At Soul Fly Lodge, we strive to cultivate conscientiously-crafted adventures and experiences that deepen our bonds with the planet, the Berry Islands fishery, and the local community. When it comes to your visit to our lodge, we believe wholeheartedly that it is our duty to be personal, flexible, and detail-oriented to ensure that your trip is what you want it to be. Our pride, privilege, and joy comes in knowing that our guests have had transformative and inspiring experiences while visiting our lodge and the Berry Islands community.

While our focus has always been – and always will be – on fly fishing for bonefish, permit, and the other special fish species of the Berry Islands, we also recognize that some of our guests have interests that lay outside of the flats. Further, we appreciate that our location and facilities can also serve as an extremely captivating venue from which to pursue other avenues of self-care, self-improvement, relaxation, and fulfillment. As such, in October, we held our first wellness retreat at Soul Fly Lodge and the response from hosts, guests, and staff was exceptional!

The idea of a wellness and yoga retreat at Soul Fly Lodge was one we’d had for some time, and this year we found the necessary catalyst to drive the program within our own lodge manager and yoga instructor, Michelle LaCroix. Michelle discovered yoga in Costa Rica and her training there transformed her life such that now yoga is a part of her way of being. To help plan and orchestrate the retreat, Michelle recruited friend and fellow instructor Katie Duggan from Ireland. Katie is an experienced yoga instructor, spiritual guide, and mentor and is dedicated to helping others find their freedom, peace, and deep connections. Assisting Michelle and Katie, and also attending the retreat was Soul Fly Lodge partner Kitri Schaefer, who’s a longtime yoga practitioner herself. With these three incredibly talented women, we had our team in place to lead Soul Fly’s inaugural wellness retreat.

The Retreat

For five nights and four full days, Michelle and Katie led a group of six guests, including some Great Harbour Cay locals, for multiple daily yoga sessions, island activities, and other restorative practices. Beginning with coffee or tea in the mornings, the group then began their first yoga class of the day, before sitting down together for a made-to-order breakfast, courtesy of Soul Fly Lodge’s tremendous chef and kitchen staff.

Following breakfast, guests chose from a wide variety of lodge and island activities, based on their interests and energy levels. Depending on the day, guests opted to remain close to the lodge and relax in and near our 20’ x 50’ freshwater pool or enjoy a massage or reiki treatment. Massages were provided by our dear friend and masseuse Cleaomie Rankine, who resides in Eleuthera but was scheduled to be on-site during the retreat. Other days, the group ventured into the serene waters of the Berry Islands, snorkeling, swimming with turtles, and exploring blue holes, and also sightseeing while aboard a center console boat. In the evenings, another wellness session ensued, featuring a mix of practices including yoga nidra, a healing sound bath, a cacao ceremony, and more.

Cuisine during the wellness week was especially of note, as our chef and kitchen staff transformed their menus into vegetarian, gluten-, and dairy-free meals for the group. Lunches were available at guests’ leisure and the entire group came together again each night for appetizers and a family-style meal. For those who wished, wine and cocktails were available at the bar at the end of the day.

Community

As hoped and anticipated, the community elements of the retreat were as inspiring and restorative as the daily yoga practices. The group consisted of guests with ages ranging from 20’s to 60’s, and prior experiences of yoga varied from those who’d practiced only a handful of times to those who’ve been practicing for decades. Despite these age and experience differences, the group never skipped a beat and the cumulative energy was palpable.

Prior to the trip, a group text chain was initiated to help folks with packing lists, expectations, travels, and any other questions that came up. Suffice to say that in the days and weeks since our wellness retreat, the group text has lived on, with the guests sharing life updates, changes to their practices, and exchanging well-wishes. Creating such a community – one that lives on and blossoms, even after the visit is over – is all we could have wished for.

Transformation

A major theme that became apparent over the course of planning, holding, and following our wellness retreat was that of ‘transformation’. For the Soul Fly staff, our lodge was transformed temporarily from the fly fishing lodge that we’re known for, into a calm, healing, and inspiring space that allowed for daily yoga and other restorative practices. While at first somewhat daunting, the task went smoother than we predicted, thanks to the help and vision from Michelle, Katie, Kitri, and our entire hospitality staff. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have been surprised at all, as our team consistently meets challenges and exceeds expectations for our guests, time after time.

Further transformation was witnessed within our group, both physically and mentally. Everyone’s intentions for attending the wellness retreat were different, but it was clear that some folks arrived feeling exhausted from the stressors of work, the daily grind, or the world. It was easy to see the physical transformation as the week went on and daily wellness practices took hold. Those guests who arrived stiff or with shoulders slumped left glowing with smiles, and standing up a little taller.

Mentally, significant transformations took place as well. As shared through the group text and in conversations following the week, every attendee found themselves surprised by the depth of their experience and were equally surprised by lasting effects of the retreat. For some, even life-changing reflections came during the retreat and for all, daily wellness and restorative practices were brought home with them.

Looking Forward

As is often the case with a powerful shared experience, we are still processing the week and reveling in the results to our bodies, minds, and communities. We are so blown away by the lasting, positive impacts of our first wellness retreat that we are now in the process of planning two wellness retreat weeks in January 2026, and we would love to have you join us!

For more information on our wellness retreats in 2026, and to be placed on our wait list, please reach out to Soul Fly Lodge’s Kitri Schaefer. Additionally, if you or someone you know is a yoga or wellness instructor and might be interested in hosting a group to Soul Fly, please get in touch!

For more about wellness at Soul Fly Lodge, follow our lodge manager Michelle LaCroix on her Instagram. For more on Katie Duggan and her practices, see her website, Wellness with Katie. To stay up to date with massage therapist Cleaomie Rankine, follow her Instagram.

A Testimonial

This was my fourth time coming to Soul Fly. I’m typically there as the spouse of a die-hard fly fisherman, spending time with him on the beautiful waters of the Berry Islands, but when I saw the Wellness Retreat, I immediately called my best friend, and we booked our spots the same day.

The days at the retreat were filled with peaceful sounds, gentle movements appropriate for any fitness level in the yoga sessions, and so many other things. For me personally, it was time to be still. As a Healthcare Executive RN, life has been chaotic at work, especially since the pandemic. The time to be still, write in my journal, and simply replenish the peace that was missing from my life was invaluable.

As for the Lodge itself, the food that Chef prepared was outstanding and challenged me to try a vegetarian diet. The accommodations, as always, were superb. Best of all were the employees of Soul Fly — being greeted with a huge hug was one of the best parts. The employees treated us like family and it felt like home when we were there.

Katie and Michelle worked tirelessly to make the retreat meaningful for us all. They are both experts in the field of wellness and yoga, and it showed. The way they explained each movement, each workshop, and each part made it easy for us all to follow and enjoy. Their planning must have been exhausting, but the quality of the retreat was in the details. Their hard work was evident.

Best of all are the bonds that were created with the ladies that were there. We were all in different ages and stages in life, different professions, and even from different countries; we all came with the purpose of finding peace and spending time with others who want the same. And, we all came away from the retreat as friends who still text and stay in touch.

As for me personally, I came home and made changes to my professional life. I needed to create space and prioritize myself more to be healthy and whole. I felt like I had a hard reset after a few days at the Retreat, and can’t wait till the next one!

With much love,

Kasondra Richardson, Soul Fly Lodge repeat guest