Gonçalo Luz (Sankalparaja)
Gonçalo Luz is the owner and co-founder of Sacred Grounds CNX. He is a Yoga teacher, retreat leader, and facilitator of personal transformation whose work is rooted in a deep commitment to self-inquiry, embodied practice, and authentic human connection.
Before dedicating his life to Yoga and transformational work, Gonçalo spent twenty-five years in the film industry as a filmmaker and educator. He worked in fiction and commercial production while teaching directing, production, and film grammar for two decades. In 2010, although his professional career was successful, an increasing sense of emptiness and a longing for something deeper led him onto a different path.
In 2014, he began a serious exploration of Yoga, meditation, and contemplative traditions. What started as a personal search for meaning gradually became a way of life. Over the years, he immersed himself in the study and practice of classical Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Hatha Yoga, and the non-dual philosophy of Trika Shaivism.
His training included teacher certifications with Akasha Yoga, Mark Whitwell's Heart of Yoga approach, and finally Trikaya Yoga (Trika Mahāsiddha Yoga). Seeking a deeper understanding beyond studio Yoga culture, Gonçalo spent eight continuous months in traditional retreat and advanced study with his teacher Dharmabodhi in Costa Rica. Rooted in the teachings of classical Hatha Yoga and the lineage of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, this intensive period of practice became a defining chapter in his life and continues to shape his teaching today
Alongside his Yoga training, Gonçalo has explored a wide range of approaches to personal growth, embodiment, communication, and relational development. His studies have included Jungian psychology, and several experiential methods that support emotional awareness, self-understanding, and meaningful connection. For nearly a decade, he also worked professionally in body-based approaches to intimacy, relationship, and human connection, gaining valuable insight into the ways people relate to themselves and one another. While this work now belongs to an earlier chapter of his life, its influence continues to inform the safe, grounded, and compassionate way he facilitates groups and workshops today.
Since 2019, Gonçalo has facilitated men's circles, workshops, and transformational retreats, creating spaces where participants can step away from the pressures of daily life and reconnect with themselves in a more honest and meaningful way. His work combines the discipline of Yoga with practices that encourage reflection, presence, personal responsibility, and authentic connection.
He is also the founder of Inner Outer Journeys, a retreat organisation best known for its men's retreats and motorcycle journeys through the Indian Himalayas. These experiences combine adventure, Yoga, meditation, men's work, and cultural immersion, inviting participants into both an outer journey through extraordinary landscapes and an inner journey of self-discovery.
In 2025, together with his life~partner, Gonçalo founded Sacred Grounds Chiang Mai, a community and wellness space dedicated to nourishing body, mind, and spirit. Through quality coffee, wholesome food, lineage-based Hatha Yoga, workshops, and community events, Sacred Grounds offers a welcoming environment where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and cultivate genuine connection with others. While the space places special emphasis on supporting men's wellbeing and mental health, it remains open and inclusive to everyone.
Whether teaching a Yoga class, facilitating a workshop, leading a retreat, or hosting a circle, Gonçalo's approach remains consistent: practical, grounded, and rooted in direct experience. Rather than offering quick answers or fixed beliefs, he invites people into a process of exploration, one that encourages greater awareness, deeper connection, and a more authentic relationship with life.
His work is guided by a simple conviction: transformation becomes possible when we learn to meet ourselves honestly, cultivate presence, and engage with others from a place of openness and sincerity.