by Emma Reeves | Mar 4, 2024 | spiritual practices
On average, humans take around 20,000 breaths a day, with many being automatic. Becoming more mindful of the breath, such as by practicing breathwork can offer many benefits, including for your plant medicine ceremony preparation, experience, and integration. So, how can you combine breathwork and plant medicine?
The origins of breathwork span back to the origins of yoga in India with pranayama, and in more recent decades, different breathwork practices have emerged, with breathwork now being a beneficial practice for people around the world. Plant medicine preparation includes following dieta guidelines and being mindful of what you’re consuming mentally, such as limiting screen time. However, something that is often overlooked, is how you can work with your breath.
Vanessa, our retreat yoga instructor, has over 1500 hours of study, from YTTs to a Pranayama master program and beyond (learn more about her here). So, we sat down with her to discuss the healing benefits of pranayama for plant medicine preparation, ceremony, and integration.
Breathwork and Pranayama: Is There a Difference?
I would describe breathwork in a broad sense. There are many benefits to breathwork, as you can see with Wim Hof and these other techniques. I would say one of the main differences between pranayama and breathwork is that breathwork has general benefits, which are not as specific as pranayama.
For example, breathwork can offer benefits such as increased lung capacity and benefits for general organs. Whereas with pranayama it is the concentration of prana, also known as life force. So, pranayama work is generally a lot more specific.
I have more experience with the specifics of pranayama, so I can say the main difference with pranayama is the whole goal is to reach meditation, which is why we practice it.
What Is Pranayama and Its Benefits?
We break the pranayama breath into five main components, with each component having a different benefit. These are:
- General life force, which brings more vibrancy
- Illumination, helping with anything you want to let go
- Regulating the system, which helps reconnect all your systems
- Working the network system, which reconnects all pathways in the body
- And then you can elevate the consciousness with pranayama.
So pranayama is another form of healing. You can have a specific objective with your pranayama breathwork, and there is a general script that we follow to help you prepare for the next stage of your yoga practice: meditation.
So, like in a plant medicine ceremony, we start with purification. We first clear out, before working on components such as reconnecting the system. So, you start with breathwork for purification, then you can work on opening up, with active pranayama exercises. You then eventually reach calming and slowing pranayama exercises, in preparation for meditation.
Practising Pranayama for Plant Medicine Preparation
It is important to prepare for a plant medicine ceremony by focusing on your physical body, so you can sit comfortably. Yoga asanas help ensure our body is ready for a plant medicine ceremony, so we can sit in the ceremony space. However, it is also important to prepare emotionally and energetically for a plant medicine ceremony.
We need to think of the body as a whole system, so along with the outer structure; the physical, we also have the interior. If we haven’t worked with pranayama or we don’t understand that we can work on different parts of our internal body consciously, it can be overwhelming.
We can work on parts of the body consciously with the breath and this is similar to what can happen with a master plant such as Ayahuasca. The master plant can start to go through the body and find the areas that need more alignment and areas where you need to let go. So, if you haven’t had any work with breathwork before the ceremony, it can feel overwhelming as you begin to recognize the body has different areas.
A Deep Breath Changes Everything
When we come into a plant medicine ceremony with a bit of pranayama practice, it is not so overwhelming when we navigate the plant medicine. It doesn’t have to be years of breathwork or pranayama practice. It is more about having a conscious awareness of the breath and its ability, which we work on during Ayllu Medicina retreats with our daily yoga classes.
We often say to come back to your breath when navigating difficult parts of a plant medicine ceremony. Sometimes a deep breath can completely change your experience and make it okay. How do we teach kids to start to regulate? How we teach kids to regulate is through the breath. Once we learn we can take a full deep breath into the belly we can begin to fully regulate in everyday life and in a plant medicine ceremony.
Breathwork and Ayahuasca Connection
We do not work on breathwork during ceremonies, but the preparation in our morning yoga classes and workshops helps significantly. We can begin to see how working through the parts of the body helps us find alignment and harmony. In Ayahuasca, we often speak of surrender – just surrender to the experience.
When we have done breathwork exercises, it can make this letting go easier because you have worked your interior body consciously as part of your daily practice.
Breathwork and San Pedro Connection
With San Pedro, the breath work helps with alignment because we are aware and have the ability to navigate the experience as we do with breathwork. However, the nervous system is firing, so it can also be easier to get dysregulated. This is similar to our modern daily lives when we are exposed to stress and conflict, which can lead to deregulation.
Having breathwork techniques helps you consciously calm your nervous system and take control. Over time, this practice can also help raise your nervous system’s resting point.
This means you no longer get triggered, say for example when someone says something in passing. It will take a lot more for you to become deregulated.
