HOW TO PREPARE
Preparation for ayahuasca ensures that participants can safely get the most out of their time with the medicine.
Like the ayahuasca experience, preparation is unique to each person. There is no “one-size-fits-all” method that will be suitable for everyone, on every occasion. That being said, there are two components to preparation that are necessary for safety: dietary and medical guidelines. These cover what Casa Del Maestro deems essential to participate in our plant medicine programs. They are based on years of experience, Maestro Alberto’s tradition, and current scientific understanding of how ayahuasca affects the body and brain.
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PREPARATION ACTIVITIES
The following activities are great for getting the mind, body, and spirit ready to encounter the world of plant medicine.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive or exclusive list. You may be familiar with some of these activities, or you may have other ways of preparing not listed here. In all cases, intentionally preparing—in addition to following the dietary and medical guidelines—goes a long way towards a fulfilling experience.
Try not to overthink the process or the preparation. Trust your intuition! There’s an element of mystery to plant medicine; that’s part of its magic. Let that mystery—the unknown—seep into your life and accustom oneself to it as you prepare to meet the medicine.
SET INTENTIONS
Spend some time considering your intentions. Why are you coming to drink ayahuasca? What are you looking to change? What other reasons could there be?
Where are you dissatisfied in life? Are you ready to do what it takes to make these changes?
Answers to these questions don’t have to be in words. They can be represented in feeling, intuition, through your heart. Receptivity is key in discovering your intentions.
Intentions are like rivers: they wind, they change course, they flood, and they dry up at times; however, they are always moving in one direction . . . what is that direction for you?
EMBRACE SILENCE
In the coming weeks, take time away from the hustle and bustle each day to be in silence. Let yourself be free of content and external stimuli for some set period of time—30 minutes, an hour, more.
This can be in meditation, while walking in nature, or simply sitting in quietude and observing. There are secrets in silence, inherent wisdom that guides us to our deepest truth. In silence we learn to listen to ourselves, our bodies, to the world around us.
GET CREATIVE
It can be helpful—and fun—to tap into your creativity before arriving. Journal, draw, paint, sing, or make music.
Any creative pursuit, when coupled with intentions, can be a powerful way to shift psychic energy—and discover some interesting things along the way!
Go out of your comfort zone. Do something creative you haven’t done before, or perhaps pick up something you’ve left behind . . .
EMBRACE MOVEMENT
The body is too often ignored in “spiritual work.”
This is curious, as the body is an expression of spirit. As Maestro Alberto says, everything is spirit. Movement is by far one of the best and most effective ways to take care of yourself. It is an important part of any health and wellness lifestyle.
Exercise, yoga, tai chi, martial arts, dancing, walking, swimming—anything that gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping can be exceptional medicine.
DE-STRESS
Much of what ails our modern lives is the result of stress. It builds up, it impacts the body, the psyche and emotions. Allow yourself some “downtime” as the retreat approaches. Relax in a bath, take walks, spend more time in nature, or read for enjoyment.
However you need to, make sure to give yourself ample time to reset and wind down before making the journey to Peru.
RESEARCH (but not too much)
It’s important to be informed as you prepare for the journey. Getting familiar with the history of ayahuasca, the science, the culture, watching documentaries or YouTube videos… all of it can be very helpful.
It can also be a distraction. Parse this well, and remember: ayahuasca is experiential and you will learn what is most important about it firsthand. While it is useful to research, we don’t recommend busying your mind with too much information.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DREAMS
The medicine may find you in your dreams. Before you experience it directly. Even if it’s your first time. Take note of anything out of the ordinary, anything that feels charged with meaning. Perhaps keep a dream journal, or invite the medicine spirits to guide you in the dream space.
CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
The dietary part of consumption is handled via the requirements outlined in the dietary guidelines. But what we consume goes far beyond nutrition—media, social networks, podcasts, news, movies, content, content, content… be mindful of what you “feed” your consciousness as your trip approaches. It can be liberating to take a leave of absence from the cascade of image and sound we are inundated with.
