My life and work have unfolded at the intersection of several worlds
science, psychology, art and deep inner exploration.
Transforming Systems: Work in Kenya
One of the most meaningful chapters of my work has been in Kenya, where I supported the Kenyan Prison Services in a systemic transformation process introducing mindfulness and resilience practices.
This work focused on helping prison officers develop emotional regulation, stress recovery and compassionate leadership in a highly demanding environment. Elements of this transformation were later featured in four BBC pieces, highlighting the potential of mindfulness-based approaches to reshape institutional cultures.
Alongside this work, I have contributed to a range of community mindfulness and resilience initiatives, exploring how simple practices can strengthen wellbeing, connection and human dignity even in challenging contexts. Transforming Systems: Work in Kenya
One of the most meaningful chapters of my work has been in Kenya, where I supported a systemic transformation within the Kenyan Prison Services, introducing mindfulness and resilience practices across different levels of the organisation.
This work included collaboration with the Director of Rehabilitation, senior leaders, prison officers and inmates, creating spaces where people could develop emotional regulation, self-awareness and compassionate leadership in a highly demanding environment.
Some of the most remarkable transformations emerged among inmates themselves. Through mindfulness and resilience practices, a number of them became mindful leaders inside the prison community and later carried this work into their lives beyond prison — contributing positively to their communities in Kenya and beyond.
Elements of this work were later featured in four BBC pieces, highlighting the potential of mindfulness-based approaches to transform institutional cultures and support human dignity even in the most challenging environments.
I am a chartered psychologist, scientist, artist and shamanic practitioner. In academic and scientific circles I am known as Dr. Inma Adarves-Yorno and in artistic and shamanic spaces I work under the name Inma Luna.
My work brings together neuroscience, psychology, ancient wisdom and embodied practices to support personal growth and the adventure of becoming more fully alive.
Science, Leadership and Human Resilience
My fascination with psychology began early. I knew I wanted to become a psychologist when I was twelve years old, and that curiosity eventually led me to spend more than a decade studying and researching the human mind.
Today I work as a chartered psychologist, academic and researcher exploring leadership, resilience and human development.
At the University of Exeter, my work focuses on resilience, stress recovery and identity-informed leadership. For more than fifteen years I have trained leaders, managers, students and professionals in developing the psychological capacities that help people navigate complexity and challenge.
Drawing on psychology, neuroscience and behavioural science, I develop practical tools that support people in cultivating self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-leadership in demanding environments.
Through teaching, research and applied work with organisations and communities, I have supported thousands of people in developing resilience and inner leadership.
TEDx
In her TEDx talk, Inma explores themes of resilience, leadership and human transformation, inviting us to reconsider how we meet challenges and change in our lives.
Shamanic Practice and Earth-Based Wisdom
Since 2015, I have trained in shamanic practices with Northern Drum, a respected UK-based centre rooted in authentic earth-based wisdom traditions.
These teachings draw inspiration from Indigenous traditions of North and South America, Northern Europe and Asia, and explore practices such as dreaming, vision quests, ceremonial work and embodied awareness.
At their heart, these traditions invite a deep process of self-knowledge — learning to recognise who we are, reconnect with our inner power, and gently heal the wounds that may keep us from walking our path in life.
I continue to deepen this work through ongoing multi-year training, and some of these practices inform the reflective and inner journey spaces offered in the studio.
I offered bespoke individual and group experiences including:
Shamanic weddings
Rites of passage (life transitions, endings, beginnings)
Fire ceremonies (release, intention setting, renewal)
Guided inner journeys (ongoing personal and group work)
Art and Creative Exploration
Creativity has always been part of my life.
I grew up surrounded by flamenco, and its rhythm and passion still flow in my veins.
I have been painting for more than three decades. For many years this work lived privately, created only for my own view. In 2016, after joining an art studio in Exeter in the UK, my practice opened into deeper exploration, play and experimentation.
Since 2020 my creative journey has continued through the Art2Life community and the Creative Visionary programme, where painting is approached as a living and evolving process of discovery.
My painting process is daring, curious and adventurous. I work with saturated colour and thick layers of paint, allowing stories to build across the canvas and creating a feast for the fingers. The work is bold, unapologetic and alive — mirroring how I aspire to move through life myself.
My work has been exhibited internationally, including in Paris, Madrid, Milan, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Innsbruck, Verona, Miami, Los Angeles, the Hamptons and New York, and I have been represented by galleries in Madrid, New York and Japan.
Photography has also accompanied me for more than thirty years. My love for it began in the magic of the darkroom, where images slowly appeared and sometimes dissolved back into darkness. That quiet alchemy stayed with me. Today I try to capture that same magic in moments of instant presence — when something moves me deeply enough that my body reacts before my mind does.
Many years ago I was also a prolific poet, exploring the landscapes of the inner world and being enchanted by the red sunset and the white moon. In recent years poetry has returned in a different form — as quiet companions emerging from the mystery that surrounds us.
Beyond my professional work, I am also the mother of three (two humans and one dog), a role that continues to teach me daily about growth, patience and the unpredictable beauty of being human.