It began with yoga.
We started Curated Yoga Retreats based on the idea that travel and well being can go hand in hand. Our retreats are located in the most stunning and peaceful settings so that our guests can enjoy luxury accommodations, world class yoga classes, seasonal, healthy cuisine while exploring the local culture. Take a vacation that nurtures your whole being and leaves you feeling recommitted to self care and mind/body wellness.
​
Thanks to the team here at Curated Yoga Retreats, we’re able to put on memorable and rewarding experiences for our guests. Each of our hosts is trained and experienced in maximizing the positive impact of our retreats.
Nikki Estrada
Founder and Teacher
Nikki started Curated Yoga Retreats inspired to combine her love of travel with more than 27 years of yoga teaching experience and leading and organizing retreats around the world.
​
August Hawthorne
Teacher & Studio Owner
August dove into the world of yoga over 25 years ago. Influenced by various styles of yoga she has landed squarely in the vinyasa flow tradition thanks to its mash-up approach and the space it allows for creativity. She is FOREVER a student and always seeking new learning opportunities and experiences. She holds a degree in Kinesiology, is a 500 hr E-RYT teacher and practicing Thai Yoga Therapist.
​
Dave Larot
Teacher
Dave Larot has been teaching the practice of yoga for nearly 20 years around the Bay Area. Having studied various styles, he leads a mindful practice focusing on breath and the principles of alignment, guiding students through the inner landscapes of the body, mind and spirit.
​
Erin Fleming
Teacher & MELT Method Educator
Erin has been teaching yoga for more than 25 years. She is a certified 500-hour Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT) with Yoga Alliance, and a certified MELT Method instructor. She's passionate about combining travel and yoga and leading retreats worldwide.
​
Stephanie Phelan
Teacher
Stephanie’s personal practice evolved into a pathway of service and teaching following life-altering events. Prior to that she was a segment producer for The Today Show. Sincere devotion led her to earn a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, to complete five Yoga Alliance Teacher Trainings and to continue study with renowned psychologists and yoga scholars. After decades of study and practice, Stephanie ultimately calls LIFE her greatest teacher. Her Soulful Flow classes are a fusion of music, dharma, humor and alignment.
​
Karyn Holland
Teacher & Studio Owner
With over 25 years of yoga teaching experience, Karyn weaves her lifelong passions of yoga, meditation, crystals and intuition into her practice. Karyn is the Founder of Citrine, a specially curated retail and holistic wellness studio in Larkspur, California. Citrine is a sacred sanctuary providing transformational services, classes, workshops, and events, and is home to the first Salt Sanctuary in Marin County.
​
Laura Burkhart
Teacher, Teacher Trainer & Author
Laura is an E-RYT 500 international teacher, four-time cover model, magazine contributor, author and featured online teacher. She originally sought out yoga to help combat serious health problems due to stress. The healing, grounding benefits she received from yoga was so profound that she decided to change the course of her work life. Laura teaches well-rounded, fluid, creative, smartly sequenced classes. She is an advocate for safe alignment, and leads and guest teaches in national and international 200 & 300-hour teacher trainings.
​
Peter Bartesch
Teacher
Peter Bartesch is a Bay Area native who has spent his youth to present day exploring philosophy and movement. He has a Bachelor's and Master's in philosophy, a love for spiritual traditions, an obsession with hiking in the mountains, and a drive to learn more about his body and mind connection.
Peter teaches in San Francisco and Marin County.​
​
Katina Griffin
Master Fitness Teacher, Educator & Trainer
Katina’s passion for movement is inspired by her background in dance, Pilates and yoga that spans well over 25 years. She previously held the title of Master Teacher Trainer of barre in the Bay Area for the past 17 years. She is most proud of the relationships she formed on her fitness journey as she co-created, conducted and helped digitize an accredited barre certification program recognized by ACE (American Council on Exercise) and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine).
​​
Crystal McCreary
Teacher, Teacher Trainer, Author
Crystal McCreary is a Coach, Health Educator & Yoga and Mindfulness Educator & Teacher Trainer. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in African and African American studies. Crystal is the author of the Little Yogi Deck: Simple Practices to Help Kids Move Through Big Emotions On & Off the Mat. She is on faculty at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and is a E-RYT-500 and RCYT with Yoga Alliance.
