Community Spotlight: Marie Soleil - Mind Body SOLEiL

Meet Marie Soleil, founder of Mind Body SOLEiL! Mind Body SOLEiL is a fitness and specialty massage studio located in Durango, Colorado. 

At the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, Marie was working in Sequoia, California as a massage therapist. As the world began to shift online, Marie noticed a rise in live-streamed yoga sessions. She felt that live-streaming classes provided no added value, and people at home were likely not participating in the classes. This sparked a moment of self-reflection, and Marie realized she was unhappy in Sequoia, so she packed up her things and moved to Durango, Colorado.

Once in Durango, Marie decided it was time to create her own business. She wanted to teach people how to properly work out, understand themselves, and heal. She found an open studio space in historic downtown Durango and began Mind Body SOLEiL! 

About Mind Body SOLEiL

Mind Body SOLEiL is a boutique studio located in historic downtown Durango on Main Avenue. The studio has stunning mountain views and is located in the same center as Stimulus Cafe & Coffee House, owned by her partner Nicholas John Random!

Marie has been a licensed massage therapist for over a decade with experience across all wellness services. She created Mind Body SOLEiL as an integration of practices and modalities to custom tailor what works best for each individual’s body! Her goal with Mind Body SOLEiL is to educate communities on their bodies and give them the tools necessary to complement their lifestyle.

Mind Body SOLEiL offers a wide variety of classes including cardio yoga, HiiT courses, and beginner ‘Yogi or Not’ classes. Marie also offers specialty massage treatments to assist with muscle recovery and healing. To get a sneak peek at everything Marie and Mind Body SOLEiL has to offer, check out Marie’s YouTube channel!

Experience with Rural Colorado Workshop Series

This past summer, Marie attended the Native Entrepreneurship Workshop Series hosted by CU Boulder’s Deming Center for Entrepreneurship. 

This workshop provides an introduction to entrepreneurship and is geared toward anyone considering launching their own business or improving their existing small business. It is taught by Erick Mueller and other distinguished faculty at the Leeds School of Business. The two-day course imparts a framework and toolkit in order to develop sought-after products and services, avoid pitfalls, and succeed at entrepreneurship. For more information on upcoming workshops, take a look at the RCWS webpage!

Marie comments on her experience,

“I enjoyed the group of people that were there! It was fun getting to interact and communicate with other entrepreneurs in the area. ”

Challenges Faced

Throughout her life, Marie has found the largest obstacle to be herself and her own self-criticism. She comments,

“I always knew I was going to be successful, but then I let myself kill my own dream for a while. I had to learn how to get my confidence back.”

Additionally, Marie is in the process of hiring instructors and employees for her studio. She has struggled to find candidates who are equally as passionate as herself. If you are interested in joining the Mind Body SOLEiL team or using open studio space to host your own events, contact Marie at inquire@mindbodysoleil.com! 

Upcoming Projects and Events

Mind Body SOLEiL will be hosting several events in the coming months including a New/Full Moon yoga session called “a Night of Moonshine” and a Saint Patrick’s Day Glow Yoga session!

In addition to these specialty sessions, Mind Body SOLEiL will host a Wellness Expo on the second Sunday of every month and provide opportunities for free monthly classes or massage giveaways!

To learn more about these events, follow Mind Body SOLEiL on Instagram and Facebook!

Advice for Current Students

Marie provides the following advice for current students,

“Don't listen to other people that want to bring you down. Take those risks! It’s going to be scary, but at least you’re doing it.”