Devon Watson, yoga educator and founder of Dev the Yogi, regards burnout with a level of attentiveness informed by both professional experience and personal insight. Early in her career, Watson encountered a period of intense burnout that led to a serious health event and a visit to the emergency room. In the weeks that followed, she attended a retreat abroad, which became a “turning point”. She recognizes that burnout often carries emotional and physical dimensions that extend beyond work, and her international retreats are designed to offer space for recovery. Through these immersive experiences, she presents the idea that stepping away into a new environment can act as a meaningful reset, allowing individuals to reconnect with themselves in a supportive setting.
This perspective aligns with a broader shift in how burnout is understood today. Burnout has increasingly been recognized as a life-wide experience, not limited to professional demands. According to the latest Work in America survey, a notable percentage of workers report emotional exhaustion, highlighting how widespread this experience has become. Watson builds on this understanding by considering how daily responsibilities, life transitions, and ongoing pressures can all contribute to a sense of depletion. “Burnout isn’t always loud,” she says. “Sometimes it’s drifting away from yourself, and the work becomes finding your way back.”
With this broader context in mind, her retreats are intentionally placed in international settings, where participants may encounter unfamiliar landscapes, cultures, and ways of living. This physical distance from routine responsibilities, including jobs, caregiving roles, and daily logistics, can create a meaningful separation from habitual patterns. Watson states, “We usually stay connected to the same expectations and distractions when we remain close to our usual environment. If we leave our usual surroundings, we can begin to hear our own thoughts more clearly. There’s a certain honesty that emerges when everything familiar is set aside.”
As participants begin to settle into a new environment, Watson notes that the experience can naturally deepen. “Being in a different country invites engagement with unfamiliar customs and perspectives. It encourages presence in each moment,” Watson remarks. “This immersion becomes part of the process, as people adapt to new surroundings and ways of being.” An analysis emphasizes that novelty functions as a biologically meaningful signal that boosts learning and memory, connecting observable behavioral effects with the neural mechanisms that support them.
Watson integrates this idea into her retreats through optional activities that encourage participants to explore beyond their comfort zones, whether through cultural excursions or light adventure. She believes that these moments often serve as small but meaningful markers of personal growth.
Alongside this sense of discovery, Watson stresses that another strong element of connection may begin to develop within the group. She notes that retreat participants often come from a wide range of backgrounds and life stages, creating a setting where different perspectives naturally come into conversation. Over time, these shared experiences may contribute to a sense of belonging that extends beyond the duration of the retreat. Watson has observed how these interactions evolve organically. “There’s something powerful about sitting across from someone whose life looks completely different from yours, and realizing how much you understand each other,” she says.
This sense of connection is further enriched by the multigenerational nature of Watson’s retreats at Dev the Yogi. Watson notes that participants may range from teenagers to individuals in later stages of life, each bringing their own insights and questions. As conversations unfold, older participants often share lessons shaped by years of experience, while younger individuals contribute fresh perspectives and curiosity. “This exchange creates an environment where learning flows in multiple directions,” Watson says. “It offers participants the opportunity to reflect on their own paths through the lens of others’ experiences.”
These connections often deepen during shared meals, which play a central role in the retreat experience. According to Watson, food is prepared intentionally, frequently using locally sourced ingredients, and enjoyed together as a group. These gatherings, she notes, provide a natural pause in the day, where conversation and connection can unfold without distraction. “A simple meal, shared without distraction, can remind people of something they didn’t realize they were missing,” she states. Over time, these shared experiences may contribute to a sense of familiarity and ease among participants.
From there, the structure of the retreat continues to reinforce a sense of presence. Each day includes practices that encourage participants to slow down and engage more fully with their surroundings. Yoga sessions, moments of stillness, and time spent in nature all aim to contribute to supporting the nervous system. Watson notes that burnout can affect both mental and physical health, reinforcing the need for approaches that consider the whole person.
Within this setting, Watson introduces an idea that often resonates with participants: recovery does not necessarily require adding more tasks or commitments. Instead, her retreats create space for doing less. Participants are invited to step away from productivity-driven mindsets and spend time simply existing within the experience. “This shift can feel unfamiliar at first, but it often becomes one of the most meaningful aspects of the retreat,” Watson shares.
This philosophy also connects to her emphasis on accessibility. Although the retreats take place in international locations, Watson presents them as experiences that can feel attainable and supportive for a wide range of individuals. The diversity within each group reflects this intention, as participants arrive from different walks of life, each bringing their own reasons for being there. This variety, she believes, contributes to the richness of the experience, as participants learn not only from the setting but also from one another.
Watson’s personal experiences have shaped the intention around how she designs her retreats and how she supports those who attend them. The combination of international immersion, shared experience, and intentional daily practices, she offers an environment where individuals can reconnect with themselves at their own pace. She notes, “reflecting on my own retreat journey and that first time being removed from my usual environment, allowed me to reconnect with myself in a way that previously felt out of reach. That time away showed me that healing doesn’t always come from pushing harder. Sometimes it begins with stepping back.”
