"What are the memories from your last year that you are the most fond of, the ones that made you feel the most alive and fulfilled? For me, my time in the Relax & Restore retreat was definitely among those. And that is mostly because of Ellen as a person. Her approach really spoke to me. For one thing, I consider myself a spiritual person, but at the same time passionate about science. Ellen perfectly connected the two, showing that there is really no contradiction between the sciences of biology or medicine and the more mystical realities of life. Her lectures about how yin yoga or yoga nidra actually affect the body were really helpful, and so was her brave openness to share with us her own story and how it helped her. But more importantly, Ellen has such an incredible healing and nurturing aura. When I was around her, I somehow felt like compassion and understanding are suddenly just part of the atmosphere. I felt myself opening up to her as if I knew her for a long time. For me, there were quite some tears on this retreat – healing ones. I thought I came there to answer some difficult questions I had about my career, but I ended up dealing with much bigger unexpected questions that came to the surface: my relationship with my body, or my own self love and love worth. I left with a renewed sense of connection with myself and commitment to treating myself better, and an optimism for the future that I still carry with me months later. I will forever be grateful to Ellen for this."- Leonie Staas, Paris
