About Us
Our Mission
Luna y Sol Sanctuary aims to liberate and restore balance to the mind, body, soul, and spirit through a holistic and Indigenous-based framework, with a focus on BIPOC communities. We aim to serve those most impacted by historical and socio-economic trauma, especially women & elders and those who are reconnecting to their Indigenous identity and knowing.
Our Vision
We envision a world where women from all walks of life have agency over their minds, bodies, spirits, and souls. Rooted in Indigenous wisdom and ancestral knowledge, we work Seven Generations forward and back, honoring all of life and all our relations—past, present, and future.
We hold sacred space for healing, guided by the four sacred directions, the elements, our ancestors, and the interconnectedness of all living beings.
Our Values
Cultural Humility & Decolonization
Accessibility & Equity
Wholeness & Wellness
Community & Relationship
Our Story
Founded in July 2020, Luna y Sol Sanctuary emerged as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to bridge holistic healing with communities historically excluded from accessible and culturally responsive care. What began as a personal healing journey during Dr. Luna’s doctoral studies became a collective offering for women, BIPOC communities & those who seek Indigenous based ways of knowing to reclaim wellness.
Founder's Message
Being well is a birthright.
Yet, many of us—especially those from BIPOC communities—continue to suffer from mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances rooted in systemic oppression, disconnection from the Earth, and a lack of access to culturally grounded care.
From a socio-economic and historical-political perspective, people of color are still denied equitable access to quality health care, safe housing, clean water, and non-toxic, nutritious food. Our communities carry the weight of anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and chronic illness. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and intensified these disparities, especially for women and elders. Our healing must be collective, sustainable, and rooted in nature and ancestral wisdom.
I created Luna y Sol Sanctuary in response to these realities.
Inspired by Indigenous ceremonies, healers, and plant medicines—including Lakota and Shipibo traditions—I embarked on a path of healing that helped me reconnect with my Mexican Indigenous heritage (Purépecha, Chichimeca). These sacred practices helped me confront and transform the deep wounds of ancestral trauma passed through generations.
As a first-generation Mexican-American woman, I grew up in poverty, faced abuse, and battled substance use in my youth. But the call to healing was stronger. It led me to earn a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and, more importantly, to reclaim my cultural identity and soul.
Today, I hold space for others to access healing that is holistic, nature-based, and respectful of all life. My mission is to create environments where women, BIPOC individuals, and anyone who feels unseen by mainstream systems can find belonging, balance, and empowerment.
—
Dr. Laura Luna ("Ana")
Founder, Executive Director & President
Luna y Sol Sanctuary
Organizational Overview
Luna y Sol Sanctuary is governed by a five-member Board of Directors and led by our Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Laura Luna. Our leadership includes a President (also Dr. Luna), Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Youth Representative. As a growing nonprofit, we are rooted in community collaboration and integrity.
Our services are offered both online and in person, depending on the needs of the community, program focus, and available funding. We tailor our delivery methods to ensure flexibility, safety, and accessibility—meeting people where they are, literally and spiritually.
Indigenous Lead Women’s Organization
Luna y Sol Sanctuary. We challenge oppressive ideologies and support dialogue, decolonization strategies, culture, drumming, ceremony, and sound for healing; plant and herbal medicines, talking circles, storytelling, art, connecting with relatives, sharing nutritious food together, connecting with nature and the elements, all as viable ways for healing. We acknowledge the impact of colonization and seek to support healing for historical and intergenerational trauma. This is truly a labor of love grounded in the Earth, Guarded by the Stars, and Guided by our Ancestors. We are starting small and have big dreams for spreading our message for the creation of healing sanctuaries that are sustainable and grounded in Indigenous Ways of Knowing.
Our current space is virtual and we are spread across several states. Connect with us via email or phone or zoom for mentorship, consultation, guest speaking, cultural awareness training, dissertation support for Native & Indigenous scholarship, advocacy, and resource support. Contact Us for a consultation or to learn how to get involved.
Laura Luna, Ph.D.
