We had the good fortune of connecting with Devon/Juliette Young/Rossato and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devon/Juliette, what’s been your favorite thing to do during quarantine?
Yoga of course! We’ve been really expanding our home practice, as well as teaching online several times a week. Devon also teaches TRX and HIIT workouts online, and even though we can’t physically be together with our students, we are so grateful for the undeniable and powerful connection that exists through time and space, no matter where we are. With everything moving online, we were inspired to start creating a virtual retreat program, which we are hoping to roll out at the end of June. This is our way of continuing to share what we normally do on our international retreats all around the world. The idea is to help people feel grounded and inspired even, and especially, in uncertain times like these.

What should our readers know about your business?
Colibri Yoga Retreats is a women-owned small business that offers eco friendly yoga adventures in paradise. We take intimate groups to beautiful places to recharge their lives and unplug their minds with yoga, meditation, and community. Our retreats are special because they cater to all levels, not just the seasoned yogi, and we only work with environmentally conscious resorts. We accompany our yoga classes with unique experiences like mala making, group hikes and volunteering with local non-profits. During the Covid-19 crisis we are, like so many other yoga and travel organizations, experiencing our biggest challenges yet. As travel and group classes have come to a standstill, we are making decisions on what direction to take our company and holding off on any travel plans. We can’t wait to get back to our group excursions, but we are keeping the health and safety of our students in the forefront of our minds. We have a retreat planned for the end of July in Mexico, and although travel might be unrestricted by then, we don’t feel that it is the right time to gather. So many factors are still unknown, and we want to make the most responsible choice for everyone involved. Instead, we are focusing our energy on developing a virtual retreat where students will be able to experience the variety of classes offered on our retreats in the comfort of their own home. Over the course of 6 weeks, we are offering classes ranging from hip mobility, heart opening, shoulder soothing, chakra balancing, and self massage-ball myofascial release, just to name a few. Once it’s safe to gather in larger groups again, we are planning on leading local retreats within California to avoid air travel, and still give people the chance to experience a serene place to retreat and grow. We’ve learned so much from our students over the years, especially that we all need support and community to survive and thrive. We can’t wait to be able to share space with our students again, and hope that this period of separation will bring us even closer once it’s over. We are so excited to get out and explore this beautiful world again and learn from other communities and cultures, because above all, we are students first.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What a dream to think about a friend visiting and being able to go places and do things! There is so much cool stuff to do and see in LA. Here are some of our favorites for when our city opens back up: Day 1- We live in West Hollywood, so let’s chill and explore the neighborhood! Coffee & breakfast at Alfred on Melrose Place. Take a yoga class at Hyperslow and hike Runyon to see a view of the whole city! Happy Hour/dinner at EP/LP and catch a movie on their rooftop. Day 2- Take a drive to the beach! Go to Malibu Cafe for brunch or pack a lunch and hangout on one of the many amazing beaches up north. Our favorites are Zuma, Leo Carrillo and Topanga Beach. Hike to a waterfall at Solstice Canyon and on the way home have a beer and delicious fresh fish by the sea at The Reel Inn. Day 3- Go explore downtown! Have breakfast or lunch at Grand Central Market where there is something for everyone. Then take a walk and explore the many architectural spots and museums downtown has to offer like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad Museum. Stay for dinner and check out Manuela in the Arts District or Cliftons that was first opened in 1935. Day 4- Take a break! You’ve been doing a lot so you deserve a day off. From driving, that is! Walk to Unplug Meditation for one of their super relaxing meditation classes. Then jot over to the Standard in Weho to use their pool and have lunch. You can even bring your dog! Stay in the neighborhood for the evening and do some vintage shopping on Melrose, then grab a bite to eat at Jon & Vinny’s or Badmaash on Fairfax. Day 5- Explore the East Side! This might take two days, but we’ll try and squeeze it all into one. Wake up early and have breakfast at Alcove in Los Feliz. Take a yoga class at Roam followed by a hike in Griffith Park. From here you can walk all the way up to the Griffith Observatory. See a show in their planetarium. Get a ride back down on their free shuttle and cruise over to Silver Lake. Grab a coffee to-go at Intelligentsia and walk around this hip neighborhood, checking out some of the cutest boutiques in the city. Have dinner at Silverlake Ramen or Night + Market Song and go see a show at The Greek Theater or have a drink at The Dresden while enjoying Marty and Elaine’s show. Day 6- It’s your last full day in town, so we better make it special! Have breakfast at Blu Jam cafe on Melrose before heading over to the Korean Spa for a day of pampering. Our favorite is Wi Spa (make sure to get the body scrub!) Have a fancy night and dress up for The Magic Castle. Of course, if you don’t know any magicians and can’t get an invite, you could always go to Sugarfish and then to a show at the Hollywood Bowl! Since it’s your last night, go get a late night drink at The Spare Room in the Roosevelt Hotel and splurge on bowling for only $100/hour. Day 7- You must be very tired, but before we get you to the airport we better do one last stop in Venice. Have breakfast at Gjelina and walk down the boardwalk to see all the interesting characters. Check out the skate park and lay in the sand one more time before going home. If you’re still hungry, grab a delicious sausage sandwich on the way to the airport at Wurstkuche. This list doesn’t even begin to touch on all of the incredible things there are to do in LA. We can’t wait for the time we can share them again with friends, and we hope that all of our favorite small businesses are still open after we come out of this. Dream vacations, here we come! Bon voyage!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our shoutout goes to Wanderlust Hollywood, which was one of our favorite yoga studios in LA. We both taught and took classes there, attended teacher-trainings, workshops, events, had breakthroughs, laughed and cried, found guidance and community. It was our home away from home. We were inspired and uplifted by the incredible teachers who worked there, and have learned so much. If it wasn’t for Wanderlust, we might have not had the courage and confidence to start our own business. Unfortunately the center is permanently closing due to the pandemic. Our hearts are broken and we are forever grateful to Schyuler and the entire WL team. We are honored and humbled to have been a part of this team and will miss having so many amazing humans to learn from in one space.

Website: https://www.colibriyogaretreats.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colibriyogaretreats/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colibriyogaretreats
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/colibri-yoga-retreats-los-angeles
Other: Email: colibriyogaretreats@gmail.com

Image Credits
Kirsten Moore, Anna Ritsch, Micaela Rossato