When people ask how to prepare for a plant medicine ceremony or retreat, we often suggest they start or increase their meditation practice. Why? Because meditation helps with plant medicine preparation, navigating ceremonies, and integrating plant medicine experiences into your life.

Plant medicine and meditation are two healing modalities that have long been used by humans, even having the same root word. So why not combine these two practices?  After all, meditation can provide many benefits, not only for plant medicine preparation and plant medicine integration but also for your everyday life. 

At Ayllu Medicina plant medicine retreats we always include meditation as part of our daily practice, and we even have a yearly Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreat to delve deep into these two practices. Read on to learn more about why you should practice meditation when preparing for and integrating plant medicine. 

Make Space

Attending a plant medicine retreat or ceremony can be the first time you explore your inner being. Meditation helps you declutter the mind, making space between your thoughts and actions, and encouraging responses instead of reactions.  

You begin to become aware of the wandering nature of the mind and not get swept up into thoughts that pass by. This means you can enter a plant medicine ceremony with more space to go beyond the surface impressions of the mind into the true essence of your inner being. 

Find Presence

Meditation can help you re-center in the present moment, recognizing when your mind is focused on the past or future, or caught in an emotion. With different meditation techniques, you can bring the mind back to the present moment, which can generate more peace, clarity, and attention.

This can help you stay centered before a plant medicine ceremony, and even during a ceremony. You may feel certain emotions, or notice your physical body is tense. Coming back to the breath, and your surroundings, or making a physical adjustment can quickly change your ceremony experience.

Become the Observer 

Master plants such as Ayahuasca and San Pedro are medicines that can help you explore your inner world and release what is no longer serving you. However, what is often overlooked is what the advice ‘surrender’ or ‘let go’ means in plant medicine ceremonies. How can you learn how to do this?

Meditation allows you to witness the emotions, experiences, and visions that may come up, but not become them. Instead, you learn how to stay as the observer, trusting that whatever comes up passes. This benefit of meditation applies to plant medicine ceremonies and everyday life.

Generate More Compassion

The space and peace meditation can help you see with more clarity. You can develop more compassion for your own experiences, and other people’s, moving away from judgement to a more compassionate lens. 

During plant medicine preparation this can stop you from judging any emotions that may come up, and during a plant medicine ceremony meditation can help you stay grateful without labeling an experience as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. During plant medicine integration, meditation can help you process experiences, maintain space within, and help you re-center whenever you feel you need support. 

A Tool for Life

You can use the practice of meditation throughout your life, whether you decide to continue to meet with the sacred master plants, or if you attend one plant medicine retreat or ceremony. You can practice meditation to integrate many experiences and impressions in your life, so you can always find a way to access the deep inner peace you have inside your heart.

Your plant medicine experience can depend on how you prepare and integrate. After all, you can sit in many plant medicine ceremonies but you also need the tools to integrate experiences, so you can continue to walk on your path with clarity, growth, and peace.

Join Our Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreat in South America 

There have been many studies on the power of the mind and how it shapes your reality. Meditation and plant medicine are ways to ensure you are shaping your reality from the present. They can provide profound physical, emotional, and energetic benefits. 

So, where do you begin? It is important to find a plant medicine retreat or ceremony run by experienced guides. At Ayllu Medicina plant medicine retreats in Ecuador, our guides have decades of experience, including with specific meditation practices.

Some retreat participants are new to meditation or plant medicine when they attend retreats, whilst others have already met with one or both healing modalities. Our Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreat in November 2024 is the perfect option to start or develop your meditation practice while getting to meet with the sacred master plants of Ayahuasca and San Pedro. There are several spaces left! 

Contact us if you have any questions. We are happy to help by phone or email.