An Ayahuasca retreat can be compared with food.
“The Best” food does not exist because each of us has specific preferences and tastes. Every restaurant is claiming to be the best but usually, they say it only because they want you as their customer. And this is alright as long as their food and the conditions are beneficial.
Some people like Chinese food, some people like Mexican, and some enjoy experimenting. Although there is no one size that will fit all, there are a number of guidelines that can help you recognize a decent dish when you see one.
So let's define the ideal recipe for creating the best Ayahuasca retreat.
Ingredients for the best Ayahuasca retreat:
The Team
The main ingredient of the best Ayahuasca retreat is people.
You can compare it with a salad made of energetic, fresh, compassionate, and bright individuals.
Each team member is like a superhero with some specific abilities and only by gathering a critical number of such people, we can save the world and its inhabitants.
In the best Ayahuasca retreat, there is always room for growth and improvement. Therefore each team member should approach the retreat as their own. When you think in this way, you genuinely care for the well-being of the retreat and for the people it heals.
Each customer is your personal guest and you are responsible for how the guest feels.
As a team member, you can do a lot to improve the experience for all the guests. You can listen carefully and be engaged in whatever the guests are telling you. Everyone who decides to join your retreat is treated individually because there is no ultimate solution to everyone’s problems.
In the best-ever Ayahuasca retreat, the staff is not overhelping the guests. Going through an Ayahuasca retreat can be challenging and most people understand this before enrolling in one. So they are mentally ready to walk this path and thus solve a lot of the issues they have.
If the staff is not experienced enough, they will tend to help the guests always, even when helping means harming.
During the Ayahuasca ceremony, there are techniques used by the staff and the shamans that can elevate the intensity of the trip. And if these techniques are applied when not requested, it can spoil the experience of the guest. That is why in the best Ayahuasca retreat, the staff is helping only if asked or in a critical situation. Otherwise, they can interrupt the journey and diminish the results for the guests.
Also, the staff of an outstanding Ayahuasca retreat knows how to handle any difficult situations. They know how to calm down someone, and how to address states of panic, anxiety fear, and other emotional shades that can occur during the ceremony.
Finding such staff members is a hard task. It is easier to find promising and talented young men and women and train them. To make it possible you must attract them with a decent salary, the perspective of growth, and a chance to be a part of an important vision.
Once the best Ayahuasca retreat is getting these young people, it starts giving them more and more opportunities to express their talents and learn.
The young staff won't be able to get ripe and skillful without some role models from experienced people. So the best Ayahuasca retreat must have a core of experienced, wise, and patient people. They will spread their skill and knowledge to the young generation.
Finding this type of veteran for your best Ayahuasca retreat is (unfortunately) a matter of luck. So once you find this treasure, keep it safe and treat it as you would treat a human-sized diamond.
The relationship between the staff members is the key. They should be literally a family. Any conflict is discussed and sorted out. Honesty and cooperation are the founding stones on which the best Ayahuasca retreat is built.
The staff should be well paid because dealing with people who need healing from Ayahuasca is a pretty exhausting job. Tips, bonuses, and general generosity are something that increase the well-being of the team and their living standards. As a result, the best Ayahuasca center will grow uniformly and organically.
The gap between a mediocre and the best Ayahuasca retreat is the people working in it. Having a team of energetic, passionate, and caring people is the key to success in healing and helping anyone in need.
The Location
The location of the best Ayahuasca retreat is critical. Having the right country and the right region in that country can make a difference.
As a guideline, for the Ayahuasca retreat to be the best, you want it in a country where Ayahuasca is legal.
Also, the country should have a long and thriving tradition around the use of the Ayahuasca. You want living lineages of shamans who are developing their craft and transmitting it to the younger generations.
Also, the location of the best Ayahuasca retreat is somewhere close to the places where Ayahuasca ingredients naturally grow. This proximity somehow influences the intensity and the efficiency of the ceremony.
Taking into account all these criteria, there are a few countries in Latin America that will match them—mainly Peru, Brazil, and to a lesser extent Ecuador, and Colombia.
We have an article on the advantages of having Ayahuasca in Peru, in the Amazon.