This is one of the benefits of breathwork and the sacred master plants such as San Pedro. They are helping us develop skills to navigate daily life from our center, which lasts not only in ceremony but forever in our lives.
When we speak about the connection between plant medicine and pranayama, we do not mean we will be doing both at once, although the mindfulness of the breath is great in ceremony! On our plant medicine retreats in Ecuador they are powerful complementary modalities that support each other.
Breathwork Exercises to Prepare for a Plant Medicine Ceremony
Along with preparing your diet to help clear out the body, and help processing systems, the digestion, and your brain, it is important to start having moments of stillness or quiet time.
If you do not have a pranayama practice or you do not have a teacher, start by working with the abdominal breath, which is one of the most powerful and simple beginner pranayama exercises. This pranayama exercise can help insomnia, chronic stress, and all the autonomic systems in the body.
Pranayama Tips
For this exercise, you can lie on the ground:
- Place your hands on your belly.
- When you inhale, feel your stomach rise
- On the exhale, feel the pause and release.
You can do ten minutes of abdominal breathing every day first thing in the morning or in the evening before bed.
Often we think of simple breathing exercises as not so efficient. However, if this is your capacity it is better to have this consistency, instead of occasionally doing a different pranayama exercise. It is important to have a point in our day to recap through our breath, allowing everything to come back into place to go forward in presence.
We think of yoga as a complicated or long practice. Ancient yogis spoke of as little amount of investment for the most amount of gain. So, if you are practicing fully present and consciously, with the breath too, a 20-minute morning practice means you are good for the whole day. I think it goes back to being present and aware, which ceremony also shows- after all, you can’t multitask in a ceremony.
If you want to go deeper, you can then find teachers or contact Ayllu Medicina and attend one of our retreats.
Breathwork for Plant Medicine Integration
Plant medicine integration is essential because everything is getting moved in a ceremony. Everything is energy and often in plant medicine ceremonies stagnant energy is getting moved, sometimes this includes past generational stagnation that has been passed on.
Pranayama can be an important integration tool to help consciously direct the breath and manage integration. With a pranayama practice, you are taking the energy that is moving and helping release what is no longer serving you. You do not need to consciously do this by going through stories or trauma, it is naturally being released through the purification breathwork exercises.
Pranayama and Plant Medicine: The Long-Term Benefits
You can then work on vitality, once you have made more space with the first pranayama exercises. What the breathwork exercises are doing is healing the internal body. They regulate the autonomic systems, the samskaras- our behavioral patterns. The exercises also help with pranasyedam vashe sarvam, which means releasing the filters over our eyes, to see with clarity.
We can have stories in our minds about how things happen in life. With plant medicine integration these stories often do not serve us anymore and our perspective begins to change. Pranayama can help us gain the full potential of healing with plant medicine experiences.
It makes it not just about the experience of the ceremony. It is also taking the experience and integrating it, moving it fully through the whole self, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
And then, the breathwork also helps you stay clutter-free. We do not need to just have the clear out from the plant medicine ceremony and wait for it to build up again, wait for it to fill. Instead, using breathwork and other practices, we can start to go deeper, continue to grow, and maintain clarity.
Women’s Retreat Breathwork and Yoga
As women, we are brought into this way of defragmenting ourselves. For example, we’ve separated from our cycles, from our feminine part of ourselves, to function in the male-dominated energy, which can serve us at some points. However, more and more we are realizing we are missing out and there are more parts of ourselves to explore.
The beautiful thing about the Ayllu Medicina Women’s Power Plant Medicine and Yoga Retreat is we are coming back to the basis of who we are, coming back to the empowerment of our moons, the fluctuations in our hormones, understanding our cycles, our energy, and learning how to compliment our breathwork and yoga practice for this.
Yoga and Breathwork for Our Cyclical Nature
The strong Ashtanga practice was meant for men, as they have a consistent flow of hormones. As women, we have to realize it is okay to change our practice throughout our month to reflect where we are in our cycles, with our changing energy levels and our moon. This is what I’ve been learning- how to shift the practice, which I will be sharing at the Women’s retreat.
Our moon cycle underlines everything. We do not want to go against the flow of our moon, including with our breathwork. For example, during our moon time, we do not want to do strong, active, cleansing breathwork, as this process is already happening internally within us with our moon. So it is too much to also do this breathwork, similar to how it would be to enter the sweat lodge on our first days of our moon with the heat.
During the Women’s retreat, we will be understanding how the external and internal environments reflect and how to bring both into harmony. This way we can stop being so rigid, instead recognizing fluctuations and allowing flow to happen, which means there’s also more flow in life.
Breathwork at Ayllu Medicina Plant Medicine Retreats in Ecuador
There are many tools that can help with plant medicine preparation, integration, and during the ceremony. Many of these tools are also important for the ceremony of life, which continues after you leave a plant medicine retreat or ceremony.
