WHY CUYA?      

CUYA INSTITUTE SEDONA
CUYAMUNGUE INSTITUTE’S NEW HOME

by Laura Lee Robear, May 2026

Following the recent announcement of the return of the sacred Cuyamungue land to ancestral stewardship, many have asked an important question:

What comes next for the work of the Cuyamungue Institute?

The answer is both simple and deeply encouraging: the work continues as we enter a vibrant new chapter. In fact, interest in and participation in our programs are stronger than ever, reflecting a growing desire for direct embodied experience, the power of authentic community, and practices that foster personal transformation.

While the original land of Cuyamungue Institute (CI) returns to ancestral stewardship, the spirit and purpose of CI continues to evolve through the dedication of its community, teachers, researchers, facilitators, and participants from around the world.

We are honored to announce the establishment of CUYA: Cuyamungue Institute in Sedona, Arizona—a new home for the ongoing exploration of sacred practice, consciousness studies, community gatherings, and direct spiritual experience, offered through both virtual and in-residence programs. Inspired by the pioneering work of our founder, Dr. Felicitas D. Goodman, and guided by the continuing vision of the Cuyamungue Institute, CUYA will serve as a vibrant center for learning, transformation, and community.

Given the deep Tewa cultural and geographic ties to the name “Cuyamungue”, our Board of Directors voted to add the more neutral name “Cuya Institute” while retaining our half-century identity as Cuyamungue Institute. See more at Why CUYA?

The transition to Sedona is not an ending, but the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Located among Sedona’s unique red rock landscape, Megalithic Domes LLC has invited and welcomed the CUYA INSTITUTE to make this site, this facility, its new home and global headquarters for sacred practice. This dynamic and beautiful small town with a wide-reaching reputation for sacred work of all kinds has given us a very warm welcome.

In the two decades since the passing of Dr. Felicitas Goodman, CI’s directors, Paul and Laura Lee Robear and our Board of Directors have continued nurturing and expanding this work through in-person and online workshops, trainings, ceremonies, research initiatives, writings, and global outreach.  Our growing international community is the living continuation of that commitment — carrying the work forward into a new era while remaining rooted in the foundational principles of direct experience, embodied wisdom, and sacred relationship with life.

Throughout history, sacred traditions have continually adapted to new landscapes while preserving the essence of their purpose. In that same spirit, CUYA emerges as a place of renewal — where ancient practices and contemporary seekers meet in living dialogue.

The Megalithic Domes as a facility, (10 domes in a circle) in its architecture alone, offers a striking and evocative setting for this unfolding chapter. We’ve dedicated one of the largest domes to our ritual tools and sacred experiential work. We’ve added a 30-foot Labyrinth surrounded by 9-foot tall natural stone columns, a dance court with May Pole (a long-standing CI tradition) medicine wheels, multiple indoor and outdoor gathering areas, water fountains, and more — all surrounded by Sedona’s powerful geological formations and vortexes and expansive desert skies. Our new home invites reflection, presence, creativity, and communion with the mystery of existence.

This new chapter is being shaped by place, and most importantly, by community — by all those who have walked with CI through the years and by those newly discovering this work. As the institute evolves, its essential mission remains unchanged: To support humanity’s direct experience of sacred presence, expanded awareness, healing, and meaningful connection with the greater web of life.

So, the journey continues. You are invited to join CUYA INSTITUTE’S ongoing programs and events:

  • Ritual Body Posture experiences
  • In-Residence Events – Workshops and retreats
  • Community Host Training
  • Consciousness studies
  • Embodied spiritual practices
  • Community dialogue and collaborative learning
  • Creative exploration of human potential and sacred relationship
  • CAWS: CUYA Advanced Wisdom School Programs
  • Much more …

And we welcome all who feel called to be part of what is emerging at CUYA in Sedona.

STAY in-touch for updates and schedules with our newletter

With gratitude and anticipation,

Paul & Laura Lee Robear
Directors
Cuyamungue Institute / CUYA