Radiant Heart Breathwork, Cacao, + Sound Healing Ceremony

About

Join Anu Peter Brandt (Breathwork + Cacao Facilitator), Tena Lawry (Somatic Therapist), and Ariel Mazel-Gee (Sound Healer), as they guide you in a very special sacred ceremony with three perfect ceremonial companions: breathwork, ceremonial cacao, and sound healing. As a shamanic practitioner skilled and experienced in ministering sacred plant medicine ceremonies, Anu treats this as a similarly sacred practice, giving it wings to support the clearing away of old energies, patterns, emotions, and thoughts, and removing our blocks to expanded perspectives, inner/higher guidance, self love, forgiveness, and clarity.

As with other plant medicine ceremonies, by engaging in an intentional, respectful, heart-felt practice with cacao, we invoke the benevolent spirit of the cacao plant to assist us through her sacred wisdom and divine intelligence. Cacao can provide ecstatic experiences as well as moments of relaxation, and can help to release inner blockages, opening our hearts and clearing pathways to personal harmony and peace. 

• Tena (somatic therapist) will be assisting throughout the ceremony and tending to participants with support, warmth, and care.

• Ariel (sound healer) will be offering sound healing (including singing) to support relaxation and integration, as well as to balance the body’s energetic field, reducing stress, anxiety, and tension by restoring vibrational harmony. 

PLEASE NOTE: The studio is on the second floor, up one set of stairs. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

How to Prepare

Don’t arrive on a full stomach. Ideally don’t eat for at least 1 hour or more before the ceremony; even so, eat lightly so you’ll be able to do the breathwork practice with ease. Please arrive by 2:00 sharp so we can get started on time (you may arrive as early as 1:45). Also, we suggest you prepare yourself by coming to our ceremony with an open mind and heart, as well as with strong and clear intentions for what you would like to receive or get out of your experience.

What to Bring

Bring a mat or pad – we highly recommend that you bring a comfortable, cushioned pad such as a single-size foam or blow-up camping mat, not just a yoga mat (if at all possible).You’ll be lying on your back for the session, and being comfortable lying down during the breathwork can make a big difference. If you’d like to use an eye cover during the breathwork, please bring your own. We also recommend that you bring a bottle of water and a small item of personal importance to place on our ceremony altar. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring layers as body temperature can vary in this work.

Health Notifications for Cacao and Breathwork

Cacao is a high-quality, raw, and unprocessed chocolate sacramental drink used for spiritual purposes around the world, with origins in Central and South America. Ceremonial doses of cacao are not recommended for people who are on above-average doses of antidepressants (or similar medications). Cacao increases blood flow to the brain and is a source of tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin; these can improve mental focus, mood, and your feeling of well-being, but for someone on an above-average dose of an antidepressant or similar medication, it could feel disruptive and/or could create a risk of serotonin syndrome. Of course, you are welcome to attend and just enjoy the benefits of the breathwork and sound healing without drinking cacao if you choose. Breathwork is a powerful practice that creates subtle, temporary changes in our brain chemistry, enabling us to step into altered states of expanded consciousness. If you have any history (current or past) of cardiovascular issues, mental/emotional health challenges, physical limitations, epilepsy, recent surgery, or other mental or physical health challenges, you may want to check with your doctor before embarking on a journey with breathwork and/or cacao. If you are experiencing mental or physical health challenges or are taking high levels of an antidepressant (or similar drug), please be responsible for your own integrity and well-being, and check with your doctor before attending. You may also check in with Anu to discuss your situation or condition before the ceremony (email anu@hummingbirdcircle.org). 

PLEASE NOTE: We will have enough of our special homemade brew of ceremonial cacao on hand for not more than the first 40 people to arrive.

About Anu Peter Brandt

Anu is a skilled breathwork practitioner (trained in Clarity Breathwork), Reiki/Energy Healing Master, certified somatic integration guide, ordained sacred ceremony minister, and also a sound healer, singer, and musician. He has trained with the indigenous Shipibo-Konibo people in Ayahuasca curanderismo and vegetalista practices in the Peruvian Amazon jungle. He has also trained and studied with The Foundation for Shamanic Studies and California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). He is the founder and lead facilitator of Hummingbird Circle, a spiritual organization which facilitates personal and spiritual transformation practices and retreats for individuals and groups. His calling to be of service to personal and planetary awakening, healing, and transformation is his most fervid endeavor. For more about Anu, visit HummingbirdCircle.org.

Tena Lawry is a Certified Core Energetics Practitioner who is also trained in Clarity Breathwork. Tena supports people in creating greater self-awareness, authenticity, and personal empowerment. Her approach is warm, compassionate, and experiential, supporting clients in developing greater self-knowledge, authentic communication, and more fulfilling relationships. 

Ariel Mazel-Gee brings a depth of passion to her work as a sound healer, having over three decades of immersion in music and sound. She creates sonic experiences that invite both deep listening and active participation, using sound healing instruments, mantras, and guided toning to support nervous system regulation, expression, and connection. Ariel holds an MA in Occupational Therapy from USC, and a Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research from CIIS.