Learning more about breathwork and becoming conscious of your breath is one of the tools that can help you physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We are fortunate to have Vanessa on our Ayllu Medicina team to learn more about the practice of pranayama.
Get started with your breathwork on the Otra Ola Youtube channel, with this video by Vanessa. You can also visit Vanessa in Ayampe at Otra Ola, with their Prana Health Food Store, surf classes, yoga, Spanish classes, and other events.
During our Ayllu Medicina transformational retreats, there is daily yoga, meditation, and breathwork. During our Women’s retreat, there will also be a focus on the complementary healing modalities of yoga and pranayama. There are several spaces available, so if you feel called to join us reach out!
One of our team will be happy to answer any questions you have or schedule a call. You can learn more about all our Ayllu Medicina retreats here.
by Emma Reeves | Dec 6, 2023 | spiritual practices
So, you’ve attended a plant medicine ceremony or retreat and had a profound experience. What happens now? Plant medicine integration is more than a buzzword; it requires your active participation once the ceremony ends and the ceremony of life begins.
Retreat participants often ask us how to integrate plant medicine ceremonies and their retreat experiences. After all, whether you have attended an Ayahuasca ceremony or a plant medicine retreat in South America, integration doesn’t stop once you leave the sacred space; it continues when you return to your home or continue your travels. Often, you return to everyday life feeling different, even if everything around you seems the same.
So, what can you do to maintain changes and continue to integrate?
One of the most important parts of plant medicine integration is staying clutter-free physically, emotionally, and energetically. Plant medicine ceremonies can help us release what is no longer serving us, so you often leave like a snake that has just shed skin. The good news is that there are a variety of different integration techniques you can use; read this guide to learn more.
Skip to:
Physical Integration
Emotional Integration
Energetic Integration
Physical Plant Medicine Integration
When people ask how to integrate an Ayahuasca ceremony or a San Pedro ceremony, they are often surprised that it starts with their physical body!
You need a solid grounding, healthy body, and clutter-free surroundings to embody your experiences. Then, you can begin to weave the lessons into your daily life, noticing changes in your inner and outer world.
Post-Plant Medicine Diet
Usually, people follow a pre-ceremony Ayahuasca dieta or diet for San Pedro preparation to purify their bodies for the sacred medicines. After a retreat or ceremony, it is also important to be mindful of the foods you consume and slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet to see how your body reacts. It is also essential to hydrate well with water!
For example, do not return to your usual caffeine consumption; go slow and maybe consider alternatives such as Green tea or Guayusa, which we share on Ayllu Medicina retreats. You may also find you do not want to introduce certain foods back into your diet after releasing emotional food cravings.
Your dieta will vary depending on where you attend a plant medicine ceremony or retreat. However, in general, be mindful of your consumption of the following for at least a week after a plant medicine ceremony:
- Coffee
- Red meat and pork
- Spices
- Dairy
- Processed sugars
You know your body best, so tune in to what it needs. Plant dietas are not about deprivation, but caring for your body and simplifying to make space for change. At Ayllu Medicina plant medicine retreats, we provide nourishing plant-based food throughout the week to nourish you and help you integrate a balanced diet. If you are unsure what medications or supplements to reintroduce after a retreat, consult your retreat guides and doctor.
Space and Surroundings
Everything is energy, so a lot of physical clutter can be distracting. Many studies have shown how physical clutter creates stress, disorder, and other negative physical, energetic, and emotional effects. So, consider clearing your space and home when settling back into your everyday life.
A clutter-free inner world needs a clutter-free physical world as a reflection. At Ayllu Medicina, we often describe how plant medicine ceremonies can be like taking off a heavy backpack, often full of things you didn’t know you were carrying but were weighing you down. These can include emotions, impressions, and other energy you have accumulated over the years.
One of the benefits of plant medicine retreats and ceremonies is that they are often the first time you can fully stop, take off the backpack, and unload what is no longer serving you. So, once this happens, do not physically load yourself with more than you need; clear your space to reflect your lighter inner world!
Emotional Plant Medicine Integration
Plant medicine ceremonies can be transformative experiences, often expanding perspectives and giving profound insights into your inner world. It is important to remember that sacred plant masters are medicines, which means a variety of emotions can come up during ceremonies and as you integrate the experiences.
Once you leave the ceremony or retreat container, it is important to continue to care for your mental health. It is natural for different emotions to come up, but do not leave them lingering for later. Instead, use different integration practices to stay clutter-free mentally.
Daily Morning Practice
What do you do when you first wake up? Instead of immediately reaching for your phone or rushing to work, set some time aside for you to ground and be in the present moment. A morning routine looks different for everyone, but including a yoga practice, meditation, and some breathwork can set you up for the rest of your day.