The best Ayahuasca retreat is located in a country where Ayahuasca is legal and the shamanic traditions around it are thriving.
The Shaman
The best restaurant should have the best chef. The best Ayahuasca retreat should have the best Ayahuasca Shaman.
"The best" doesn't mean the most well-known. There are known cases when the shaman becomes famous because he was filmed in some documentaries although, among the local people, he is notorious for being a shady person.
So the best shaman is one who is skillful, experienced, and can handle any situation. To make sure that this is the case, the abilities of the shaman should be tested before allowing him to work with the guests of the retreat.
The testing procedure is simple and complicated at the same time. A number of volunteers are needed. they will have several ceremonies with the shaman. Afterward, they share their experience, feedback, and opinions. Based on that it is decided whether or not the given shaman is good enough to be accepted.
Besides the professional skills, the shaman should have an overall bright personality. Friendliness, willingness to help, and compassion are the necessary spices. Traits like these are what make the difference between a good and the best Ayahuasca retreat.
Of course, finding out-of-the-blue shamans of this caliber is very rare. Usually, the relationship between the retreat owners and the shamans has been built for years.
Sometimes with the right attitude from the retreat owners, the Shaman himself can change and become a more loving person.
A good shaman is the heart of the best Ayahuasca retreat. He keeps the guests safe and his interest is in healing and helping others.
The Infrastructure
Even though in the Ayahuasca ceremony the main field of work is the mind of the guests, there are a variety of material goods and accommodations required for productive healing.
It is tempting to say that the best Ayahuasca retreat has the best accommodation and overall infrastructure. Fortunately, that is not the case.
When it comes to what kind of accommodation is really important, this is one of the most controversial topics around Ayahuasca.
Some people want fancy accommodations they can flex on social media even in a retreat made to fix their minds. And that is absolutely fine.
Other people are interested in having a decent amount of comfort that will help them go through the transformation of their lives. And this is fine as well.
Joining an expensive Ayahuasca retreat can give you extra comfort and luxury goods, but you are not necessarily granted the best results from the Ayahuasca ceremony.
Therefore the best Ayahuasca retreat is knowing the fine line between too much comfort and enough comfort to make your stay adventurous enough but not stressful.
In frames of which exact goods a retreat should have, it depends on the location.
If you visit a location with a tropical climate, your best retreat would ideally have fans, mosquito screenings in the rooms, and built-in bathrooms. Soft beds are also important because sleeping well helps restore the power lost in the ceremonies.
For the ceremonies themselves, there should be a special place that is taken care of. In the jungle, there is a “maloca”. A round-shaped building with a roof made of leaves. It is traditionally built for the Ayahuasca ceremonies.
Comfortable accommodation gets rid of the extra stress for the participants of the Ayahuasca retreat.
The best Ayahuasca retreat is aware of the fine line between spoiling the guests with too much comfort (and a high price) and giving them not enough protection from an environment like the Jungle.
The Vision
Our vision is like a forecast of what will happen to us in the future. If we consciously set a vision that inspires us and everyone around us, most likely we will end up making it a reality.
The vision of the people that run the best Ayahuasca retreat should be something special and important. All their actions need to be lined up towards it and their current state of the retreat will be a good hint on whether or not they will ever reach their destination point.
The best Ayahuasca retreat exists for people. And people are the most important thing for them. The staff, the guests, and the communities around them will feel a deep impact of the Ayahyasca Center.
The best Ayahuasca center should bring healing, knowledge, and prosperity to everyone involved.
But in a more global way, the mission of any Ayahuasca retreat is healing modern humanity from the madness it lives in.
In the last 15 years, the number of Ayahuasca retreats in Peru has grown manyfold. More and more people in the West come to this medicine for help and healing.
It could well be that we are at the foothill of a new era. We will set our minds in order and then will set our lives in order. As a result, we will return to the right ways of living and interacting with each other.
Each Ayahuasca retreat is little by little pushing humanity towards a more conscious and bright future.
The therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca is not even scratched by the modern science. Due to its abilities, the Ayahuasca retreats have an important role and helping our society. The best Ayahuasca retreat is aware of it, and their actions serve to this vision.
