Saturday marked the first ever Day of Inner Peace at the LADC Studios. Having arrived at the event a solid 15 minutes before any other guest, I did a lap around the scene to get a better understanding of the event and the Pneuma system, which was the central focus of the day.

A man squatted in front of the stage, assembling a mosaic of a cross and eagle, comprised of beans, sand and flowers.

Stations with organic food and fresh green juices lined the back walls and white curtains draped the ceiling creating an overall feeling of calmness.

The staff members were dressed in white, talking with one another and embracing in warm hugs.

It felt as though I was observing a large family gathering rather than an event open to the public. The crowd slowly trickled in as the 10:15 a.m. start time neared and small clusters of people talked softly while clutching their bags stuffed with yoga mats, towels and water bottles.

 As an outsider looking in on this event, I assumed this was a yoga workshop. Once Juan Ruiz Naupari, founder and director of the Inkarri Multicultural Organization, took the stage I realized this was a much more spiritual event than I had anticipated.

Naupari’s wife, Ciela Naupari, opened the day with a prayer and explained that the Pneuma system is “that which brings in the new,” and intends to awaken humanity.

The system includes many practices, including yoga and breathing exercises that are believed to help people reach a higher level of consciousness.

Several of those who I spoke with at this seminar were new to Pneuma practices and came as curious yogis.

One such attendee was Ceclia Leycegui, who has been practicing yoga for three years. She made the two and a half hour drive from San Diego to attend this event that her friend from Mexico had informed her about.

Another, more familiar guest I spoke with, Sarah Haywood, has been involved with Pneuma for about a year. “I feel like it’s the deepest work that I’ve done,” she explained.The main ideas behind this system were unraveled once attention was shifted to Naupari who was seated behind a cloth laid out on a table and surrounded by folded pieces of paper containing different elements.

With the help of his wife’s translation, he explained in Spanish the significance of the cloth in front of him as well as the piece of paper folded into different sections.

Slowly he unfolded the contents of each piece of paper and placed them in the center of the creased paper.

In all, he added nearly 30 items to this modern-day alter and each item signified a different aspect of our life both spiritually and physically.

The end result of the demonstration was a wrapped bundle that stood as a symbol to help the guests focus on obtaining higher consciousness throughout the day.

Haywood, having lived in L.A. for only a year, was introduced to this practice through people at Café Gratitude, where she works. Like Leycegui, she entered Pneuma with a background in yoga and found this practice to be much more spiritual.

“They touch on the realms that most spiritual works don’t really enter,” she said.

The day was packed with several spheres of the Pneuma system, from a two-hour breathwork course, which was guided primarily by three phases of music, to a panel discussion that focused on the concept of inner peace.

During the panel, "How I Met Your Mother’s" Josh Radnor shared his experiences of coming to this practice in midst of his successful career in television and film production.

“I got what I thought I wanted…and found myself incredibly depressed,” he said. “The upshot was that it drove me deeper into my spiritual practice and has ultimately lead me here to my work with Juan.”

Radnor began his work with Naupari about three-and-a-half years ago and continues to strive toward reaching inner peace.

The day wound to a close with an evening celebration that included a live musical performance and dances.

Throughout the day, visual art was displayed throughout the room, which had been created prior to and during the event capturing the essence of peace.

The workshops, artistic measures and setting helped to create an atmosphere of relaxation and allowed the event to convey their message in several different ways.

Overall, The Day of Inner Peace was an insightful one.  From the two hour breathing/meditation practice to the Ormus-infused water, I felt that even as an observer I was awakened to a better understanding of how to obtain and maintain better internal peace even in the midst of living in the chaos of L.A.

Reach reporter Kaysie here.