During plant medicine preparation and retreats, you have the chance to slow down and make space for yourself during the morning. During Ayllu Medicina retreats, there is also daily yoga, meditation, and breathwork, so you can learn different techniques and integrate them into your everyday life. Like making the bed each morning, being consistent with a daily practice quickly makes it a habit that will provide many benefits to your life.
Recapping
During Ayllu Medicina retreats, there are sharing circles after plant medicine ceremonies. So, you begin to process your experiences and integrate the lessons. You can continue to do this for all parts of your life after the retreat so you do not go back to saving everything for ‘later.’
Doing a simple recap of your day before you go to bed each night is a great practice, especially for post-retreat integration when you are still adjusting back to your daily life. You will be surprised at how much happens everyday!
Women can also recap their month as part of their cycle during their menstruation time. Menopausal women can also use the New Moon or Full Moon. Men can also do this! Learn more about Sun and Moon dynamics in Hwaneetah’s Womb Technology interview with Breathe and Flow. If you attend one of our plant medicine retreats in Ecuador, you will learn more about this from Hwaneetah, who has been studying womb technology for over 20 years.
Find a Community
It is important to remember you have a community in plant medicine integration, so reach out whenever you need; you are not alone! For example, Ayllu Medicina has retreat groups where we continue to stay in touch and share. After your plant medicine retreat, you can also book a post-retreat integration session with our medicine guides.
No matter where you attend a plant medicine ceremony or retreat, find a supportive community to support your plant medicine integration. This could be loved ones at home, new groups, or your retreat group. Acknowledge that some loved ones are at different stages in their journey and may not be able to relate to your experiences, but they will begin to notice the positive changes within you.
A note on sharing: As we say during our retreats, not everything from your Ayahuasca experience or San Pedro experience is to be shared. Some of the experiences you may not be able to articulate, and some are important to keep for yourself.
Maybe you will begin to share more over time, but it is important not to overshare quickly- go slow, as you are still integrating the experience! A good start is to share the main lessons, or ‘pearls,’ of your experience.
Be Aware of Mental Consumption
When preparing for a plant medicine ceremony, your dieta doesn’t end with food. It is also recommended to start a meditation practice, reduce your social media use, and be mindful of what you are mentally consuming. This is so you make space to go deeper with the plant medicines without having to process the many impressions mental consumption brings.
After you leave a plant medicine retreat, stay clutter-free by consciously consuming. After a break from the constant onslaught of information most people are bombarded with, it can feel overstimulating to log back into social media and read a backlog of WhatsApp messages or emails!
So, go slow and perhaps wait before delving straight back into binge-watching your favorite show or spending long periods of time online. It is okay to normalize and put a movie on; just be mindful of going to extremes.
After all, taking a pause allows you to identify impulsive behaviors in your life, the behaviors that are automatic without any thought, such as checking your social media pages multiple times a day. So, when you leave a plant medicine retreat, you can take charge of what you consume again from a conscious standpoint and put healthy boundaries in place.
Energetic Plant Medicine Integration
Everything has an energetic vibration, and plant medicines can help purify and raise your vibration. After letting go of what is no longer serving you, you want to continue caring for your energy and keep it clutter-free.
Usually, during plant medicine ceremonies such as Ayahuasca, you can experience a huge energy expansion. After expansion, there is contraction as you begin to unify the body, mind, and spirit to what you experienced.
This contraction may show up in changes in energy, mood, or the desire to be alone, which is natural- tune into what you need and continue to protect your energy as you go through integration. At Ayllu Medicina you can also sign up for a Shamanic Cleansing, also known as a Limpia, with Aime, which can help renew your energy. Learn more about this on our offerings page.
Spend time in Nature
Ground your energy in nature. Go for a walk, visit a body of water, sit by a tree, or simply plant your feet on the ground and absorb the benefits! It is important to remember that you can connect to the elements of nature at any time, which can help center your energy and offer purification.
Incense Smudging
In many plant medicine ceremonies, you may notice the use of different incense, including for smudging, which can help remove negative energies. This incense can include sage, copal, cedar, and palo santo. Light some sage or another smudge and cleanse yourself and your space once you return home and whenever you want to shift the energy.
Practice Gratitude
Did you know that practicing gratitude can help you physically, emotionally, and energetically? During plant medicine integration, remember to come back to gratitude- for your experiences, your courage, your loved ones, the elements, and the sacred master plants.
A simple practice is to journal or think about five things you are grateful for each day. This can instantly uplift your energy and help you welcome any discomfort during integration with the trust that you are coming into alignment.
Notice What Isn’t Serving You
Plant medicines such as Ayahuasca and San Pedro can provide deeply healing experiences. However, often, there is work for you to do during plant medicine integration based on the profound lessons the plants can present. This may include learning what is not correspondent anymore, such as a particular habit, behavior, relationship, or place.