Xicana, Chichimeca
President
Dr. Luna is a holistic Indigenous practitioner who engages her clients to experience the interconnected relationship between the mind, body, and spirit. Indigenous psychological beliefs address the mind-body in addition to the knowledge that we cannot separate these from our spirit and soul. We acknowledge the power of the sacred directions, honor the teachings of our ancestors, and know that we must invite the assistance of divine spirits to guide our daily life to walk in balance and harmony. Dr. Luna holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (2014), a Master’s in Psychology (2007), Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Spanish (2004). She is a Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT 500 HR), Holy Fire Karuna ®Reiki Master Teacher (2012), and initiated into the Munay-Ki Shamanic Healing Arts & a practicing plant medicinal healer.
Her passion is to understand the ways to heal trauma from a holistic perspective empowering people to transform & heal themselves. Dr. Luna’s mission is to support others in bringing harmony, peace, and balance into their lives; we have the power to balance our mind-body emotions and spirit. She is currently studying to become a licensed clinical psychologist, as she jumpstarts her nonprofit, Luna y Sol Sanctuary while teaching Reiki at Santa Monica College, Cerritos College and through private sessions/classes/workshops at Luna y Sol Healing where she offers comprehensive wellness support. She enjoys camping, hiking, yoga, meditation, spending time with family and friends, the ocean, the jungle, and the forest, and sitting around the fire in ceremonies.
For more information or consultation please visit Dr. Luna at draluna.space
Lisa Grayshield,
Ph.D.
Washoe Tribal Member
Vice President
hunga meh’heshi’- Washiw dah’mo’mo’, di’ gum di’yah Dr. Lisa Grayshield – leh’leh’ wel mel ti’ gum tah’nu’. I am a member of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. I am a Daughter, Mother, Auntie, and Grandmother and an active member of my tribal community. I took an early retirement from my position as a university professor to take on my role as a Grandmother and member of my tribal community. Since my early retirement, I have continued my healing/healer journey by adding studies in nutrition, Ayurveda medicine, herbalism, reiki, yoga, cranial-sacral, and other forms of energy work and alternative healing modalities. I currently serve as an external evaluator and researcher for Native health and wellness programs.
I want to recognize all my relations, mi’lew di’yea’yeh’low. Those that have gone before me, those that are with me today, my three beautiful daughters and the sons they brought into my life; all the generations that have come, and; all that is yet to come. It is an honor to walk this earth journey with all of you.
Lisa Grayshield, PhD - Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
A Return to the Sacred is the Wave of the Future--- Indigenous Ways of Knowing Now (IWOK-Now)
Marilyn Begay, Ph.D.
Diné Nation
Secretary
Marilyn Begay, Nanibah Anastza Yah’a’tey, greetings and harmony within the universe. I currently work as a Behavioral Health Coordinator on an isolated Indigenous reservation. I also teach on-line with a local Indigenous College. I have a PhD in Counseling Psychology; A Master’s in Counseling. Current Board Positions: Dine’ Hatalii Association, Secretary, Board Member & Luna Y Sol Sanctuary, Secretary, Board Member. I am also a member of the American Psychological Association, Indigenous Women Psychology Div 35, Sec 6, Member. I utilize Traditional Indigenous Approach to Healing and Western Cognitive, Behavioral, Spiritual Counseling. I specialize in Trauma work with all ages using EMDR, I have worked with school age children using sandtray therapy and play therapy also utilize plants and forces of nature for balancing one’s living spirit. I teach from my own experiences and experiences of others. I am level one Reiki practitioner.
Autumn Morris,
Youth Representative
Dine Nation
Ms. Morris has recently graduated with a Bachelor’s of Political Science and a minor in Pre-Law at Fort Lewis College (2021). She did a study on Intimate Partner Violence Survivors Among Native Americans which explores how traditional/cultural practices significantly help patients who are survivors of IPV, and with trauma. This study includes interviewed textual analysis of three experts in psychology and traditional/cultural practices. Traditional/cultural practices deal with forming connections with the Earth and with self through indigenous-led ceremonies. Traditional/cultural practices consist of teachings and include the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of an individual. In this study, she was able to identify common themes that explain how and why traditional/cultural practices help survivors and those experiencing IPV
She is interested in continuing her college education in the field of law. She is also passionate about advocating and interested in representing Indigenous peoples. Her mother has influenced her as an Indigenous woman journeying toward spiritual restoration and reclaiming Indigenous identity.
