Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru: My Month with Mama Ayahuasca and the Plant Dieta

2025 has been a year of profound transformation for me, marked by my journey to Peru and my first deep encounter with Mama Ayahuasca.

After completing my certification in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy with Mind Medicine Australia, I felt called to go further—to not just study these medicines academically, but to truly live them. In January, I traveled to the Peruvian Amazon to participate in a month-long ayahuasca retreat with the Ayahuasca Foundation.

This retreat included 11 ceremonies, powerful plant treatments tailored to our individual needs, and traditional purgatives (a cleansing ritual with plants to release toxins and stagnant energy). We also entered a two-week plant dieta—my very first dieta—with the heart-opening master plant Bobinsana. (I’ll share more about that beautiful journey with Bobinsana in a separate post, as it deserves its own space.)

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A Month Without Distractions

For the whole month, we lived deep in the jungle, without phones or outside distractions, fully immersed in nature. At first, this silence felt unfamiliar—our nervous systems are so conditioned by constant noise and stimulation.

But after a few days, my body began to recalibrate. I sank into the true rhythm of life—the rhythm of the earth. Waking with the sun, resting with the moon, moving with the sounds of rain, birds, and insects. It was as though the jungle itself was re-teaching me how to live.

And then came the realization: nature is not only alive, she is speaking. She listens, she communicates, she teaches—if we are willing to listen back.

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Transformation Beyond Words

This journey was not easy. It was humbling, raw, and deeply cleansing. At times it stretched me beyond what I thought I could hold. And yet, it was also one of the most transformative experiences of my life.

The ceremonies revealed how much we carry in our bodies, and how much release is possible when we surrender. The dieta with Bobinsana opened me to an intimacy with the plants and with myself that I never knew was possible.

It changed me in ways I am still integrating.

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A Conversation Worth Sharing

Months ago, I recorded a podcast episode with Carlos Tanner, founder of the Ayahuasca Foundation, where we dive into his story, the vision behind the Foundation, and the path of ayahuasca as a teacher.

It took me a little while to share it, but now feels like the right time.

Because what matters is not only the ceremonies or the retreat itself—it’s what we do after, how we integrate, and how we choose to live the teachings.

✨ I feel called to open this chapter with you and share what I learned and experienced. 🌿