“Om is Where the Heart Is” Hatha Yoga Retreats
Create an "At Home" Get Away and Tap into the
Transformative Power of Self-Care to Nourish Body and Soul
No Workshops Scheduled at this time.
Relax, Release and Breath Deeply
Coming Soon! Please email morningstar@lisco.com for full details.
The breath is the most readily accessible resource that we have for creating and sustaining health and vitality. When we were born our whole body breathed, yet today most of us have forgotten what it feels like to breath fully. The stress of our modern day life has set the internal metronome of our breath at faster and faster speeds, locking our nervous system in a constant state of “fight or flight” with no automatic internal switch for putting us back into “repair and maintenance”. During this experiential workshop we will utilize the deep relaxation process of Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep), Mudra, Marma, Pranayama and Self Awakening Yoga Movement Inquiries to simply and effectively slow the brain wave activity and bring balance back to the nervous system, which allows the breath to deepen; bringing health and vitality to every system and organ of the body. Fully opening to the Gift of Life with every breath we take, we find balance, harmony and wholeness as we integrate body, mind and spirit.
Create an "At Home" Get Away and Tap into the
Transformative Power of Self-Care to Nourish Body and Soul
No Workshops Scheduled at this time.
Relax, Release and Breath Deeply
Coming Soon! Please email morningstar@lisco.com for full details.
The breath is the most readily accessible resource that we have for creating and sustaining health and vitality. When we were born our whole body breathed, yet today most of us have forgotten what it feels like to breath fully. The stress of our modern day life has set the internal metronome of our breath at faster and faster speeds, locking our nervous system in a constant state of “fight or flight” with no automatic internal switch for putting us back into “repair and maintenance”. During this experiential workshop we will utilize the deep relaxation process of Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep), Mudra, Marma, Pranayama and Self Awakening Yoga Movement Inquiries to simply and effectively slow the brain wave activity and bring balance back to the nervous system, which allows the breath to deepen; bringing health and vitality to every system and organ of the body. Fully opening to the Gift of Life with every breath we take, we find balance, harmony and wholeness as we integrate body, mind and spirit.
"A Bridge Between Ancient Wisdom and Modern Wellness"
Bringing together the principles of Integrative Yoga Therapy & Kripalu Yoga, and Self Awaking Yoga Therapy, Jewel's Hatha Yoga classes include the use of Pranayama (breath, with a focus on regaining our full natural breath), Mudra (hand gestures), Marma ( accu points) Bandhas (engagement of specific muscles that effectively activate the repair & maintenance of the physical body and quite the mind), Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation), Bija Sound (seed sounds for the elements), Self-Awakening Yoga movement inquiries, Somatic Asana and Sankalpa (personal intention) for a profoundly deep experience of health & integration of our multi-dimensional self.
Bringing together the principles of Integrative Yoga Therapy & Kripalu Yoga, and Self Awaking Yoga Therapy, Jewel's Hatha Yoga classes include the use of Pranayama (breath, with a focus on regaining our full natural breath), Mudra (hand gestures), Marma ( accu points) Bandhas (engagement of specific muscles that effectively activate the repair & maintenance of the physical body and quite the mind), Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation), Bija Sound (seed sounds for the elements), Self-Awakening Yoga movement inquiries, Somatic Asana and Sankalpa (personal intention) for a profoundly deep experience of health & integration of our multi-dimensional self.

Jewel Marie McDonald IDMA E-RYT 500
Multimedia Artist and Educator, Jewel Marie McDonald started her Hatha Yoga practice in the 1972 as a junior in college. She has been teaching Hatha Yoga for 1995. Jewel Marie is registered with the Yoga Alliance as a Yoga Educator and holds two Yoga Teacher Certificates: Interdisciplinary Yoga 500 hr from Nosara Yoga Institute and Integrative Yoga Therapy 300 hr. She continues her studies with both institutes focusing on Self Awakening Yoga Therapy and the Multidimensional Practice of Asana, Pranayama, Mudra and Pranic Healing. Jewel Marie is also a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader!
Multimedia Artist and Educator, Jewel Marie McDonald started her Hatha Yoga practice in the 1972 as a junior in college. She has been teaching Hatha Yoga for 1995. Jewel Marie is registered with the Yoga Alliance as a Yoga Educator and holds two Yoga Teacher Certificates: Interdisciplinary Yoga 500 hr from Nosara Yoga Institute and Integrative Yoga Therapy 300 hr. She continues her studies with both institutes focusing on Self Awakening Yoga Therapy and the Multidimensional Practice of Asana, Pranayama, Mudra and Pranic Healing. Jewel Marie is also a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader!
