Two women who call Coeur d’Alene and Missoula home have made it their mission to bring awareness of meditation, sound therapy and other non-traditional healing therapies to their communities.

Came Cote and Alesha Blackwolf formed SoulShine nine years ago. Cote said they’re not an official 501(c)3 nonprofit under the tax code, but they don’t make any money on what they do.

“We really put a lot of our heart and our own money into these gatherings,” she said. “It’s our way of giving to the community.”

Cote said she hesitates to even call SoulShine an organization. It’s more of a grassroots movement, she said.

When they started their purpose was to expose people to non-traditional healing methods that weren’t widely used or understood in the area.

“That was our first intention,” Cote said. “We wanted to be able to spread awareness.”

The two women met during yoga instructor training in Coeur d’Alene and became friends. When they first started hosting events, they called themselves SoulShine Yogi, but dropped the Yogi after a few years as they became less focused on yoga.

A lot of what they do now is host free community Kirtan sessions. Kirtan is a Sanskrit word referring to the narrating or telling of an idea or story. It also refers to a genre of spiritual performance art, a sort of musical storytelling.

Music features prominently, but it’s not a concert, Cote said.

“We sing mantras, primarily what we call Sanskrit mantras,” she said.

SoulShine hosts one big event every year, a free Full Moon Gathering held on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene every July when the moon is full - this year, on July 16. It includes yoga, drum music and fire dancers and typically attracts hundreds of people.

“It started off with 18 people,” Cote said. “Every year we progressively get bigger and bigger. It definitely blossomed into something quite big and beautiful.”

Cote said she and Blackwolf have had to cut back to only a couple of other public events a year, because each owns their own business and it’s time-consuming for Cote to drive from her home in Missoula to Coeur d’Alene.

When they do have an event it’s always free and they are always collecting donations for a local non-profit organization. Sometimes they collect specific items - such as shampoo for the St. Vincent de Paul women’s shelter or food for the Missoula Food Bank - or they collect money.

Their events have benefited the Kootenai Humane Society, Family Promise and the Tamarack Grief Counseling Center, Cote said.

Cote owns Heart Rhythm Reiki in Missoula and is a Reiki master teacher. Reiki is a healing technique focused on the therapist channeling energy into the patient by touch. “It’s a very relaxing, hands on type of therapy,” she said.

She also incorporates sound healing therapy, which can include everything from music to musical instruments.

“It can be many things,” she said. “I do a lot of one-to-one with people.”

Cote usually uses singing bowls, which she places on people’s bodies as she uses them to make music.

Cote said Blackwolf, who owns Dreamtime Sound Healing in Coeur d’Alene, often does group sound healing sessions, which are known as sound baths.

Cote said the healing techniques she and Blackwolf use aren’t intended to be a substitute for going to the doctor.

“They are not meant to be a replacement for a medical provider,” she said. “They are an enhancement of that.”

Cote has a background in the medical field, where she worked for 25 years before deciding to explore other medical options. She was a nurse’s assistant, phlebotomist and a medical assistant during her career.

Those interested in checking out a sound bath hosted by Blackwolf can visit the Dreamtime Sound Healing Facebook page for a full schedule of upcoming events. This summer’s schedule also includes events in Spokane Valley and Post Falls. Future SoulShine events will be posted on the Soulshine (SoulshineYogi) Facebook page.