Take some time after a plant medicine retreat to reflect on what is no longer in alignment. If it doesn’t feel right anymore, it may be time to let go of something to be able to continue your expansion and growth.
It is also important to consider post-plant medicine retreat recommendations, such as avoiding sexual activity for several days after plant medicine ceremonies, as this is also a huge exchange of energy.
Connect to Music
Music is an integral part of Ayllu Medicina plant medicine ceremonies and retreats. You will have the chance to connect with your own voice and learn some medicine songs. Singing is a powerful way to shift energies, raise vibrations, and stay clutter-free.
After plant medicine retreats, many retreat participants continue to sing and connect with sacred instruments such as the rattle or hand drum. If you need to move energy during plant medicine integration, consider picking up a rattle and singing or listening to some plant medicine music to reconnect with the sacred plant teachers! Check out our medicine guides’ music, Pájaros de Luz, to get started.
Plant Medicine Integration Practices to Stay Clutter-Free
Plant medicine integration goes beyond the Ayahuasca or San Pedro Ceremony. It is about the ongoing work to stay clutter-free and in touch with your true essence. When you can stay clutter-free emotionally, physically, and energetically, it is when you begin to express your true essence, uniting with the whole.
You can attend many ceremonies or plant medicine retreats in South America, but if you do not have the tools to integrate experiences, then you cannot absorb the benefits of these sacred plant teachers. This is why integration is also a verb- it requires active participation to stay clutter-free. Start by using these practices and seek support from your retreat provider if you need extra guidance!
At Ayllu Medicina, we say that your first Ayahuasca ceremony is clearing the garden in your mind, then the second is often refining the garden details. If this is the case, then San Pedro is the water to help all the new seeds bloom, and plant medicine integration is the continued maintenance of the garden so you can continue to stay aligned on your path.
Integrating plant medicine retreats and ceremonies starts before you even enter the sacred space. When researching a plant medicine ceremony or retreat, consider the integration support the guides provide before you make a decision. At Ayllu Medicina, we ensure our participants have the support they need before, during, and after our transformational plant medicine retreats.
Check out our available 23/2024 retreats here. Our 2024/25 plant medicine retreats in Ecuador are due for release soon! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
by Emma Reeves | Nov 27, 2023 | Ayllu Medicina Plant Medicine Retreats, Plant Medicine Retreat
When women feel empowered, they can take charge of their lives with confidence, stepping into their full power. So, where does this empowerment begin? Empowerment starts with an inner journey, which you take in the supportive setting of a women’s plant medicine retreat.
Retreats for women have become increasingly popular in recent years and for a good reason. With experienced guides and the right setting, a women’s retreat can be a healing, transformative, and empowering experience.
So, what actually happens on a women’s retreat to do this? Read on to learn seven reasons why a women’s retreat is empowering.
1. Be Empowered by Your Cycle
As Hwaneetah explains in this womb technology interview with Breathe and Flow, the awareness of the feminine power that is within all of us has been forgotten. Attending the Ayllu Medicine Women’s Power Retreat gives you the opportunity to remember this feminine power once again and claim it, which starts by connecting to your cyclical nature. Instead of falling victim to your nature, you will learn to accompany it and be powered by it.
Many women come to plant medicine retreats and feel that there is something wrong with how they feel during the month, when in fact, it is that they haven’t connected to their cyclical nature. In many societies, a woman’s cycle has been portrayed as a source of disempowerment, whereas it is actually where your empowerment begins.
Hwaneetah has been working with women and womb technology for over twenty years. She will provide wisdom throughout the retreat week to help you not only remember your true nature but become empowered by it. All women benefit from remembering their cyclical nature, whether they are menstruating, perimenopausal, or menopausal.
2. Close Cycles Consciously (“No Clutter Policy”)
Part of a retreat week is to simplify and can be to let go of what is no longer serving you. Maybe this is behavior patterns, repressed emotions, or a particular belief about yourself.
Over the years, you build up memories, impressions, emotions, and behaviors. In many societies, there is a constant onslaught of information, with scarce opportunities to process and release it all. How can you expect to empower yourself without letting go of this heaviness first?
During a women’s retreat week, you will experience a variety of ways to purify, along with learning how to recharge each month as part of your cycle. For example, there will be multiple sweat lodges at Ayllu Medicina’s Women’s Power Plant Medicine Retreat.
A sweat lodge (temazcal) is an ancient medicine and means to purify your mind, body, and spirit. You have the opportunity to reenter the womb of Mother Earth and shed what no longer serves you. There will also be different rituals such as unbinding, breathwork, meditations, daily yoga, and ice baths.
