Stories & News
Learn more about our plant medicine retreats and the sacred plant medicines we work with here.
Ice Baths: 7 Reasons to Take the Plunge
We believe it is crucial to have ways to purify and renew on a regular basis, and there are a variety of practices to do this. At Ayllu Medicina retreats, we offer many forms of purification, including temazcal (sweat lodge), smudging, yoga, breathwork, meditation, ceremonies, and ice baths. Ice baths, otherwise known as a cold plunge or cold exposure, have become popular in fitness and wellness circles due to its many health benefits - both physical and mental. The practice is often...
Reasons to Attend a San Pedro and Ayahuasca Retreat in Ecuador
Are you feeling the call to connect with the master plants of Ayahuasca or the San Pedro cactus? Why not combine them during a transformational retreat week, while gaining other tools you can take with you? Plant medicine retreats are now attended by people from all corners of the world. In South America, the sacred master plants of Ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus are often used in ceremonial settings. An Ayahuasca and San Pedro plant medicine retreat combines these plant teachers, offering...
Plant Medicine Preparation and Integration: Why Practice Meditation
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...
Heart Intelligence: Incredible Things to Know
When we have days where everything flows, and everything feels in sync, it is easier to stay centered, responding, instead of reacting to what comes up. Did you know that your heart is partly responsible for this? More specifically, it is what HeartMath researchers call heart coherence, which is where our heart, mind, and other systems are aligned. Heart coherence is a state we all aim to reach and maintain, but it can feel difficult to know where to begin. After all, there is often advice to...
Five Ways to Connect to Your Cycle
Do you feel connected to your menstrual cycle? In many societies, rites of passage through menstruation to menopause and invaluable knowledge about the power of our wombs has been forgotten. It is time to remember this knowledge. Our cyclical nature has been painted as a burden, as something to hide, as something we are victims of and should try to forget about. When actually, connecting with your moon cycle (menstrual cycle) brings empowerment and understanding of your true nature. So, where...
Plant Medicine & Pranayama: How Your Breath Is a Guide
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...
Plant Medicine Integration: How to Stay Clutter-Free
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...
7 Reasons why a Women’s Retreat is Empowering
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...
New Music by Pájaros de Luz: Sumac Wayra
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...
Meditation and Plant Medicine Ceremonies: How Meditation Helps
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,...
How To Celebrate Solstice and Close the Cycle
Did you know that the sun takes a brief pause before changing its direction of travel? This event is marked by Solstice, which happens twice a year. Different cultures and traditions have long celebrated this significant astrological event, so what can you do to honor Solstice? Many cultures have long lived a life immersed in nature, attuned to the Earth and Moon’s rhythms, recognizing their interconnectedness with the elements. This connection to the land has meant astrological events such as...
A Guide to Huachuma: the San Pedro Cactus
Ayahuasca, a sacred master plant, has become more widely known in recent years due to the profound healing it offers. But there are also other plant medicines that can help you on your healing journey, including another master plant, often referred to as San Pedro, Huachuma, or Awakolla. So, what should you know about this heart-opening medicine? We are fortunate to have access to different healing plant medicines, such as the San Pedro cactus in South America, which is found in countries...
How to Connect to the Elements of Nature
There are four main elements of nature: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air, along with the additional element of Space or Aether. When you are connected to these elements, your inner and outer worlds will feel more aligned. So, what can you do to align with these sacred elements? Respecting and honoring these great teachers of nature also helps you honor and respect yourself. After all, your body is made up of these elements, from the fire in your heart and digestion to the fact your body is up to...
Seven Ways To Prepare for a San Pedro Ceremony
San Pedro is known to be a grandfather spirit and comes from a cactus of South America. The Incans used to use this medicine to walk for days on end - San Pedro gave them energy and a greater connection to their purpose as well as the Earth. If you are going to take part in a San Pedro ceremony, we first recommend that you ensure you are doing so with a respected and experienced medicine man or woman and that it is in a space you can trust. Once you have ensured this and are ready to sit...
Five Benefits of Attending a Women’s Retreat
When women gather together in safe spaces, magic happens. And more than ever, women are beginning to remember this wisdom from our elders, coming back together and healing in many ways, including at women’s plant medicine retreats. A women’s empowerment retreat can make some women jump for joy, and some women hesitate, depending on their experiences gathering in sisterhood. The good news is that a women’s plant medicine retreat is the perfect space to receive the benefits of sisterhood and...
How To Celebrate Equinox and Find Balance
Mother Earth experiences four main seasons every year, with the transitions marked by Solstice and Equinox. Solstice and Equinox are significant astrological markers that are not only a time to focus on the external changing of seasons but your internal landscape too. So, with the March Equinox coming up, what should you do? The March Equinox is the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Spring Equinox. And in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the Autumnal Equinox. Read on...
Plant Medicine and Music: The Sacred Connection
You may take several steps when preparing for your first plant medicine ceremony, including fasting, setting intentions, meditation, and a good rest. But nothing can prepare you for the role of music in your first ceremony. You quickly learn that the medicine is not only the sacred plants but there are also other crucial ingredients, including you and the music. The various ingredients that make up your ceremony are the reasons why sitting with sacred plant medicines is an individual...
What Happens on a Plant Medicine Retreat?
Humans have been connecting with plant medicines such as Ayahuasca for thousands of years. Now, there are different ways to meet the sacred plants, from attending plant medicine ceremonies to taking a pause and going on a retreat. But what happens on a plant medicine retreat? There are many different spiritual and wellness retreats out there, including yoga, meditation, and plant medicine retreats. This means that while ‘to retreat’ is to go inwards, there is no one answer to what happens on...
