There are 4 vital aspects to correctly implement when you’re preparing for Ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is an incredibly sacred and powerful medicine which requires a very conscious approach. The depth of healing and transformation you’re able to experience and receive, depends on your preparation for Ayahuasca.
This article will explain all these 4 vital components, so make sure you read it until the end. This will ensure that you’ll have the safest, most profound and transformative experience as possible.
1. How to Prepare for Ayahuasca: The Right Approach & Intentions
The most important thing to first reflect upon as you prepare for an Ayahuasca ceremony or retreat, are your intentions and approach.
Perhaps you’re “just curious” or you’d “just like to try it”, to cross off your bucket list.
Perhaps you’re on this page because you were searching for information on ‘how to prepare for an Ayahuasca trip’, similar to searching for ‘how to prepare for an LSD trip’.
In that case, we honestly recommend not drinking Ayahuasca at all. It’s not a “drug” that you use for fun, in a recreational manner, or just to “trip out”. Free will prevails but you’ll most likely have an awful experience.
Ayahuasca is a powerful and sacred plant medicine that has been used for thousands of years by many indigenous tribes living in the Amazon Rainforest. It has assisted millions of people in healing from a wide variety of mental, physical and emotional ailments.
Beyond its healing powers, it can also help with a profound personal and spiritual transformation.
If you’re truly sincere, it can lead you to your deepest Truth at the core of your Being.
Liberate you from the many shackles that keep you imprisoned.
The neurotic thinking mind that never stops. Constantly judging and worrying.
Dwelling in the past, disconnected from our hearts and the deepest Presence.
Always searching for approval, validation and happiness outside of ourselves.
Running like a hamster in a hamster wheel, never truly getting anywhere.
Ayahuasca can be liberating beyond words, but only when approached with the utmost reverence and respect.
It’s very important to only drink the medicine with the presence and protection of a trained shaman within a safe container. This provides for the most profound and transformative experience and avoids potential harm.
Most facilitators and retreat centers don’t provide enough tools and resources to theirparticipants on how to prepare for an Ayahuasca ceremony.
It’s absolutely crucial, however, which is why we’ve included an important 4-week Ayahuasca Preparation Guide with our life-changing 9-day retreats in the sacred valley of Peru.
If you’re preparing for Ayahuasca to drink the medicine in a safe, protected and ceremonial space, with pure intentions of personal transformation and healing, instead of having an Ayahuasca trip at home or with friends, then keep reading.
There are several key components to keep in mind for the best preparation.
2. Ayahuasca Preparation: Medical Safety & Ayahuasca Dieta
The most important things when it comes to the physical preparation are adhering to the Ayahuasca Diet and to be very conscious of the Medical Guidelines.
The cleaner your body, the smoother the medicine can work in your system. It’s therefore important to avoid certain things beforehand as you prepare for an Ayahuasca ceremony.
Following along these dietary and medical guidelines will ensure that your body and mind are in the best possible state, for the most profound and beautiful Ayahuasca experience.
4 weeks before drinking Ayahuasca
– Avoid all hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth and crack
2 weeks before drinking Ayahuasca
– Avoid all recreational drugs such as cannabis and alcohol
– Avoid pork
1 week before drinking Ayahuasca
– Avoid red meat
– Avoid fast food, fried food and processed foods
48 hours before drinking Ayahuasca
– Avoid sexual contact
– Avoid overripe fruits
– Avoid excessive amounts of table salt
– Avoid spicy foods
– Avoid excessive oil
– Avoid dairy
– Avoids processed sweets and refined sugars
– Avoid all foods which contain MAOI inhibitors. These include all fermented foods such anchovies, herring, tofu, miso or fermented soy products, tamari or soy sauce, sauerkraut, pickled foods, protein extracts, meat products that are smoked or processed. Although yeast in baked goods is fine, it’s recommended to avoid brewer’s yeast.
Fresh, clean and natural foods are the best! Honor your body for the Divine temple it is.
We recommend implementing more fruits, vegetables, healthy grains and legumes into your diet. If you eat meat, we recommend choosing organic, free-range poultry instead of red meat. As well as to choose wild-caught fish instead of farm raised.
Important: Various physical and mental health conditions, pharmaceutical medications and supplements are not complimentary with Ayahuasca and could potentially cause for very harmful side effects. Please read through our Medical Guidelines page for a full list of contraindications. It’s very important to always fully disclose any and all health conditions, past and present, as well as use of medications and supplements. This is truly for the safety of all.
3. Mentally Preparing for Ayahuasca
As you prepare for an Ayahuasca trip in a safe, ceremonial and sacred space, it’s important to prepare yourself mentally and to truly reflect on your intentions.
What brought you to the medicine?
Is there something in specific you’re hoping to learn or experience?
Perhaps something to heal or release?
