, who made me feel at home. So overall, a very profound experience, that made me feel blessed. I would very much like to come back in the future. 
Warm wishes, 
Nina

 

Personalised Retreat September 2018:
I had a very special time on the 5 day retreat with Yair and Ziza. Set in such a peaceful location up in the mountains with fresh air and beautiful greenery, it felt a million miles away from fast paced city life. Yair and Ziza are very open and kind and really welcome you into their home so if you are looking for an authentic and personal experience then this is it.
Yair is a fantastic yoga instructor paying keen attention to my form and energy, and Ziza’s beautiful vegetarian food tasted so delectable that mere words are not enough to give an impression and it was presented so beautifully too! I was also invited to try the Biodanza whilst staying there, and I can recommend it even to those who are not ‘dancers’ usually! I myself will now pick up a class here in my home town.
The experience really helped me to recharge my spirit and I cannot recommend it enough to others. Thank you so much Yair and Ziza for all the love!
Jasmine

 

Personalised 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 Andalusía, 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

 

Personalised Retreat December 2017:
Dear Yair and Ziza,
Wanted to say a big thank you again for this week. It was wonderful to get to know you both – thank for being so welcoming and kind. Loved the classes, food, yurt and surroundings. I noticed when I got home how much calmer and at peace I felt – the experience was perspective-changing!
Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
Best wishes,
Sophie

 

Personalized Retreat July 2017:
“I just wanted to thank you again for the time I spent with you. It’s a very pleasant, refreshing memory. I came away very rested – and stretched! In fact I have found a Shiatsu practitioner locally to continue the good work on my stiff shoulders. I really enjoyed my days exploring Granada too.”
Alex UK

 

Personalized Retreat July 2017:
“Yair and Ziza, have created the perfect place to disconnect from the world and to be able to reconnect with yourself. The yoga classes in the morning arel a luxury; and the afternoon yoga classes in the pool (in the water) were just what one needs in the middle of August. The stay at Casa Iris was very comfortable and gives you absolute independence. The food was exquisite. Yair and Ziza, with their kindness and affection create a super pleasant atmosphere. I am sure that I will return. A hug!”
Yolanda Spain

 

Personalised Retreat 2017:
In the 3 days I was in the centre of Yair and Ziza I have relaxed so much and I have recharged the batteries but with good energy. I stayed in Casa Iris, a very well kept and quiet house. The vegetarian food is spectacular and made with lots of love. Yoga classes are different, which I really liked. Because of the heat in the afternoon, we were given a Yoga class at the pool. It has been a great new experience!  Thank you so much for everything!
Ratings: Perfect Accommodation & facilities / Perfect Food / Perfect Location / Perfect Overall impression / Perfect Quality of activity /Perfect Value for money
Sandra Ortlieb Spain

 

Personalised Retreat July 2017:
“The setting was amazing, it was like a haven, with beautiful greenery all around and only the sound of nature to listen to. Casa IRIS was very clean, comfortable and well-ventilated. The food prepared by Ziza was so healthy, colourful and delicious. The yoga and meditation sessions with Yair were very calming, relaxing yet energizing, and conducted with patience and care. I highly recommend this retreat”.

 

Short Private Retreat July 2016:
Hi Yair and Ziza,
Thank you for a wonderful stay and amazing treatments! You were both fantastic and I feel more positive than I did before I arrived. I will definitely be back! Lots of love to you both Cathy xx
Cathy UK

 

Personalized Retreat December 2015:
Yair and Ziza have created a beautiful environment for healing and relaxation. They are warm individuals who welcome you into their home and way of life. The setting is idyllic, the food fresh and always delicious and the yoga invigorating.
Being able to spend a week with them allowed me to re-energise and restore balance while equipping me with some insights that I can continue to use in everyday life.  I recommend for anyone who wants to re-connect with themselves.
Love Josh
Josh London UK

 

Personalized Retreat October 2015:
Dear Yair and Ziza
I wanted to say what a wonderful time I had. I felt absolutely repaired when I returned home.  Thank you.
I also wanted to send you a few pictures that I took in your garden.  The beautiful colours and sounds feel a million miles from grey London. With love, Julie
Julie UK

 

