Gonçalo Luz

Gonçalo Luz is a yoga teacher, men's work facilitator and adventure travel leader, and the founder of Inner Outer Journeys, which offers retreats for men in the Indian Himalayas and Northern Thailand. He is known for the Journey to Ladakh, a men's retreat on motorcycles that combines riding with yoga, meditation and men's work. He currently lives in Thailand.

Gonçalo was born in Portugal in 1972 and worked for 20 years as a filmmaker and film teacher, latterly as an advertising filmmaker. In 2010 he followed a call for spiritual awakening. Within a year he had quit that life, sold most of his belongings, left his home and set off for the Indian Himalayas, where he travelled on and off for seven years. There he found yoga as a spiritual development practice and men's work as a tool for self-growth. Diving into full awareness of self through the body became his practice.

His path led him to a nine-month Kundalini Hatha Yoga retreat with his teacher, where he studied the practices of the Tantric Yoga tradition alongside a committed group of practitioners. His Insight Timer teacher page describes his work as rooted in influences from Shakta Shaiva Tantra and other non-dual traditions, woven together with modern psychological frameworks. He describes himself as keeping a beginner's mind and a daily practice.

The Journey to Ladakh is a 12-day Himalayan journey for men, inspired by the Hero's Journey. Participants ride the winding roads of Ladakh on Royal Enfield motorcycles, and the newest edition climbs to Umling La, the highest motorable pass in the world. Mornings begin with yoga. Meditation and men's circles, also called sharing circles, ground the days of riding, and the retreat also includes a silent day and time for integration. A local team of mechanics and a retreat coordinator native to Ladakh support the group. Inner Outer Journeys also offers workshops and trainings, and in Northern Thailand its retreats are held in settings of deep stillness, including a quiet forest shala. Some of his retreats there are open to all genders.

Ladakh sits high in the Indian Himalayas, with desolate mountains, remote passes, gravel and riverbeds. Past participants describe the altitude and road conditions as physically demanding, and the landscape and culture as part of the experience. The retreat is for men with at least one year of riding experience, whether they are beginners or experienced yoga practitioners. It suits men facing transition, burnout or a sense of asking what comes next, and men who want honest conversation rather than performance or competition.

The inner work is described as honest inquiry, including shadow work and sharing circles, with yoga and meditation to integrate it. Gonçalo says of his approach: "I don't teach from above. I hold space beside you." Past participants describe the brotherhood of the group and practices they could carry into daily life. One participant wrote that Gonçalo has an incredible ability to let you be vulnerable while keeping your masculinity, and another has made the journey three times. His stated mission is to help men open to a deeper connection with themselves and others, through self and body awareness and by realigning with their life purpose.