I attended a Relax & Restore retreat with Ellen in July 2023 at Suryalila. Together with Ellen, I learned what it means to truly relax, learned to hear myself better and feel what my body and soul needed. I would also like to note that the place that Ellen chose for the retreat was magical and therefore the whole atmosphere and meditation with Ellen contributed to clearing thoughts of negativity, immersion and relaxation. I am truly grateful to Ellen for the way she can deeply feel people and help them live through emotions. I would love to attend more retreats with Ellen in the future - Oksana Harazha, Barcelona

Going on retreat with Ellen is like stepping through a portal from  wherever we are coming from, whatever our story is, to the truly sublime. Where I started and where I ended were in utterly different places. Barely able to get up and down on the mat, down was the place to be. And in that space Ellen wove a magical practice of poses, contemplation and energy work into a mist of miraculous transformation. I was unsteady on my feet walking the property when I started, and ended up firmly footed with a feeling of bodily freedom only matched by the opening and insights of my spirit. The retreat also mixed in other activities which I loved, especially the visit to the baths. I truly look forward to my next retreat! - Susan Buchanan, Maine (USA).

I can’t rate this retreat enough! It set me up with a solid foundation of safety that enabled deeper healing to follow, ultimately leading to a grounded and present state. I arrived at Suryalila very hyper-vigilant as I was suffering from panic disorder, and Ellen’s calm and approachable demeanour along with her experience made me feel safe, heard, and understood. The week combined all the right tools for healing with lots of comfort, nourishment, and lovely nature breaks. I recommend this for everyone! - Athena Michaelides, London

Ellen is an amazing teacher. She led our retreat in Suryalia which was one of the best experiences I have had. Ellen is sensitive, uplifting and the most empathetic teacher I have had the pleasure of practicing with. She is a beautiful person with a deep core knowledge of Yoga. I learnt so much from her and especially benefited from her Yoga Nidra. It was a deeply transformative retreat and has led me to change things and made me take life decisions which have been so positive. I would highly recommend practicing with Ellen you will thoroughly enjoy the retreat and will have the most amazing rest and relaxation, whilst also meeting amazing like minded people. Thanks for an amazing experience Dear Ellen. - Helen Sutton, Mountshannon, Ireland

The Relax & Restore week with Ellen has been enriching and transformative, giving me a new understanding of the treasures in Yin & Restorative Yoga. Ellen, you facilitated and set the stage in such a beautiful way and made it possible to connect deeper with ourselves. To me this experierience has been renewing, blissful, and challenging. You have given us this precious gift, and I am deeply grateful. From my heart, thank you! - Ina Elisabeth Fikse, Bergen, Norway

Ellen is a master of her trade. She led our retreat in Suryalia, in the most empathic, sensitive and uplifting, fun manner. She is a beautiful person in every way with a deep core knowledge of Yoga, Yoga for Relaxing and Restoration and as for Yoga Nidra..... I learnt so so much from her, she was deeply inspiring, both in her masterclasses which were hugely interesting , and in her leading of our Yoga Nidra practice. It was so deep and transformative and even led me as a Yoga practitioner and Teacher into life decisions that are very positive and life affirming for me. What else can I say? Except do not miss an opportunity to work with this Master, that is Ellen, you will learn so much, you will have a great time at the Retreat and have R and R in the best way possible. And as you can see from the picture, we did just that! -Colette Doris, Mountshannon Co Clare, Ireland

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

I participated in Ellen's Relax&Restore retreat. The first day I was a bit restless and anxious from the long travel day, so I needed time to land. Ellen had an eye for this and I could always walk over to her to talk if I was in need of it and felt like I was having a problem. After a day I noticed that my body and mind quickly relaxed. The yin yoga was my favorite and the way Ellen guided the sessions caused a deep relaxation, wow... I came to rest in deeper layers and enjoyed talking to Ellen about the things that were going on in my life right now . She listens with love, without judgement, and puts a mirror in front of you. I had the option to withdraw if I felt the need, or to talk to other attendees. Highly recommended!- Eva Hiep, Amsterdam