Consciously setting intentions is incredibly valuable and profound.
If it resonates and feels good, we highly recommend starting journaling daily. If possible, even a few weeks prior to your retreat or Ayahuasca ceremony.
This will give you immense clarity into your subconscious mind, by the simple act of writing.
We can only heal, shift or transform certain things if we truly become conscious of them first.
Make sure you reflect on any struggles, blockages or harmful habits that have been difficult to break through. And then, to write a few key intentions surrounding these areas, which you’d like to transform.
However, don’t be too broad and try to remain focused!
This will make a huge difference in comparison to people who enter a ceremony somewhat “in the dark” without clarity on what they truly wish to receive.
Journaling has many other amazing benefits, far beyond your Ayahuasca preparation.
With all that being said…
The moment you enter the Ayahuasca ceremony, we highly recommend leaving all your intentions, expectations and pre-conceived notions behind. To truly trust, surrender and let go completely.
Ayahuasca will always give you what you need and not necessarily what you think you want.
This might sound strange, but the medicine knows us better than we know ourselves.
Although it’s completely understandable to do a lot of research beforehand and to read about others’ experience, these stories must also be left behind. Your experience with Ayahuasca will never be the same as another’s.
Every single ceremony is completely unique, every single time.
Trust. Surrender. Let go. Transform. Release. Awaken.
4. Ayahuasca Preparation: The Spiritual Component
It’s an important aspect of many different spiritual practices, such as meditation and yoga, to remain focused on the breath.
When it comes to Ayahuasca, it’s absolutely crucial.
The more we’re able to rest, relax, trust and surrender, the smoother our ceremony will be.
By far the best way to achieve this, is to remain conscious of the breath. This will root us in the heart and in the present moment.
The more we resist, fight or try to push a difficult experience away, the stronger it’ll become. What we resist, persists.
While preparing for Ayahuasca, it’s incredibly valuable to engage in a daily spiritual practice in the weeks before your retreat or ceremony.
Some feel called towards Yoga while others feel more drawn towards a sitting meditation practice.
Whatever resonates the most and helps you feel more present and at peace, will work.
In their own unique ways, all spiritual practices ultimately revolve around bringing us deeper into the present moment.
More connected to the heart, instead of being lost and controlled by the monkey mind.
This provides the right container for having the most powerful and transformative experience you can possible have. Otherwise our conditioned minds could block the medicine.
If you don’t already engage in a daily spiritual practice, this would be an amazing opportunity to start! The benefits are truly endless. This is so important that we’ve included a meditation class in our 4-week Ayahuasca Preparation Guide.
Everything that we read, watch or listen to, influences us in some way.
We therefore highly recommend spending much more time in Nature and to avoid excessive use of technology, Facebook, Instagram and mainstream media. Especially negative energy and fearmongering through the news can pull us down, much more than we’re conscious of.
Remain close to your heart, trust, let go and surrender. Everything will unfold perfectly!
Ayahuasca Preparation – Peru Retreats
If you’ll be attending one of our Ayahuasca Retreats in the Sacred Valley of Peru, it’s important to remain conscious of the weather and which season we’re in.
The rainy season runs from December until April.
The dry season runs from May until November.
Regardless of the season, we always have plenty of beautiful and sunny days. It cools off significantly at night because of the altitude however, which is why we recommend always packing for both warmer and colder weather. Please bring the following items, and include rainboots/waterproof footwear during the rainy season:
– Reusable water bottle
– Small flashlight or headtorch. Headtorch is recommended
– Spare batteries
– Towel
– Natural toiletries
– Comfortable clothes for warm weather, as well as for colder weather
– Jacket
– Flip flops
– Swimwear
Optional items:
– Creative materials such as paints, crafts or musical instruments
– Crystals or sacred objects
– Books
– Electronics: We recommend not using too much technology because it can be a distraction from your internal process. You can listen to gentle music but please bring headphones, as to not distract the other retreat participants.
Summary
In short, the best possible Ayahuasca preparation involves:
– setting clear intentions
– releasing expectations
– maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding fast food and processed foods
– engaging in a daily spiritual practice such as meditation or yoga
– avoiding negative energy as much as possible
– spending more time in nature
– remaining close to your heart and truth
The longer you can consistently commit to your highest state of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing before Ayahuasca, the better you’ll be prepared. If you’re interested in a deeply profound and beautiful transformation, perhaps our Ayahuasca Retreats can assist you.
We also include life-long personal support and a 12-week Integration Course, besides our 4- week Ayahuasca Preparation Guide. Feel free to learn more about our approach, our team and retreat center in the Sacred Valley of Peru by visiting this page.
We’re looking very much forward to possibly meeting and welcoming you to the Sacred Valley.
Thank you so much for committing to your highest truth and deepest transformation!
With SO much love, committed to love, healing & awakening for us all,
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