master plan holistic retreats

What is Ayahuasca?

know more about what is ayahuasca

A plant of power from the amazon

What is Ayahuasca?

In the Quechua language “aya” means ancestors or soul, and “waska” means vine, and it’s said that ayahuasca is the “vine of the soul”, or “vine of the dead”. It refers to both the ceremonial entheogenic brew used in the Amazonian tribes for spiritual wisdom and the vine itself (Banisteropsis Caapi), a key ingredient in the brew. The combination of this vine with other plants, particularly the leaves of Chagropanga (Diplopterys cabrerana) in our case, produces the psychoactive compound N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

Yagé vs Ayahuasca

At MasterPlan retreats you will often hear us refer to the medicine as Yagé, which is the name given to the same brew primarily used in Colombia and parts of Ecuador and Peru. The difference between ayahuasca and yagé lies in the cultural context and ritual practices from different traditions, but at its core, it is the same remedy cooked with different plant combinations. Our ceremonies follow the structure from the Colombian tradition, which is the one we’ve learned. We serve the Yagé from the region of Putumayo.

the benefits of ayahuasca

Why is this brew so good for the soul?

Ayahuasca’s reputation for benefiting the soul and facilitating spiritual growth can be attributed to a combination of its psychoactive effects, the context of its use, and the personal mindset and attitude before, during, and after the retreat. It has been used for millennia and it’s a powerful tool for spiritual and personal development for many reasons. Here are some of the key benefits of participating in an ayahuasca retreat:

Enhanced Self-Reflection: The intense introspective state induced by ayahuasca and the calmness of the retreat helps us understand ourselves more deeply, recognizing our strengths and areas for growth. This self-awareness is crucial for personal development and spiritual awakening.
Sense of Connection: Many of us report feeling an intense connection to nature, the universe, and our community during the experiences. This sense of oneness can lead us to feel greater empathy, compassion, and a feeling of interconnectedness, which are foundational to spiritual growth.
Emotional Healing: The ceremonies can bring up repressed memories and emotions, offering us the opportunity to heal past traumas and rewire our brain from a more conscious and elevated mind state. This process, often described as cathartic, can lead to significant emotional releases, helping us to overcome emotional issues, which leave us with a sense of peace and emotional resilience.
Reduced Anxiety and Depression: Participants with anxiety and depression problems usually report reductions in their struggles, attributing this to insights and emotional releases experienced during the retreat. Drinkers of Ayahuasca in naturalistic settings perceived remarkable benefits for their affective symptoms in this survey
Lifestyle Changes: Participants report making significant lifestyle changes post-retreat, such as adopting healthier habits, pursuing new interests or careers, and letting go of negative patterns or relationships. Ayahuasca is a very powerful tool to take responsibility for your daily life behaviors and make conscious decisions.
Body Detox: Ayahuasca is a very powerful tool to cleanse your blood and organisms from toxic substances in your body, strengthening your immune system and significantly improving your ethereal body health, getting rid of physical and energetic negative charges.
Improved Relationships: Insights gained during ayahuasca ceremonies can lead to improved relationships, as individuals may feel compelled to address unresolved issues, communicate more openly, and express more empathy and understanding.
Creativity Boost: Creatives sometimes seek out ayahuasca for its potential to dissolve creative blocks and inspire new ideas, enhancing artistic expression and problem-solving abilities by reconnecting to their essence and strengthening their character.
Community and Ritual: The communal aspect of ayahuasca ceremonies, led by experienced healers or shamans, creates a supportive environment for individual and collective healing. The ritualistic setting helps frame the experience in a spiritual context, fostering a space for transformation, conversation, and growth. After every retreat, we feel a strong connection with the ones who shared the ceremonies with us creating a new spiritual family.

The insights and revelations gained during ayahuasca ceremonies can lead to significant life changes. Ayahuasca plays a role that is 50% of the work, the other 50% is in your hands. By listening to yourself and surrendering to the experience, you will open a window where you will see clearly to wise decisions and apply them in your day-to-day life. Integrating the experiences you believe are relevant from the ceremonies and integration circles is the key to the long-term benefits for spiritual growth and personal development.

How is it going to be? What are the usual effects? Do I need to do something special?

What does an ayahuasca ceremony look like?

If you never attended a ceremony before you may have a lot of questions about how it works. Reading this guide you will learn how an ayahuasca ceremony looks like:

Energetic Cleanse 1st

When the night rises we start the ceremony after going through the explanation and answering possible doubts. We start by protecting the space, and cleansing the room energetically so that the energies are neutral and spiritual protection is granted.

Rapeh and Sananga 2nd

Both Rapé and Sananga are powerful medicines that open our inner vision and help us prepare for a good ayahuasca encounter. We don't consider it essential but it's an option for you to try.

Meditation 3rd

After we drink the plant medicine, we leave a space of silence to relax and deepen our mind to meditative. This is an important part of the ceremony to connect to our inner self. Ayahuasca is about going inside, so meditation is crucial throughout the ceremony.

Deep Connection 4th

When we start feeling the effects of ayahuasca we start playing come chill sounds (yes we, the guides also drink with you), which awakens our spirit and the healing experience starts. Every ceremony and everyone responds differently to the medicine, you might connect through visions, hear voices, feel energies, or feel nothing at all, but the healing process is always there. It is common to feel nausea or diarrhea at this point, which is one of many ways this plant medicine cleanses you.

Time to drink more 5th

When we feel the ayahuasca is already present in our body we offer the possibility to drink again if you are up to it. The more medicine you drink the stronger its effects, some people connect very easily with 1 cup, and some people need to drink 4 cups. It's your decision how many times you want to drink.

Medicine Music 6th

The songs and the ícaros are essential during the healings and throughout the whole experience, we harmonize the energy, guide you with lyrics full of joy and love, and nurture each participant with the healing of sound. We play some original Jungle songs in Spanish as well as English medicine songs and other languages depending on the musicians.

Spiritual cleanse 7th

Through the end of the ceremony we offer you the possibility to be cleansed energetically by the with different methods used by the guides, "saumerio" is spread along the night (medicine plants incense) to clean the space.

Closing 8th

Time to rest after the spiritual journey. When we feel it's the right time, usually around 6 to 8 hours after we've started we close the ceremony.