After a very challenging period in life, I was looking for change and time for myself. It was time to honor myself as a woman and to find my inner voice again. I decided to join a journey called the "Restore and Relax Retreat", from Ellen. During our very first phone call, me and Ellen made a connection through our hearts. Ellen saw immediately who I truly am despite all the heaviness around me. When we met physically in Spain it was like magic. I never met a person with such lovely and soothing energy, who is so calm - but who has such good humor as well- and has this heartwarming presence. During the retreat, Ellen was supporting me and guiding me back towards the rich, inner wisdom. She created a space of awareness. All her yoga classes and meditations felt like a blanket of love. The reiki session we did was definitely life changing and I became so grounded. I am able to feel all kinds of sensations in my body now and I am learning to listen to the directions given from inside. I really think that it was meant to be that we've met each other and we'll definitely find a way to continue this new bond between us. Ellen is an angel who was made to do this work and definitely broke down the wall I build around myself and helped me to replace it with love and peace. - Sanne Jacobs

The Relax and Restore retreat is a truly transformative experience. This is ideal for anyone who is experiencing burn out, tiredness and stress, or for those who are thinking deeply about their lives and wanting to make changes to it. Ellen's classes are simply amazing, she is such an excellent teacher and coach and the week is so peaceful and relaxing. It succeeded in making me contemplate the things in my life I needed to consider and also to learn what was for me a new style of yoga which is truly relaxing and enabled me to calm my very busy and over active mind. After just one week I came back home feeling like I had learned some great techniques which I have now incorporated into my life here and I am generally feeling much more content, at peace and able to tackle any future life challenges that may come my way. - Davina Shiell

Sometimes you just know, or feel rather, that you are just right where you need to be. I arrived at Ellen's Relax & Restore retreat with a strong desire of 'me time'. I have met Ellen already a few years ago were she shared her ideas with me of creating a Yoga Retreat focusing on stress relief, self-empowerment, slowing down & nourishment. It was the simplicity and beauty of this idea combined with the brightness in her eyes talking what her deepest heart desire is that struck me and made me remember when I most needed it. So I followed this call.

Yin & Restorative Yoga as well Yoga Nidra is not my strongest side as I tend to go for strenuous and vigorous practices and I love them. But Ellen´s voice makes you relax and simply follow her suggestions had made this so easy for me. I feel Ellen does everything to make you feel comfortable and I was very touched by her kindness, authenticity, pureness and her availability to just be there for you. I felt secure in the safe environment that she created with her knowledge and warm-hearted being. After a month back home I still feel the impact and my heart keeps on smiling. Thank you Ellen for a wonderful time. -Lia Muczenski

I am very grateful for this wonderful retreat and the brilliant guidance from Ellen. I was put on gardening leave as I left one large tech company to join another and I knew I needed to get away from my day-to-day and deeply rest my mind and body. The pandemic had affected me in more ways than I knew, and I felt like I was flat-lining through life, a sort of numbness to everything around me. With the added stress of my job, I felt I had lost a sense of self and direction. I accidentally stumbled on this retreat, but from the moment I read about the course and I spoke to Ellen on the phone, I knew it was the right fit!

I have to admit, I am not a deeply spiritual person so reading about the types of yoga and meditation we were going to do, I had a lot of skepticism. I shared my concerns with Ellen, but I need not be worried as it turns out there were a lot of people like me on the course and with Ellen's guidance, the process was well worth my time! She is a brilliant teacher, and explains both the science and the benefits behind the sessions, which for me was essential. The types of yoga, specifically Nidra and the meditation sessions for me were really powerful, and I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and clarity after the retreat. I took away some relaxation techniques and a better understanding of what is important to me. When you take the time to stop, focus on yourself and relax, its amazing what you can get from it. - Kate McCarthy

I have found Ellen’s retreat very valuable and personal. The approach of a video call beforehand and the possibility of doing the same afterwards is very personal and special. The way you paid attention to what was happening, the way of being present with the processes of each and everyone separately and with the whole dynamics in the group, I have found that very significant. Ellen just senses when to be present or when it is needed to check in on how someone is doing. The power of following your own intuition is very meaningful. Thanks a lot for this!