​
April Falcon
Teacher, Dancer, Crystal Therapist
Growing up, April Falcon devoted her life to dance. After graduating from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA program in San Francisco, she completed her 200 hr. YTT from Yogaworks. April earned her Certified Crystal Practitioner (CCP) certification from Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy followed by her Advanced Crystal Master (ACM) certification. Combining and sharing movement, meditation and energy healing is April’s passion that she believes will help everyone establish a more balanced and mindful lifestyle leading to good health and longevity.
​
Maya Holland
Intuitive Medicine Guide & Wellness Director
Maya’s dynamic and grounded approach to inner healing, guides others to reach a state of freedom and lightness as they release stored trauma and emotions. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Maya earned her Masters in Intuitive Medicine® at the age of 18, and became the youngest graduate of the program. She later went on to study at the University of Westminster in London for three years, and recently earned her certification in a special type of hypnosis called Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®.
​
Gabrielle Johnson
Teacher & Dancer
Teaching yoga for 13 years, Gabrielle trained with Nikki Estrada, Rod Stryker, Jason Crandell, Annie Carpenter, Ally Bogard, Kyle Miller and Josie Schweitzer. Her influences come from vinyasa yoga, Katonah yoga, various embodiment and inquiry practices and functional human movement. Her wish is that her students use the tools of the practice to feel resourced, so that we may be of service in the world. Gabrielle aims to connect yoga's ancient wisdom to a modern, practical practice of true wellbeing and insight.
​
Mia Togo
Teacher, Life Coach, Counsellor
Now residing in London and teaching at Love Supreme Projects and Triyoga, Mia is also a YogaWorks senior teacher, teacher trainer, and 300-hour mentor. She hosts yoga retreats and workshops around the world, creating a space for her students to explore their truth - a place where they can remember that their worth does not need to be earned, bought, or outsourced, because true love comes from within. In a world where we are taught to push away discomfort and attach to pleasure, she encourages students to honor what is coming up and center their joy.
Deborah Lee
Teacher
Deborah Lee (E-RYT500) embraces the diversity of yoga, teaching heartfelt vinyasa that draws from study with master teachers in several traditions. Deborah has over twenty years of teaching experience in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She has completed over 1,500 teacher training hours with Alan Finger, Barbara Benagh, Baron Baptiste, Elena Brower and the 500 hour Yogaworks Certification.
Kate Jonuska
Teacher & Writer
Kate Jonuska is a yoga teacher and author based in Boulder, Colorado, who teaches body-positive, music-driven yoga in flow, power, hot and yin formats. Many of her retreats are geared toward writers, artists and other creatives who, like her, want an opportunity to focus on their work in an amazing destination alongside inspiring daily yoga.
​
Pete Guinosso
Teacher Trainer
Pete Guinosso (E-RYT 500) helps students connect with their hearts. His gentle guidance and intuitive assists allow students of all levels to step out of their comfort zones and find their own authentic path in the practice. Pete’s classes offer strong, vigorous sequencing grounded in the breath and intention, and always leaves room for playfulness and fun. ​
Melanie Salvatore August
Teacher. Teacher Trainer, Author
Mel is the Lead Teacher Trainer for Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Yoga 200HrTT, a former senior teacher trainer for YogaWorks (16 years) and now teaches locally in the SF Bay Area and globally with her own MelWell studio + trainings. Mel is also an author of multiple books; including Fierce Kindness; Be a Positive Force for Change.
Janine Fondiller
Master Pilates Teacher
Janine Fondiller is a Master Pilates instructor with over 24 years of experience and a unique, cross-disciplinary approach to the practice and teaching of Pilates. Janineʼs approach is informed and inspired by her many years as a dancer, aerialist, yoga practitioner and athlete. She has been leading Pilates/ Yoga retreats since 2016, and brings a warm and caring approach to her teaching. ​​
Heather Gersh
Teacher, Trainer, Mentor
A former athlete and lifelong mover, Heather has been teaching since 2012 and known for her incredible retreats. She teaches restorative, Yin yoga, sculpt, HIIT, barre, and strength training. She’s 200hr RYT, 100hr Sculpt, Dailey Method Barre certified with CE's in Physiology, Anatomy, Food as Medicine and Functional Nutrition. Her goal is to help you move with more strength, flexibility, and confidence. ​​
“INGREDIENTS FOR A MAGICAL YOGA RETREAT? DELICIOUS, HEALTHY FOOD, WONDERFUL COMPANY, GENEROUS SKILLED TEACHING CUSTOMIZED TO EACH STUDENT’S NEEDS AND ABILITIES, SITUATED IN A STUNNING VENUE..."
— JESSICA L