Jewel’s personal Hatha Yoga practice has been a profound source of transformation, healing and inspiration. Her inquiries into Hatha Yoga and the Arts as tools for bringing health and integration to the mind, body and spirit have lead her into deeper explorations of the vital role of the breath; It has become the foundation of her teaching and personal practice.
Jewel has been teaching creative multimedia art classes for over for as long as she can remember and she brings her creativity and joy of teaching to her Hatha Yoga Classes. As owner and Director of Morning Star Studio – Creative Arts and Yoga Center, Fairfield, IA, Jewel continues to explore the infinite possibilities of living life creatively while supporting others to do so also.
Jewel Marie also holds: Certificate in Isadora Duncan Studies from the Isadora Duncan International Institute, BFA from California State University, Chico with a double major in Painting & Life Drawing, minor studies in Child Development with a focus in the “Preservation of natural intelligence and creativity as the foundation for the development of the intellect”; graduate work in Education Through the Arts. She continues her studies in IDII’s graduate level Myth, Movement & Metaphor Program.
Jewel Marie has also studied Yoga and Movement Therapy with:
Andodea Judith, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and author of charka classic, Wheels of Life- A users guide to the Charka System, Eastern Body-Western Mind and Walking the Global Heart.
Emilie Conrad, somatic pioneer, founder of Continuum Movement and author of Life on Land
Alice Rutkowski, PhD, pioneer in the mind body field, is a humanistic artist and master teacher of nonverbal communication. She is developer of Motional-Processing, which is deeply rooted in the renowned work of Anna Halprin.
Martin Kirk, Anusara Yoga Teacher and author of Hatha Yoga Illustrated as well as the soon-to-be-published Yoga Anatomy: The Biomechanics of Anusara Yoga (co-written with Yoga Spirit Presenter Ellen Saltonstall and Jordan Kirk)
Max Strom, international renowned yoga educator and author of Life Worth Breathing
Yogini Kaliji (Kali Ray) internationally renowned yoga educator and founder of TriYoga, a hatha yoga method that emphasizes the union of asana, pranayama and mudra.
Richard Miller, PHD author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy, the founding president of the Center of Timeless Being, and co-founder and co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology.
Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans Coping with Trauma - Dr. Daniel J. Libby, Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University and VA’s Mental Illness Research and Educational Clinical Center, Cofounder of the Yoga for Vets Project
Jewel has been teaching creative multimedia art classes for over for as long as she can remember and she brings her creativity and joy of teaching to her Hatha Yoga Classes. As owner and Director of Morning Star Studio – Creative Arts and Yoga Center, Fairfield, IA, Jewel continues to explore the infinite possibilities of living life creatively while supporting others to do so also.
Jewel Marie also holds: Certificate in Isadora Duncan Studies from the Isadora Duncan International Institute, BFA from California State University, Chico with a double major in Painting & Life Drawing, minor studies in Child Development with a focus in the “Preservation of natural intelligence and creativity as the foundation for the development of the intellect”; graduate work in Education Through the Arts. She continues her studies in IDII’s graduate level Myth, Movement & Metaphor Program.
Jewel Marie has also studied Yoga and Movement Therapy with:
Andodea Judith, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and author of charka classic, Wheels of Life- A users guide to the Charka System, Eastern Body-Western Mind and Walking the Global Heart.
Emilie Conrad, somatic pioneer, founder of Continuum Movement and author of Life on Land
Alice Rutkowski, PhD, pioneer in the mind body field, is a humanistic artist and master teacher of nonverbal communication. She is developer of Motional-Processing, which is deeply rooted in the renowned work of Anna Halprin.
Martin Kirk, Anusara Yoga Teacher and author of Hatha Yoga Illustrated as well as the soon-to-be-published Yoga Anatomy: The Biomechanics of Anusara Yoga (co-written with Yoga Spirit Presenter Ellen Saltonstall and Jordan Kirk)
Max Strom, international renowned yoga educator and author of Life Worth Breathing
Yogini Kaliji (Kali Ray) internationally renowned yoga educator and founder of TriYoga, a hatha yoga method that emphasizes the union of asana, pranayama and mudra.
Richard Miller, PHD author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy, the founding president of the Center of Timeless Being, and co-founder and co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology.
Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans Coping with Trauma - Dr. Daniel J. Libby, Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University and VA’s Mental Illness Research and Educational Clinical Center, Cofounder of the Yoga for Vets Project