Spyridon Kapnias (Garudananda) is the Founder and Lead Trainer of Garuda Breathwork & Pranayama Academy (Patras, Greece), an Integrative Mental Health Counselor, Transpersonal Psychotherapist, and Senior Breathwork & Yoga Educator with over 15 years of teaching experience.
A registered Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) and E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance since 2010, Spyridon has dedicated his career to bridging traditional Eastern breathwork lineages with modern, neuro-somatic and trauma-informed therapeutic practices. He holds a specialized Breathwork Certification studied directly under pioneer Dan Brulé, alongside extensive trainings in Tummo (Inner Fire) with Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche, Shamanic Energy Healing, Sufi Meditation, and classical Pranayama and Acupressure Therapy studied extensively in India (Rishikesh, Mysore, Jodhpur).
Credentialed by the Hellenic Association for Counseling (HAC) and certified as a Transpersonal Psychotherapist by EUROTAS, Spyridon integrates clinical trauma modalities—including Somatic Gestalt Psychotherapy, EMDR, Brainspotting, Polyvagal Theory, NLP, and Clinical/Biothymic Hypnotherapy—into his breathwork facilitation. Through his academy, he offers comprehensive, safety-first facilitator trainings focused on nervous system regulation, somatic release, and deep personal transformation.
At Garuda Breathwork & Pranayama Academy, our self-development programs offer a transformative, holistic journey designed to promote deep personal growth, emotional healing, and nervous system regulation.
Bridging ancient Eastern wisdom with modern neuro-somatic science, our methodology integrates Conscious Connected Breathwork, Classical Pranayama, and Tummo (Inner Fire) with Shamanic and Sufi meditative traditions. To ensure a deeply supportive and trauma-informed experience, we weave elements of Somatic Gestalt, Polyvagal Theory, Acupressure, Creative Visualization, and NLP into our experiential workshops and retreats.
Participants are guided within a safe, structured container to release deeply stored physical and emotional blockages, expand their conscious awareness, and cultivate resilience, inner clarity, and lasting mind-body harmony.
Our 60-Hour Holistic & Neuro-Somatic Breathwork & Pranayama Teacher Training (registered with Yoga Alliance as a YACEP program) is a comprehensive professional certification designed for aspiring breathwork facilitators, yoga teachers, and holistic therapists.
The curriculum bridges classical Eastern Pranayama and spiritual traditions (Tummo, Shamanic & Sufi Breathwork) with modern, trauma-informed clinical tools, including Conscious Connected Breathing (CCB), Somatic Gestalt Bodywork, Polyvagal Theory, Acupressure, Biothymic Psychotherapy, NLP, and EMDR integration elements.
With a strong emphasis on ethical integrity and client safety, the training features a dedicated, mandatory 8-hour module on Medical Contraindications, Consent, and Boundary Management, alongside 6 hours of supervised practicum, ensuring graduates are fully equipped to hold safe, transformative spaces professionally.
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