Ayahuasca Retreat/Ceremonies Recommendations

[lostmedstudent]

Hello,

for those of you who have attended ayahuasca ceremonies, is it possible to provide some insights of your experiences and where you did it?

there are so many out there and i wanted to hear a bit from people who have gone to them. 

and if you have any advice for first timers, please drop them as well

 

thanks so much for your help

[ajasatya]

@lostmedstudent I've had probably 50~70 experiences with Ayahuasca. What I have to say about it is... it can be whatever you need.

Healing from emotional trauma, making complex decisions, having deep insights about Truth or experiencing no-mind. The range of possibilities varies too much to fit in a box.

Here's my advice: avoid eating acidic food before drinking Ayahuasca. The tea is already acidic enough. You may use alkaline fruits to remove the taste of the tea. I highly recommend cashew fruit.

[lostmedstudent]

@ajasatya thank you

my question was more about where and the different retreats centres

like the retreat centres that you’ve been to

[ajasatya]

@lostmedstudent I did not go to a retreat center. I am part of a Brazilian religious group called União do Vegetal that uses Ayahuasca for self studying purposes. We drink it twice every month.

[Sempiternity]

Depends on your location. 

[Sempiternity]

My advice:

Find ones where the do NOT do all the playing music and chanting crap. I personally hate that. I want to be at peace and quiet when diving deep into the medicine. Everything else is distraction. But lots of people like all that stuff.

Practice meditation beforehand. For me, meditation is the access to the medicine. Mind-chatter will keep me from sinking into it. One there is no thoughts, there is nothing in the way to sink and keep sinking till I'm gone. 

Most all places tell you to go on a strict diet for 2 weeks beforehand. No pot, alcohol, sex, drugs of any kind, especially anti=depressants and anti-anxiety medications. No pork, no foods with fermentations. I'm sure you could find full lists online. 

[Sempiternity]

As for finding places in your area. I would suggest going to some conscious culture hippy festivals this summer in your area. Maybe something Burning Man related. Or some phycedilic music festival. Get to know people. Make friends. Get in with groups. After that, start asking if anyone has done Aya locally. Usually someone knows someone. 

[TrynaBeTurquoise]

On 6/9/2019 at 3:07 PM, ajasatya said:

@lostmedstudent I did not go to a retreat center. I am part of a Brazilian religious group called União do Vegetal that uses Ayahuasca for self studying purposes. We drink it twice every month.

Thats awe inspiring that youve done it so many times

Has your relationship with it evolved over time? Like how was the first few times you did it compared to like 50, 60 times in? Or is it just completely different every time radically?

[ajasatya]

7 hours ago, TrynaBeTurquoise said:

Thats awe inspiring that youve done it so many times

Has your relationship with it evolved over time? Like how was the first few times you did it compared to like 50, 60 times in? Or is it just completely different every time radically?

My experiences have become less abstract and more practical. Nowadays it's really about everyday life.

[Esoteric]

On 6/10/2019 at 0:07 AM, ajasatya said:

@lostmedstudent I did not go to a retreat center. I am part of a Brazilian religious group called União do Vegetal that uses Ayahuasca for self studying purposes. We drink it twice every month.

@ajasatya Interesting. Is this group based on Catholicism like Santo Daime or is it different? What would a typical ceremony look like? If you wouldn't mind sharing.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Esoteric
Misspelt

[ajasatya]

@Esoteric União do Vegetal is a christian religion and the consumption of Ayahuasca under a responsible religious ritual is protected by the Brazilian law, as well as by the laws of the USA for members who live and drink the tea there.

[herghly]

@ajasatya What are the ceremonies like? are you Christian? 

[ajasatya]

7 hours ago, herghly said:

@ajasatya What are the ceremonies like? are you Christian? 

The ceremonies are basically lead by questions. There is someone leading the ritual and others may ask any kind of question.

Am I a Christian? What do you mean by that exactly?

[carlos tanner]

I definitely recommend looking at the website of the Ayahuasca Foundation. They've been operating for over 15 years in the Amazon rainforest and work closely with a Shipibo family of healers. My best advice would be to focus your attention on awareness of your state of being. Do your best to observe, in the present moment:
1. The sensations you are experiencing
2. What you're seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and sensing
3. What emotions you are feeling
4. Your posture, facial expression, gestures or movements
5. The meaning you attribute to the way you are at that moment

Do your best to move towards an embrace of the experience, away from resistance. If you are resisting the experience (resisting the sensations, or the sensory information, or your emotions, or overall interpretation, then moving to a state of acceptance would be huge. Moving to a state of embrace of the experience would be ideal, but you do the best you can. That is a great mantra, 'do the best you can'