3. The Space for Self-Discovery
In fast-paced societies, it can be challenging to take a breath and pause. When was the last time you truly stopped, without distractions, and spent time with yourself?
True empowerment starts with getting to yourself and your inner world. A Women’s plant medicine retreat provides the tools, time, and container to stop driving on automatic and go inwards.
In a supportive environment with experienced guides, you have the chance to pull the brake and catch up with yourself. The simple but courageous act of taking an intentional pause will allow you to focus on yourself, which is the start of empowerment.
During the Women’s Power Retreat with Ayllu Medicina, you will receive guidance from the sacred plant teachers Ayahuasca and San Pedro. There will also be purifying practices and different ancient wisdom workshops. These will help increase your self-awareness, provide clarity, and allow you to connect to your true essence.
4. Tools to Take With You
One of the main benefits of a plant medicine retreat is that it can equip you with many tools to continue making space and empowering yourself once you leave the retreat container.
At Ayllu Medicina, we often say this is when the true ceremony begins, as you are returning to your environment, and it is up to you to maintain the upgrades in your life and make any changes to stay aligned.
A Women’s Retreat gives the power back to you, making you realize that you have the power to take charge of your life and stay clutter-free. You can make lasting changes with the right tools, such as a daily practice, meditation techniques, and working with your cyclical nature. At our Women’s Power Retreat, there is also support from the Ayllu Medicina team and your new community.
5. Self-Care
In order to care for others, you must care for yourself first. A Women’s Retreat is the opportunity to do this. The entire week is focused on transformative practices and care, from the plant medicine ceremonies and sweat lodges to the nourishing food and daily yoga. You will have time, support, and tools to retreat inwards, which will benefit you and all your relations.
6. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
It is when you step outside your comfort zone that change can happen. A women’s retreat helps you understand your own nature and reconnect back to Mother Earth, ready to step into the new. With a supportive group around you, you have the space to be seen, heard, and understood. You can reclaim your space, align your body-mind connection, and begin to express your true essence.
Nurturing your voice and expression during a women’s retreat can also be empowering. There will be sharing circles, song circles (no experience required!), and other ways to embrace your feminine nature and the empowerment that comes with it.
7. The Power of Sisterhood
Women are caretakers, which means when we are around other like-minded women, we feel more at ease. Have you had a situation where you feel more at ease because you are with women? This could be as simple as when you hail a taxi and realize it is a female driver or sit next to another female on the bus.
It is because you can reach a different vibration when you are around other women. We reflect on each other, which makes a women’s retreat the perfect space to get to know your inner cycles with the help of your new community. Like-minded mirrors will surround you to help you find alignment and find a new vibration in a nurturing environment.
Some women will be aware of the power of having supportive women in their lives who help to uplift them, keep them accountable, and inspire them. For other women, it may be the first opportunity they have had in a while to form female friendships. Either way, a women-only retreat provides the space and shared intention to transform in community, finding empowerment through supporting each other and forming long-lasting new female friendships.
Learn Why a Women’s Retreat is Empowering With Us
A Women’s Retreat is empowering in many ways, offering you the medicine you need to step into your power. It benefits you in many positive ways, so your feminine nature is no longer an inconvenience or weakness, instead being a source of power. However, not all women’s plant medicine retreats offer the same tools, offerings, or experiences to be empowering. Knowing how to find a plant medicine retreat for you is important.
Ayllu Medicina’s plant medicine retreats in Ecuador honor the sacred master plants and traditions with a supportive container and experienced guides for a transformational week. Our Women’s Power Retreat is led by Hwaneetah, who is also an expert in womb technology and helping you connect to this powerful source. So, join us in April 2024 for a week tailored to help you find empowerment with a supportive group of women.
You can learn more about our Women’s Power Plant Medicine retreat here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out; we will be happy to answer your questions by phone or email!
by Emma Reeves | Oct 16, 2023 | Plant Medicine Music
Raising song prayers can be a way to express gratitude, change energetic vibrations, and honor Mother Earth. This is also why, as the saying goes, music is medicine. On that note, we are excited to announce the latest EP medicine music release by Pájaros de Luz, Sumac Wayra.
Music plays a pivotal role for Ayllu Medicina, including at our plant medicine ceremonies and retreats. Music has also long been part of the lives of Hwaneetah and Aimé, Pájaros de Luz. We are grateful to be able to share their song prayers with you all.
Read on to learn more about Pájaros de Luz and their music!
Luz de Selva: Light of the Jungle
Luz de Selva is the first single of the EP, Sumac Wayra, to be released. Luz de Selva translates to the ‘light of the jungle’ in English. It is inspired by the master plant teacher of Ayahuasca, referring to the guiding light that comes to us during ceremonies. Luz de Selva is a song to activate this light and our inner altar, our most sacred space.
