Luminous Breathwork: Our Roots and Commitments

Grounded in the Holotropic Breathwork Lineage

Our facilitators are trained through the NeuroDynamic Institute, founded by Michael Stone, a dedicated long-time breathwork practitioner and direct student of Stanislav Grof, the creator of Holotropic Breathwork. After facilitating thousands of sessions, Michael refined this transformative approach to preserve its effectiveness while making it accessible for modern lifestyles.

With over 200,000 sessions facilitated worldwide, the NeuroDynamic Institute has demonstrated profound results across diverse global communities. At Luminous Breathwork, our method is rooted in this lineage, offering depth, flexibility, and proven results.

Integrating Eastern Contemplative Wisdom

What makes Luminous Breathwork unique is our integration of Eastern contemplative wisdom, particularly Chan (Zen) Buddhism. The name "Luminous" is inspired by the Buddha's teaching:

“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements.”
— Anguttara Nikāya 1.49–52

This Luminous Mind—clear, radiant, untarnishable—is not something we create or strive for. It's a gift we are born with. It exists within all of us and is untarnishable by trauma. Across various traditions, it's known by many names: the Inner Guiding Intelligence in Holotropic communities, the Ātman in Sufism, Buddha-Nature in Mahāyāna Buddhism, just to name a few.

Our Commitment to Reconnecting You with Your Luminous Mind

Our primary commitment in our sessions is helping you cultivate a deep connection with your Luminous Mind, your inner healer. When trust in your Luminous Mind is restored, it becomes safe to work with and release stored emotional experiences naturally and gently.

We don’t push, fix, or interpret your experience for you. Our role is to hold a compassionate and spacious container, allowing your innate wisdom to emerge and lead your healing process. Our facilitators, who are dedicated practitioners and fellow travelers on the path, honor your unique journey with authenticity and care.

Rooted in Tradition, Informed by Contemporary Psychology

Our work is informed by contemporary psychology and neuroscience, particularly through practices like the Internal Family Systems (IFS) psychotherapeutic model. Modern and Buddhist psychology both acknowledge an unshakable, compassionate core:

• Zen calls it the Luminous Mind.

• IFS refers to it as the Self—a calm, compassionate presence beneath all our experiences.

• Some traditions describe it as the Grandmother Mind—a steady presence that lovingly holds all experiences.

The Buddha spoke of defilements obscuring this luminous clarity. Neuroscientist Dan Siegel describes these as mind states—neural networks stuck in past experiences. Hinduism calls them vasanas, Sufism identifies them as nafs, and later Buddhist teachings call them small minds or clouds obscuring pristine clarity. In IFS, these defilements are called Parts—adaptive patterns developed from past experiences, essential yet often limiting when they dominate our present reactions.

Healing happens when these Parts experience the presence of your Self—your Luminous Mind. This inner resource is warm, compassionate, receptive, and steady. Once your Parts realize they no longer have to manage everything alone, they soften their protective strategies, allowing clarity, liberation, and a higher perspective to emerge naturally. It's a state of spaciousness often described as connecting with one's Higher Self.

Through breathwork, we learn to pause when triggered, consciously breathe, and access this ever-present inner resource. This is central to Luminous Breathwork: reconnecting with your Luminous Mind, which holds your internal Parts with compassion.

Over time, this practice can:

• Deepen self-trust and internal safety

• Soften reactive protective patterns

• Provide clarity for aligned decision-making

• Strengthen and deepen relationship to self and others

Carrying the Work Into Daily Life

Your breathwork journey doesn't end when a session concludes. Integration is essential.

We offer ongoing support to help you cultivate a sustained relationship with your Luminous Mind. This empowers you to return to this compassionate, clear inner resource whenever needed. We also guide you in understanding your internal Parts, fostering trust and harmony within.

The more we stay connected to this inner wisdom, the clearer life becomes. Resilience grows. Healing starts to show up in everyday moments. Every experience becomes a teacher, and with each small choice, we begin to mend the threads of intergenerational pain through how we show up, speak, and love.

Experience It for Yourself

Breathwork opens the doorway to clarity, insight, and lasting change. Through conscious breathing, you reconnect with your inner wisdom, release limiting patterns, and rediscover your authentic self.

We invite you to experience this firsthand through our free trial sessions—a gentle, welcoming way to explore our approach, ask questions, and determine if it aligns with your path.