About Soulshine Retreats
I am so glad you are here.
Nice to meet you. I am Emily McDoniels, M.Ed. the founder of Soulshine Yoga. I am an Experienced, Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) with 500+ hours of training and 5,000+ hours of teaching experience since I began my yoga journey in 2013. I am a Certified Trauma-Informed yoga and mindfulness provider, second degree Reiki practitioner, sound healer and Certified Laughter Yoga Instructor. I also instruct for the University of Wisconsin River Falls Graduate Montessori Teacher Education Program. My musician/producer husband is also a yoga instructor and we occasionally partner for classes, sound healings and workshops. Both former public school educators; we met when I taught a yoga workshop at his school!
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self to the self.” Bhagavad Gita
In 2016, I created Soulshine Yoga to share in the healing benefits of yoga with the community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has been an honor to hold space for my clients’ yoga practice to know themselves more fully, accept themselves more completely and shine their light into the community from a place of awareness and confidence. Like me, Soulshine is a nomadic entity, taking on a variety of venues over its evolution. I am thrilled to share the latest iteration of Soulshine: a nourishing retreat-based yoga studio. After attending my first yoga retreat in 2023, I realized it was the obvious next chapter of Soulshine.
“I reflect on how yoga has brought me closer to myself and allowed me to experience life in a more embodied, yet gentle, way. Knowing that my entire mood can lift by decompressing my neck and shoulders and breathing slowly and deeply for five minutes, or that my meditation practice is actually the most important part of my day, keeps me returning to my mat.”
The daily retreat itineraries, that I have lovingly prepared, reflect a schedule that offers you yoga immersion while also allowing you ample free time. There are creative workshops and peaceful opportunities to gather and be social, yet you are also welcome to pass on any activities that you wish.
Along with leading retreats, I offer by appointment reiki, sound healing and Laughter Yoga opportunities. My teaching philosophy is embodying my archetype as a mothering lighthouse, offering calm and refuge to souls seeking compassionate space to fully embrace their own journey of suffering, joy, anger, peace and everything in between.
“Whether your yoga mat is still in plastic wrap patiently awaiting to hold you in savasana, or you are a seasoned yogi with more training than you can remember, I look forward to practicing with you, nurturing your inner light sanctuary and sharing in our communal healing.”
This “About” section became quite long when I began to reflect on my personal yoga journey and the meaning behind Soulshine’s conception, so to read more in depth reflections please visit the blog: About Soulshine Yoga!
