From the moment you step into Montezuma, Costa Rica, the air feels different. The coastline hums with life, the rainforest carries its own rhythm, and everything around you seems to invite stillness. It is here that Bari Sue Levin Abedon has created a space where retreats become more than temporary escapes. As the founder of Devaya Yoga™—The Yoga of Color and Sound, she has designed programs that weave movement, breath, sound, and holistic practices into experiences that reset the body and mind in lasting ways.

What makes these retreats different is their depth. Days begin with yoga rooted in Hatha, Kundalini, and Vinyasa flow, paired with conscious breathing that calms the body from the inside out. Practices are enriched with sound vibrations and color visualizations, both carefully chosen to influence mood, reprogram thought patterns, and support emotional release. Meals are prepared with fresh, nourishing ingredients from local farms, and daily excursions to waterfalls and forests connect participants to nature as an active part of healing. Body therapies like massage, craniosacral therapy, and polarity balancing are integrated to release tension and restore balance.

This is not a random collection of wellness activities but a system rooted in both tradition and science. Sound work and breath stimulate the vagus nerve, a key regulator of stress, helping participants shift from fight-or-flight into a calmer state. Color, long used in spiritual traditions, is applied with precision to enhance focus, energy, and clarity. It is this meeting of ancient wisdom and modern understanding that gives the retreats both credibility and accessibility. A chant, a hum, or a simple color visualization can seem small, but in practice, these are powerful tools that participants take home and use long after the retreat ends.

Each program is built around a theme to keep the experience focused. The “Radiant & Ageless” retreat, for example, explores women’s vitality and confidence, while the “Yoga & Digestion Retreat” combines yoga with Ayurvedic nutrition to improve gut health. Her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training dives deeper, preparing instructors to carry the Devaya Yoga approach into their own communities. Bari’s school is approved by Yoga Alliance, and she holds an E-RYT 500 certification. Over the years, she has trained more than 400 teachers worldwide, expanding the reach of her method far beyond Costa Rica.

Participants often arrive tired, anxious, or disconnected. By the end of a retreat, they describe feeling lighter, clearer, and more grounded. The shift is not just emotional but practical. People leave with a toolkit, breathing patterns to use in stressful moments, mantras for focus, and simple ways to bring mindfulness into daily routines. To keep the momentum going, Bari also offers virtual programs such as From Nervous Anxiety to Unshakable Self-Esteem, allowing her work to reach those who cannot travel.

Of course, leading such retreats comes with challenges. Attendees bring different needs; some want a deep spiritual connection, others just want rest. The art lies in creating an environment where both groups find what they need without losing the heart of the practice. Bari has learned to build retreats like layered experiences: accessible enough for beginners, rich enough for advanced practitioners.

The result is a model that feels both grounded and transformative. It does not rely on dramatic breakthroughs but on steady, intentional practices that add up to lasting change. By blending yoga, sound, color, bodywork, and nature, Bari has built retreats that are not escapes but gateways back into life with strength and clarity.

In a world where stress has become the norm, these retreats offer something rare: a chance not just to pause, but to reset in a way that lasts. From the shores of Costa Rica, Bari Sue Levin Abedon is showing that with the right guidance, transformation can be both deeply personal and universally accessible.

Bari Sue Levin Abedon continues to share her heart and healing through Devaya Yoga™, a practice that helps you find peace in both movement and stillness. To discover more about her retreats and teachings, visit www.devayayoga.com or follow her on Instagram @devayayoga, you can also check out her YouTube channel for further details, https://www.youtube.com/@devayayogatmlevin. Her mission is simple yet profound: to help others return to balance, presence, and the quiet strength that lives within.