suisana
noun /ˈsuːɪsana/
1. the act of healing oneself
My name is Hazel. I'm British and have lived in The Netherlands since 2004. The realisation that health is not only about food and exercise, but also about emotional and spiritual nourishment has only come to me in recent years. During a yoga retreat in Ibiza in 2017 my 'food dream' finally crystallised into the idea of combining cooking and another passion of mine: yoga. The idea for Suisana Retreat for a Day was born!
Many of us do not have the time, resources or finances to be able to take a week out of our busy lives to go away on a retreat. I am passionate about giving people the opportunity to experience the peace, energy, spiritual and emotional growth that can be achieved during a retreat in an affordable and accessible way.
Alongside my ongoing, rewarding career as a Physiotherapist, I've always had a dream to share my food with others. It has always been a major part of my life; watching my mum in the kitchen as a young girl, as a teenager and young adult learning to cook for myself and being inspired by many different cuisines on my world travels. My favourite bedtime reading books are cook books (strange, I know!) and I'm always researching the latest nutrition theories.
Aside from my passion for great tasting food and flavour combinations I have also learned how much food can influence my health. I've tried just about every way of eating out there and never fail to be amazed by the effects these have on my health (in both negative and positive ways). My food is whole, organic and unprocessed being mainly plant based but also incorporating well sourced flexitarian options. My ambition is to be able to provide delicious food for everyone, despite where you are at in your own food journey and what restrictions you may have.
Food & Organisation
“Health is a state of complete mental, social and physical well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
– World Health Organization, 1948
Yoga, Mindfulness & Meditation
My name is Chiara. I was surrounded by yoga as a child, as my mum taught and practised yoga. I loved to turn the pages of her yoga books and just stare at the exotic postures and people. The seeds had been planted for my future! It wasn't until I became pregnant that I turned to yoga for the first time. I started to build my own own practice using my mum's old books, to stay in contact with everything that was happening in my body at that time.
A year after becoming a mum I decided to quit my office job and immerse myself fully in the study of yoga and nutrition. I completed my Hatha Teacher Training and nutritional studies a year later and from then on everything just fell into place.
Turning my passion into my work was effortless; my work even brought me energy! I was given the chance to start teaching right away and have since then taught numerous classes in a number of different yoga studios building up extensive experience in different yoga styles and meditation.
I am always inspired by the students and other yoga teachers I meet. Inspiration is everywhere, on everyone’s path and in everyone's body. This is exactly what I love to portray during classes; be grateful, inspired, energised, relaxed; all by yourself. The resources are already there, and yoga is a perfect way to bring it all out.