You can now listen to Luz de Selva on all major music platforms, including:
- Spotify
- iTunes
- Amazon Music
- YouTube
Hwaneetah wrote and composed this song, which was recorded in Colombia, along with the rest of the Sumac Wayra EP.
Sumac Wayra EP
Sumac Wayra is the latest EP by Pájaros de Luz, focused on Andean medicine music with instrumentals. Sumac Wayra consists of four medicine music songs, which feature a variety of Andean instruments, including bongos, harmonicas, rattles, and flutes. The EP also includes some new instrumental versions of popular Pájaros de Luz songs and two new releases:
- Luz de Selva
- Pajaros de Luz
- Cantando con mis Ancestros
- Sumac Wayra
This new work is in collaboration with a group of talented musicians well-known in the region. We want to say a big thank you to the following collaborators:
Judala
Judala is a son of the rainbow and a walker of the Munay. He is a medicine music singer-songwriter, producer, and researcher of Andean culture and music. You can listen to his latest releases on Spotify, which include Guerrero Arcoíris. He is also a temazcal fire keeper of the Red Road in Antioquia.
Nacho_sierra
Nacho_sierra is a musician, composer, and songwriter. You can listen to Nacho_sierra’s latest single on Spotify, ‘Cantaré’. He is also a music producer, builder of musical instruments, and a student of ancestral medicines.
Uriverso
Universo is a musician, singer, composer, therapist, and walking man of ancestral medicines. He plays various instruments, including the didgeridoo, Native American flute, guitar, and electric bass. You can listen to his music on Spotify, such as his latest track, Tierra Hermosa.
Willy Z
Willy Z runs the La Comarca Sumak Kawsay in Colombia. He is a canupa carrier, sun dancer, and medicine man. You can also check out their store, juanais.esencial, on Instagram for holistic medicines.
Production: Soul Del Viento
Production for Luz de Selva is by Soul Del Viento, who is a musician, producer, and creator of Haux Ancestral Medicine. He is also an apprentice and walker of the ancestral culture.
Original Artwork and Design
The original artwork for the single and album is by Santiago Andrade Leon.
Santiago Andrade Leon is a spiritual leader, medicine man, and Andean doctor who shares his art in different forms, including the artwork on Luz de Selva and Sumac Wayra. He has many medicine songs to listen to, which honor different plant medicines, including Ayahuasca and Awakolla.
His latest release is Fuego Espiritu, available on all major music platforms. His next music project is titled Awakollero.
The cover designs of Luz de Selva and Sumac Wayra are by Pame Robles.
Pájaros de Luz – Hwaneetah and Aime
Luz de Selva is the first single from the upcoming album, Sumac Wayra, by Pájaros de Luz. You can listen to Hwaneetah and Aime’s first album, Pájaros de Luz, on platforms such as Bandcamp, YouTube, and Spotify.
Their first album includes medicine songs such as Agua De Estrellas, Abuelos Medicina, Cuatro Vientos, and Cantando Con Mis Abuelos. You can find the lyrics to these songs on our website.
Aime and Hwaneetah have been singing, playing instruments, and composing medicine music in honor of the light in all beings for many years. Pájaros de Luz was the first release of this music, and we are so grateful for all the support for this album.
Sumac Wayra is their second album, due for release this November. We are excited for you to hear how medicine music takes different forms. The first album featured a rattle and water drum, whereas this EP has an instrumental focus.
Listen to Pájaros de Luz on all Music Platforms
Thank you for all your support for Pájaros de Luz. We hope you enjoy Luz de Selva and the full album, Sumac Wayra, due for release this November! You can stay up to date with Pájaros de Luz news by signing up for our newsletter, following Pájaros de Luz on Instagram, and following them on music platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.
You can also experience Luz de Selva and other Pájaros de Luz music live in Ecuador. Stay tuned for upcoming concerts and consider attending an Ayllu Medicina transformational plant medicine retreat to delve deep into your own inner world and find your own rhythm once more.
Contact us if you have any questions!
by Emma Reeves | Oct 4, 2023 | plant medicine ceremonies, spiritual practices
Did you know that meditation and medicine have the same root word? Despite meditation and plant medicine often being seen as separate modalities, they complement each other well. So well, in fact, that meditation can help in plant medicine ceremonies in many different ways.
It is estimated that over 275 million people have some form of meditation practice around the world, and more people than ever are feeling called to explore their inner world with the assistance of master plant teachers, such as Ayahuasca and San Pedro. So, what happens when you combine these ancient technologies in a plant medicine ceremony?
Here are some of the ways meditation helps in plant medicine ceremonies.