It has definitely triggered something that I cannot put my finger on yet. Awareness of what I want to work on, but I also sense a start being made on being softer with myself and having more faith in myself. In a way I got some new energy. I would definitely recommend this retreat! And by the way: the food and Suryalila are also very great! - Milou Somers

In November 2019 I attended Ellen's Relax and Restore Week in Andalucia.  I realised I needed to create a "fire break" in my busy life to take time to reflect and consider how best to deal with a complicated mix of professional and personal challenges.  My initial thought was to walk a Camino for a week but then I came across Ellen's course. I had to overcome the feeling that the week with Ellen would be self-indulgent,  and I am so glad I did because it was a cathartic experience for me to put aside my preconceptions and immerse myself in the truly wonderful environment created by Ellen.

It is extraordinary how the mix of yoga styles and Ellen's coaching, and her amazing Reiki talent, helped me to change the way I think about my life.  I came back restored in my mind and feeling loose and energetic in my physical body. - Michael Walsh

I had a wonderful experience during Ellen's retreat. She creates a safe place where everyone can be themselves and be part of her retreat at their own pace and in their own way. I especially enjoyed her Yoga Nidra. This gave me so much peace and gave me the opportunity to come back to myself again. I definitely recommend her retreats if you are looking for more peace and balance in your life. - Anne-Roos

I spent one week with Ellen at her wonderful restorative and yin yoga retreat, Relax & Restore. It was a great experience which I highly recommend. Ellen is a very nice person, she has got such a charming personality and she cares about everybody in the group. She’s got such a magic voice which is still guiding me in my mind when I find myself in intense moments. After the retreat I was so relaxed and confident in life and I felt a calming sensation that stayed with me for several months. I really want to join her retreat again and will be so happy so see her. - Mari D.

This Summer I joined the retreat with Ellen. I am a person who decides things quickly and I had a good feeling about the teacher so I did not take me long to choose this retreat. 

I checked out Ellen’s photo and the text she wrote about herself and I can only say this felt good, the program sounded like just what I wanted. What attracted me is a connection, Ellen changed her life completely from a busy Amsterdam life to a more natural lifestyle. I could recognize myself in some things she wrote. I felt we connected straight away. 

Ellen is such a beautiful presence. She is present like a true teacher and yet she gives and holds space for my own process. She is just there without the need to overtly talk much. This felt very nice and gives even more peace. A lot of feeling versus thinking, this is incredible and what I needed! 

She is also fun! What was so cool is that she was open enough for input from the group. The whole group organised a dance night and we had to sweep her off the dance floor. 

I really like her energy and beautiful voice and the magic she brings to her sessions. 

It is a long time since I experienced such a deep relaxation in a way like this, so lovely. 

I learned to activate my yin energy more and I love it! I will keep up doing yin yoga, yoga nidra and relax for sure. Thank you so much Ellen for this lovely retreat!  - Mirjam van Starrenburg, Amsterdam

When I went to Suryalila I was expecting to take a break in my hectic lifestyle where I can recharge, but little did I know that the retreat imparted by Ellen Aarts did not only replenish but also rebalance my mind, soul and body.

Every morning we started with a different meditation, we also practised restorative yoga, nidra yoga, and now my favourite, thanks to Ellen, yin yoga. We took a scenic path by a river in a National Park nearby. The weather was wonderful the whole stay.

I will repeat this retreat! - Soniam Bem