Are you feeling drawn to the ayahuasca experience? Maybe you’ve scheduled your first ceremony and are curious about what to expect.
Ayahuasca is considered a sacred and unique experience and has been so for thousands of years. Ayahuasca ceremonies have historically been led by Shamans who guide the person through the experience. The experience can last up to eight hours, and you should prepare for it well.
It might be difficult to guess exactly what you should do to prepare, so getting the information you need is essential. Let’s take a look at what you should know before you begin your journey.
Then and Now: What’s the Difference in How We Prepare for a Ceremony Today?
The ayahuasca decoction is brewed from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, referred to as the Ayahuasca vine or the “vine of the soul.” Leaves from the Psychotria Viridis shrub called chacruna are also used in tea. The tea has been brewed for centuries by indigenous people in Central and South America for healing ceremonies.
Preparing for a ceremony in the Amazon was pretty simple. They didn’t worry about detoxifying from alcohol, recreational drugs, processed foods, sugar, salt, and other toxins. Participants would take a period of preparation where they purified the body to interact with plant spirits on a deep spiritual and physical level. A diet was followed, some behaviours were stopped, and making spiritual practises more intense.
For the modern participant, Ayahuasca ceremony preparation may feel a bit complicated. Prescription medications, toxins in the modern diet, and recreational drugs may make the experience unpredictable.
The final decision to pursue a ceremony is made by the Shamans that lead your ceremony.
What is an Ayahuasca Ceremony?
In Shaman tradition, there’s a belief that malady and illness hold a spiritual or energetic aspect. People work with a shaman to resolve any issues and increase a person’s well-being in their lives, communities, and families. Many prescriptions for healing focus on individual needs, but ayahuasca is considered a central avenue for profound experiences that can be life-changing.
People seek the ceremonies today for their spiritual journeys and for healing modern illnesses, particularly mental health issues like addiction, anxiety, depression, and emotional trauma.
Sometimes people with serious illnesses, such as cancer, use ayahuasca for physical healing and guidance.
How Do I Prepare for the Ayahuasca Ceremony?
The dieta or the diet and practises performed to prepare for the ceremony refer to food intake, abstaining from certain behaviours, and spiritual practises. Here is a breakdown of some of these preparations.
1. Behavioural Practises
The most significant behaviour change suggested before participating in a ceremony is abstaining from sexual activity, including activity with yourself and others. In Shamanism, it’s believed that sexual intimacy is a form of energetic connection between people involved in the act. So, you might feel the presence of a person you recently had sexual relations with during the ceremony. This is distracting and can cause you to lose focus.
It’s recommended that you abstain from all sexual activity 1-2 weeks before and after the ceremony. Sometimes these recommendations vary.
2. Dietary and Physical Practises
Your diet should be simplified as much as possible in the months, especially the two weeks before your ceremony. Some important things you should do include:
- Eliminate colours, preservatives, and processed foods.
- Eliminate read meat.
- Cut out sugary, salty, and spicy foods.
- Cut out anything addictive, including tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs.
Eliminate these things at least two weeks before the ceremony. At least one week before the ceremony, eliminate the following:
- Fried foods
- Sugar, natural or artificial sweeteners
- Yeast or yeast products
- Fermented foods
- Vinegar or pickled foods
- Dairy products, especially yogurt
- Caffeine (coffee, caffeinated tea, synthetic energy drinks)
- Animal fats, including butter
- Nutritional supplements like protein powders that may contain tyramines
- Synthetic soaps, perfumes, toiletries, etc.
- Sweets and chocolate
Work with your doctor to eliminate or reduce your need for prescription drugs at least six weeks before the ceremony. This is especially true for drugs used to treat mental illness. You should not attempt to work with Ayahuasca while taking such medications because they will interfere with the experience. Eliminate these at least six weeks before the ceremony.
3. Spiritual Practises
Examine your life. Do you have a lot of negative energy that you can either reduce or eliminate before your ceremony? If you live in the city, you can take a trip to the forest and interact with nature.
Preparing for an ayahuasca ceremony spiritually means clearing your mind and your energy. You should do this at least two weeks before the ceremony. Turn off your television, decrease internet time and spend your time in solitude. Connect with nature as much as you can.
Schedule Your Ceremony Today
We are here to remember what we are and why we are here on Earth. We offer safe Ayahuasca retreats in Europe with the intentions to:
Wake up, Clean up, Grow up and Show up.
Wake up from the conditioning and programming of the past. Clean up old emotional wounds and harmful patterns. Grow up to the fully expressed, youthfully free, and responsible human being. Show up to benefit the world with our unique purpose on Earth.
Discover our events today, and show up for yourself.