The Attitude Toward the Guests
The best Ayahuasca retreat is one that has the best attitude toward its guests.
To decide to do Ayahuasca in the first place is an act of bravery in itself. Usually after committing, the guests feel fear, anxiety, and doubt about their decision. So first of all, the right attitude is care and support.
The best Ayahuasca retreat is willing to talk with everyone considering joining them even before the guest confirms a booking.
Patience is also an important ingredient. People who are researching the opportunities on the market will need time until they find the retreat they will “click” with. So giving time will help them make the right choice.
When the guests arrive, attentiveness is something that takes the leading role. Listening carefully to the guests, and their stories, struggles, and victories on the retreat is crucial. It allows understanding of what type of assistance and help each participant needs. Or maybe instead of that the person needs more space and time to be alone.
The attitude towards the guests that the best Ayahuasca retreat is having, can be defined by the word “personal”.
Every guest has their reasons to seek Ayahuasca, they have their wounds to heal and pain to get rid of.
Understanding it helps to know the boundaries that need to be respected. Having that benefits everyone. The guests are having a deep and transformative experience, and the retreat is fulfilling their mission.
The right attitude is able to help a person go the extra mile and succeed in an Ayahuasca journey. Therefore the best Ayahuasca retreat knows how to handle people individually.
The Attitude Toward the Environment
The awareness of the environment we live in is often enhanced during and after the Ayahuasca ceremonies.
It can come in many different ways - either like sensations of connections with Mother Earth, in some deep visions, or simply as a result of self-inquiry in one's health.
And since this insight is so persistent, the best Ayahuasca retreat should live up to it. It can take care of the environment around the retreat center and, if possible, support some local or even international efforts in this direction.
Planting trees, arranging permaculture operations, and simply taking care of their land is the least the best Ayahuasca retreat can do.
Probably the biggest leverage in this is educating the guests on this matter and encouraging them to make more conscious decisions when it comes to their lives.
The average amount of goods consumed in the West is staggering. So making a western person reconsider their way of life, is having a great impact on the overall wellbeing of our Planet.
Part of our mission here is to take care of the environment we live in. By fixing people’s minds, the best Ayahuasca retreat is on the edge of making people aware of our mission. Each Western ( and not only) person who starts small changes in their lifestyle, is a step towards a future that we will enjoy living in.
Relationship with the Local People
Even though many Ayahuasca retreat centers are located in remote areas, usually there are native communities in their proximity. Most of the staff members come from those communities so the life of the best Ayahuasca retreat is tightly liked by the local population.
Generosity, openness, and patience are leading to a pretty solid bond. But money is far from being the main solution when it comes to setting bridges. A much bigger impact is having the time invested in establishing a relationship.
The best Ayahuasca retreat is tracking and celebrating the birthday of each staff member. They celebrate and care about it. Playing a soccer match with the local community is a great way of integration. Spending time and being genuinely invested is what matters.
Local people are the ones who discovered and mastered the secrets of Ayahuasca. They are the ones who are perfecting the shamanic craft and keep pushing into the depths of this mystery. The best Ayahuasca retreat understands this and is building a bridge between them and the local communities
Sustainability
This topic deserves a separate discussion but if to resume it to a phrase, we would get “give more back”. And it is not only about money.
Any Ayahuasca retreat uses many Ayahuasca vines and Charkuna leaves as ingredients for the brew. So the best Ayahuasca retreat is sustainable in frames of farming the ingredients they use for the ceremonies. If the retreat is located somewhere far away from the habitat of the plants, you can always find a way to support the replanting efforts of other people.
Cooking the Ayahuasca brew consumes a lot of raw materials. So to keep it sustainable, the best Ayahuasca retreat is replanting and farming the plants needed.
Conclusion
The best Ayahuasca retreat is a process. It can be implemented in many places by different people. If they do it right, they will succeed the number of “best Ayahuasca retreats” will grow year by year.
Hopefully, that will happen soon and more and more people will become open to using this incredibly powerful Medicine.
The more people get their minds in order, the faster we will move towards a healthy, fulfilled, and meaningful life.
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