Personalized Inner Growth Retreat:
Dear Yair and Ziza,
“Words cannot express how I feel.  After my first amazing stay with you in March 2008 I always dreamed of returning.  In 2008 after the Inner Growth Retreat I transformed and I’ve been on a wonderful journey ever since….it was an incredible experience!  Now in 2014 I got the wonderful opportunity to return – it felt like I had come home.  Being in totally different place in my life now this time the experience has been extraordinary – I don’t know where to begin – like I said at the beginning no words can express this.  You both are two magical people – incredible… “

 

Personalized Inner Growth Retreat, January 6, 2014:
“Amazing retreat in a really special place. I stayed in the large yurt on the property which was nothing short of perfect, everything is really well thought through with an emphasis on eco/sustainable living and guest comfort. The food is made with love and attention using all fresh ingredients and could not have been better. Ziza should be giving cooking classes as there such a range of veggie dishes. Yoga and treatments were 100% personalised which again was fantastic. The location is incredible, although worth getting directions as it can be tricky to find.”
London Traveller

 

Personalized Retreat March 2008:
“My experience at beautiful Armonia Alpujarra with Yair and Ziza was absolutely amazing and it will stay with me forever.  I know that all the learning and the changes within me will impact me for many years to come.  Everything came at just the right time for me and I’m so grateful to them both.  I enjoyed everything.  I was a Yoga beginner but I didn’t feel awkward, as the pace was just right for everyone and it was fun.
The treatments were fantastic and absolutely everything was catered for – all of my needs.  The retreat location is out of this world – just so beautiful, an oasis of peace and calm – I enjoyed the peacefulness so much – I was totally relaxed and comfortable.
Staying in a big Yurt was another highlight for me and so close to nature. The yummy vegetarian food filled me up and it was lovingly cooked by Ziza – I will miss this so much… I will even miss the trek to the compost loo – which was fun!!!  I got so much from my time there, so many realisations about myself, my family and particularly the relationships with my children!  Thank you so much Yair and Ziza for all of it and helping me change my life!”
Jacqueline Vanden, Manchester, UK.

 

Personalised Retreat 2008:
I visited Yair and Ziza in Spring 2008 for a long term troubled back after I had been recommended by the local chiropractor who decided he could no longer help me. My body needed to be treated more as a whole and not just for the broken and dislocated bones!! After a couple of sessions with both Yair and Ziza, I came to realise I was multi-dimensional and really just another form of energy .I also spent a personal week with them which was a struggle at first. Contemplating time and energy for MYSELF – HOW RARE.

They both made me feel like my needs were priority and gave me enough nurturing to cover me for my entire neglected prior life! Massages, expression through art, delicious delectable foods, Qi Gong and yoga daily and laughter and quite frankly a new simplicity…this I had sensed was always there but did not know how to connect with it.  My problems were more my personal battles with myself and bad habits developed over the years. Moreover my back problems were just a symptom of emotional traumas and self neglect. Even though there were damages from accidents the way i had dealt with them left me with long term discomfort and pain. As well as anxiety and at times depression

My mind was blown over a very short space of time and i decided that the path that Yair and Ziza had laid for themselves and so many other people was the ONLY path I needed to concentrate on in order to achieve a more harmonious way of living.  The other problem i had dealt with over the years was lack of my own family and not having had any children. Yair and Ziza helped me come to terms with this very quickly. I didn’t need to have a child to feel fulfilled focusing on the emptiness inside of me, why it was there and filling that emptiness with self-love. Then BINGO…as soon as acceptance crept in I found myself with child at the age of 40!

Then another set of challenges came in, pregnancy, emotions, new raging hormones and bringing a new being into the world. I was and felt very safe with a new self-trust that all was for a reason and i could find some inner peace with practices that i had been taught by Yair. Reminding myself that I was part of the earth and to integrate every element of the earth and the rains, suns, winds, heavens, smells and sounds. LIFE BECAME SO MUCH EASIER TO DEAL WITH.

Now with a three year old daughter, we both practice energy work, we practice yoga as much as possible and I try to live within more realistic parameters.

I check in with Yair and Ziza regularly and when possible I visit them at their retreat I could not recommend them both, nor their beautiful peaceful home and retreat any higher. They are miracle workers and a joy to have met.
Tara