Today we’d like to introduce you to Luna Rukmini Devi.
Luna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story starts as Maria Goycoolea – that’s how I was formerly known until a couple of years ago. I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile where I completed my BA in Design. As soon as I was done with college, I left Chile and moved to New Zealand for about 2.5 years. I had the time of my life! For the first time, I felt completely free and learned how to live a more authentic and heart-centered life. I left behind a lot of my fears of judgment and the conditioning that had come with my constrained upbringing in a conservative society.
After New Zealand, I had the opportunity to move to Los Angeles, CA because of my then boyfriend’s job. I took it. I went back to school and slowly got inserted into what I now call “the mundane” – a world full of competition and desires that were fulfilled based on others’ expectations. A world far from being heart-led and honest and I, inadvertently, gave up my authenticity.
I ended up building a successful career in the Marketing and Advertising field, working for some of the most renowned advertising companies in the world. However, that wasn’t what my heart wanted and at some point I found myself suffering from anxiety and stress in a world where I didn’t feel comfortable until one day I received a call from my doctor saying I needed to go see her right away. Long story short, I was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease, which had likely been triggered by my intense lifestyle.
That’s when I first heard that voice within me telling me I needed to change. I became more conscious of my diet, started meditating, quit my job and traveled to India to do my first Vipassana course (a 10-day silent meditation). It absolutely transformed my life.
A couple of years later, I discovered sound healing. I was invited to a corporate event and they were offering a soundbath. It blew my mind! I started going to soundbaths regularly and started noticing important changes in me. A few months later, I heard my heart calling for more and I became a certified Sound Healer here in LA. Ever since I have been traveling to India once or twice a year to do more personal work and take trainings as well as to offer Sound Healing workshops.
In 2018, I was given the name of Luna (moon in Spanish) which represents my strong connection with the moon as well as my heart desire to always shine a light among those who are experiencing moments of darkness. It was around that same time when inspired by my own journey of self-discovery, transformation and breakthroughs I decided to start Mindful Luna as a way to compassionately guide others to live authentically from the heart and become their best version and true Self. It has been a magical journey and I feel profoundly grateful for all of it as well as for the opportunity to share it with others. We all have the power to heal ourselves and for me, it has been beautiful to witness others discovering their paths to their hearts and gathering the strength and courage to live their lives authentically from that place
For some time I kept my name to just “Luna” because I didn’t identify myself with anything else, but during my most recent India trip, I was given the spiritual name of “Rukmini Devi” by the spiritual teacher and guru Baba Shyam Sundar Das and I absolutely love it! “Rukmini” was the first wife of Lord Krishna and means “adorned with gold”. Devi means “goddess” in Sanskrit.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not an easy path – starting my business wasn’t easy and neither was the road to get there. But I consider my business, my dharma. It is what I came here to do and I recognize there needed to be challenges along the way for me to embrace my life purpose. And I feel so much gratitude and reverence for every single one of the obstacles – those from the past, the present ones, and those that I will face in the future. They have been nothing but wonderful teachers that constantly show me what it’s meant for me to learn during a particular time of my life. It’s all perfectly beautiful!
One of the hardest has been to accept that I am no longer the same person I used to be. Again, it is a beautiful realization, but it comes with a lot of shedding. And the process of letting go can be extremely hard sometimes, not only for me but also for those who care for me but who don’t necessarily understand the origin of my happiness. We live in a world full of rules and expectations and when one chooses to step away and challenge the status quo, others feel directly affected by it. Some even feel entitled to decide what’s best for your own happiness and when your choices don’t match their expectations, they will judge or criticize or feel offended or simply step away.
This has only taken me to a place of deeper love for myself. It has taught me the value of boundaries and self-respect and it continues to remind me that when you truly choose to live from your heart, the Universe will take care of the rest.
Mindful Luna – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As I mentioned before, Mindful Luna is my life purpose. It’s about spreading consciousness and encouraging healing from within so that we can achieve the best version of ourselves.
I currently offer soundbaths in multiple meditation and healing studios in Los Angeles as well as individual, group and corporate private sessions. I also lead retreats and workshops – in English and Spanish – both locally and internationally.
At the moment, one of my most popular offerings are private sound healing sessions for two – whether it’s for couples, a mother and daughter or two close friends, this is a very intimate and safe experience that allows people to develop a deeper connection with that dear person and cultivate a more conscious, understanding and empathic relationship.
My sessions include a combination of Sound Healing, Intuitive Healing, Chakra Healing and Meditation. I use these techniques to give people the tools they need to reflect and connect with their inner selves so that they can learn how to heal themselves. We all are healers!
All my sessions are unique and different – I have developed my practice based on my own experience using skills and techniques I have learned throughout the years from diverse healers, shamans, and masters around the world. I have carefully chosen to learn from first class authentic and wise teachers and I take healing very seriously.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of my proudest moments was in 2019 when I was invited to offer two workshops in Rishikesh, India. They both sold out. I have received enormous amounts of healing, courage, empowerment and wisdom from India for years and I had been dreaming of bringing my instruments and offer back to the Motherland for a long time. Having the opportunity to host my own Sound Healing workshop was nothing but the fulfillment of that dream!
Another highlight was also in 2019 when together with a dear friend, we offered our first retreat for Latina Women. We saw the need of building a conscious community where we could all share from our cultures of origin and express ourselves in our mother language, with our Latin flavor, our Latin warmth and the sense of unity that represents Latinos. It was so beautiful that we’re now working on the next one and my heart is eager to see this community grow!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mindfulluna.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.luna/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulLuna/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mindful-luna-santa-monica
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