Galactic Breathing in the Puna District

Galactic Breathing for the Puna District runs 90 minutes, $222, online first and in person by request with Jason Donaldson, who lives in Hawaiian Paradise Park. The district stretches from Kea'au at its northern edge down through Pāhoa, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Orchidland Estates, and Mountain View. Puna is the largest district on the island by land area, made up of subdivisions carved from old plantation and lava land rather than a single town center, so a drive of 20 or 30 minutes to reach anything is simply normal here, and an online ceremony skips it entirely.

Much of Puna's landscape carries the marks of past volcanic activity, black lava fields next to newer green growth pushing through cracked rock, including the more recent changes near Pāhoa in 2018. Living on land this actively shaped by the volcano is part of daily awareness for a lot of Puna residents, and a breathwork practice built around cycles of intensity and release fits naturally into a place that already understands ground can move.

How the session works

A Galactic Breathing ceremony begins with settling in and light movement, usually Qigong, then guided meditation and intention setting. From there, three rounds of breath, each ending with an inhale, a hold, a release, and rest, the first round alone typically enough for most people to reach a shift. The deeper rounds build further, sometimes opening into an altered state with channeled messages or a sense of connection to guides and ancestors. A longer pause follows, then a grounded return and time to share what came through.

Jason created the method from his own years of distance running and long meditation practice, inspired by Wim Hof and Stanislav Grof, running it as a regular Big Island experience for guests from around the world for over two years before the practice settled into its current form.

Why Puna residents choose breathwork

Because reaching almost anything from inside Puna means a real drive rather than a short errand, many clients treat Galactic Breathing as the anchor for a longer block of time, sometimes pairing it with Sekhem energy healing so one sitting serves two purposes. Puna's distance from Hilo's clinical and conventional wellness resources also means breathwork and energy healing tend to be among the more commonly booked options from across the district. Seaview, in lower Puna, is one of the places Jason points to as a good fit for an in-person ceremony.

Gentle regardless of distance

However a client joins, online or in person, the session itself stays the same pace: no screaming, no forcing, no pushing past what the nervous system can handle. Jason trained as a pre-licensed marriage and family therapist, and he tracks each client's state carefully through all three rounds. "This is about remembering rather than fixing," is how he frames it, a steadiness that holds regardless of where in the district a client lives.

What to prepare beforehand

Eat and drink lightly for about an hour beforehand, and dress comfortably enough to lie down for the full session. No prior experience with breathwork is assumed, since the method was built to work for people at every level of fitness, the same range of backgrounds that showed up for the original Big Island groups years ago.

The rural quiet as part of the process

For many Puna residents, the setting does some of the work. Rain on a tin roof, a lanai, birds in the forest canopy and no traffic make a natural buffer, time to settle the mind before the session and time to integrate afterward without going anywhere. Online clients simply stay in that quiet when the ceremony ends, and some describe the whole afternoon, not just the 90 minutes, as the reset they came for.

A district too large for one description

No single sentence covers the Puna District well, since it stretches from the working crossroads of Kea'au through the artist-and-homesteader town of Pāhoa, the quiet subdivision grid of Hawaiian Paradise Park, and the cooler upland farms near Mountain View. What ties these places together isn't a shared culture so much as a shared relationship to distance and to land shaped by lava, old and new. Galactic Breathing, built originally for a group of total strangers arriving from all over the world, turns out to suit a district this varied unusually well. The ceremony doesn't assume a shared background. It just asks you to breathe.

If you want to meet in person

A few clients prefer a room with Jason in it. For them, he offers breathwork at his small studio in Hawaiian Paradise Park at 10am, 11am or noon, since the afternoons get hot after 2pm, or he can travel to a home by arrangement during regular business hours, easily within a 25 mile radius. Write first and he confirms what works for your location and schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Galactic Breathing held for Puna residents?

Online is the main way, from wherever you are. In person is by request, at Jason's studio in Hawaiian Paradise Park or at a home by arrangement.

I live far out in Puna. Do I have to drive to him?

No. Online sessions need no drive, and some residents pair breathwork with Sekhem energy healing around the same time.

Is the online format the same as in person?

Yes. The same 90 minute ceremony is offered online, and it is the main way Jason works with people right now.

Does living near an active volcano come up in sessions?

It can, naturally, since it's part of daily life for many Puna residents, though the session itself follows the same structure regardless of what a client brings into it.

How should I plan around Puna's distances when booking?

For an in-person session, build in extra time on both ends of your appointment for the drive, and write to Jason first so he can confirm the details for your part of the district.

Sekhem energy healing in the Puna District | Galactic Breathing | Puna District | Kea'au | Mountain View | All locations