Improving sleep. Reducing stress. Lowering blood pressure. Medical research shows meditation is a silent salve that betters the body on multiple fronts starting with children as young as four. And so, when school lets out in Joliet, students are breaking away from their digital lives with quiet time spent in meditation at Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases. This unique brick-and-mortar is owned by Miriam and Carlos Ybarra.

“I had an epiphany, and I wanted to share this gift that I received with other people,” said Miriam. “I wanted to help them, to help children, to help women, to help everyone learn how to meditate and center one’s self.”

“We decided this was a good retail concept because trying to meditate at home with your children around, having a laundry to do, day-to-day chores, it’s kind of hard to focus,” noted Carlos. “We find that it’s a lot easier to commit to it when you have a safe place to go and meditate.”

“You can come in and purchase one meditation, or you can purchase a package of ten meditations or monthly. We have different times throughout the day,” said Miriam explaining how their business works. “We’re also catering to the people downtown here, before work. If you’re on break in the middle of the day and then after work, too.

“We have three different times throughout the day for open meditation. It is a silent meditation. So, I will ring the bell every 15 minutes,” adds Miriam. “That way if people have to get up and go, they can do that.”

Changing perspectives

Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases is a retail and meditation center, where products are sold to facilitate the ancient practice of meditation.

“We sell different products here for the purpose of using them in your meditation practice,” shared Carlos. “We sell sage and incense. It purifies the air that’s in your space when you meditate. We sell crystals because it amplifies the energy. Certain colors amplify a certain way of being. And we also have candles. You light a candle, and you set an intention to that candle,”

Just as hummingbirds can find moments of calm between their rapid movements, Colibrí creates a space where customers can discover the power of pause, learning new skills for emotional regulation, focus, and resilience that can serve them throughout their lives.

After nearly three decades as a school secretary across 16 different schools in the Joliet area, Miriam witnessed firsthand the profound changes that swept through her educational landscape.

“I was a school secretary for close to 30 years. I worked at schools from junior high to elementary. I worked at 16 schools. I retired before COVID. When I returned back to help after COVID, I could see the disconnection and the frustration,” recalled Miriam. “The students had a lot of anxiety and didn’t know how to express it.”

The contrast between pre- and post-pandemic student behavior was striking to Miriam, revealing a struggle with emotional challenges. This observation sparked something in Miriam which would eventually transform her own life, but also those of families in Joliet.

“I said to myself, I need to find a way to help children,” said Miriam. That was by opening up this meditation center.”

Miriam believes the true catalyst for Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases came through an extraordinary spiritual experience that connected her to her ancestral roots.

“I had a dream about my grandmother. She had a symbol spinning on her forehead. It was a bright silver symbol. I didn’t know what it was. I was still working at the school at that time and still trying to figure out throughout the day of what this symbol was,” reflected Miriam. “Someone approached my desk, and when that person put their hands on my desk, I saw the same symbol on her ring, and it was a four-petal flower. It was the native American symbol for the four directions.”

The four-petal flower, often seen in symbols of the lotus flower, is often recognized as a marker of wholeness, balance and spiritual development. It can represent the union of higher consciousness and a radiating energy that comes from that union.

“This is what got me to start my journey to helping others,” Miriam shared, as her voice filled with emotion.

Meditation had already proven its power in Miriam’s own life long before she envisioned sharing it with others.

“Meditation helped before I retired. I would come home from work and carrying all of the stress and the anxiety from my place of work, and I would sit down to meditate,” said Miriam. “It helped me to center myself and release all of that anxiety and frustration that I had.”

Carlos brings his own perspective to their business after experiencing a string of mental health challenges starting at a young age.

“I came across a therapist who introduced me to a meditation book,” Carlos conceded. “It led me to another meditation book and then another meditation book. Meditation has allowed me to find peace within myself.”

A retail retreat

Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases is truly an oasis in heart of one of the most populated cities in the state. Amid the traffic and bustle in the downtown of Joliet, their store doubles as a wellness sanctuary that addresses the spiritual and practical needs of their community.

“We opened in November of 2023. We wanted to not only to have that space to get away from those chores or work, but also offer the crystals and as well as the sage, and the palo santo,” Miriam explained, describing their holistic approach to creating a healing environment enhanced by aromatic elements like Palo Santo, which is burned for its grounding and relaxing effects.

Understanding that meditation can feel intimidating to newcomers, Miriam draws from her own initial struggles to guide hesitant visitors.

“I know some people are afraid to meditate. For myself, I couldn’t quiet my mind down,” explained Miriam. “I just took five, ten minutes at a time and then gradually I just added more and more time.

“Meditation is going within, centering yourself, trying to figure out ‘Why do I feel this anxiety? Why do I feel this frustration? Why am I upset?’” observed Miriam. “It’s going within and finding those answers within yourself.”

“You have to be able to listen to how you speak to yourself internally,” Carlos interjected. “So that’s what we suggest when we have someone come in for meditation and they have no idea what meditation is. We say, ‘How do you talk to yourself? What is the inner dialog that you have?’ Everybody says the same thing, ‘I can’t quiet my mind.’ Well, no one can. It never stops. But what you can do is see what the dialog is within yourself. How are you speaking to yourself? Is it negative? Is it positive? Is it helpful? Is it draining you?'” explained Carlos. “A lot of people don’t realize that they just speak to themselves in a negative way. You’d be surprised at how you talk to yourself.”

For Miriam and Carlos, the deepest reward from their retail store comes from witnessing the transformation in their community.

“We’ve created a space that has transformed lives. We see it with people that stop in and sit down and talk and return,” observed Miriam with a smile. “I can see that they’re changing and transforming.

“I feel wonderful when I help someone,” said Miriam with a smile. “These are things that I’ve experienced myself. The anxiety, the frustration. When I’m helping someone, I feel a lot of gratitude. That is what we should be doing, helping each other.”

Laying the foundation

As business owners who have successfully transformed their personal journeys into a thriving community resource, Miriam and Carlos offered up invaluable wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs. Their advice comes from a passion that has made Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases a center for positive change in the community.

“Be passionate about what you’re selling. Give everything to it. Ask the questions to other people that are in retail,” advised Miriam. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to go and learn something new that will help your business. But most importantly, love what you do.”

“You have to be passionate about what you’re providing,” interjected Carlos. “You’re selling yourself at the end of the day.

A peaceful passion to change lives

Miriam and Carlos’s love for what they do illustrates why Colibrí The Hummingbird Oases has become a positive presence in Joliet community.

“I think this store matters, because we are down here in the center of the city, and we’re changing lives,” said Miriam with a warm smile.

“I love helping people find their way back to themselves. Teaching people how to narrate their day-to-day life. You can’t change what’s outside, but you can change your perception of what’s outside,” said Carlos. “We love teaching people that gives them that power, and the ability to change and narrate their own story.”