1. Preparation
The benefits of meditation begin before you attend a plant medicine ceremony. It is often recommended to take steps to prepare your body, mind, and spirit to sit with plant medicine, including adjusting your diet, slowing down activity, and trying practices such as meditation. Preparatory steps are not limitations but ways to purify so you can have more profound experiences in ceremonies and begin to connect with the master plants in advance.
Meditation is an ancient practice that, like plant medicines, has gained the scientific world’s attention. Recently, there has been a lot of research to confirm meditation’s many benefits, such as improving focus, reducing stress, and even changing brain structures. One study found meditation helped increase the thickness of the hippocampus- which is the part of your brain responsible for emotional regulation and memory.
So, all these benefits will begin to help during your plant medicine preparation time, allowing you to shed layers and make space to connect with the plant medicines. Meditation can also help ground and calm the mind before your plant medicine ceremony. It is also natural to experience some nerves before a ceremony, which meditation can help settle.
2. Observe Without Judgement
One of the main ways meditation helps in plant medicine ceremonies is to help you stay as the observer of your experience. You can notice your thoughts without getting swept into their emotional storm or judging them. Instead, you have meditation tools that can bring your attention back to your center.
Master plant teachers such as Ayahuasca are medicine. So, while ceremonial experiences are unique to the individual, it is common for there to be ups and downs as part of your journey to your center. For example, plant medicines such as Ayahuasca can magnify thought patterns, emotions, and experiences to make you recognize them. Meditation can help you navigate and even welcome these experiences to dive deeper into your inner world without resistance.
3. Focus and Center
Meditation and plant medicine both allow you to explore your inner being. Meditation can help you re-center, helping you come back to your intention for the ceremony, quieten the mind, and maintain your heart-mind connection.
Having the tools to quieten the mind and separate yourself from thoughts is empowering. In a plant medicine ceremony, this empowerment can help you stay focused and go deep into your inner being with the help of the master plant.
4. A Physical Aid
Meditation can help increase your self-awareness, so in a ceremony, you remember to come back to the breath or do a body scan to make a simple adjustment to feel physically comfortable once more.
Our Ayllu Medicina yoga teacher often reminds participants that deep breathing can completely transform a challenging moment. Sometimes, remembering to take a deep breath, check in with our body, and relax any areas of tension can help uncomfortable moments of the plant medicine ceremony pass.
5. Let Go
A common piece of advice people give for plant medicine ceremonies is to ‘let go’ or ‘surrender.’ This may feel easier said than done! After all, what does surrender mean?
For many people, the art of surrender can be a mystery before a plant medicine ceremony, and it remains a practice that meditation helps strengthen. Essentially, this piece of advice refers to allowing the present moment to be exactly how it is. It means acknowledging any difficult experiences or emotions but relaxing into them with trust, trusting the master plant and yourself.
Meditation also helps remind you that the moment will pass; everything is temporary. The practice enables you to return to the present moment. It can help you let go of expectations and recognize when the ego is trying to take control.
You can begin to stop trying to push or pull your inner and outer experience during the ceremony, instead surrendering into the present. The result? Fewer obstacles and more collaboration with the master plant teacher.
6. Gratitude
A great intention for a plant medicine ceremony is gratitude. Meditation can help you stay centered in these feelings of gratitude, love, and humility. It can help allow your true self to bloom by getting out of your own way.
Plant medicines such as Ayahuasca can also produce transcendental states, where you go beyond the ego and experience the connection to what is bigger than yourself, often referred to as ‘oneness’ or wholeness. A strong meditation practice can also achieve these heightened states of awareness.
However, suppose you are beginning your meditation practice. In that case, plant medicines can help you reach deeper states of meditation and the feelings associated, such as peace, joy, and a quietening of the mind.
7. Integration
Meditation and plant medicine work well together before, during, and after a ceremony. Meditation can also help during integration, the time after the ceremony, and when you finish a plant medicine retreat. Integration can only happen if we make space for it with compassion and patience for ourselves.
Returning to the ceremony of life can be an adjustment, which means having tools such as meditation can help you navigate the integration period with openness, attention, and space. Meditation can be the practice you continually use to maintain your well-being, quieten the mind, check in with your inner world, and stay centered, no matter what distractions or challenges arise.
Attend Our Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreat
Meditation and plant medicine share many similarities, which means meditation is a practice that can help during plant medicine preparation, plant medicine ceremonies, and integration periods. There are a range of different meditation practices to try, so you can find one that suits your own needs.
Do you want support deepening your meditation practice and connecting to master plant teachers? Ayllu Medicina is holding a Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreat in November 2023. While meditation is always a core part of our plant medicine retreats in Ecuador, this retreat is specifically focused on providing meditation tools and practices.
It will be a transformational week that provides the space, practices, and support to dive deep into your inner world. Do you have some questions? Our team will be happy to schedule a call to discuss any of our retreats in more detail!
