• Join us on the coast of Ecuador for a sacred plant medicine retreat designed to deepen and expand your yoga practice. Through the union of yoga and plant medicine, you are invited to explore your inner world and discover how this inward journey strengthens both your personal practice and your capacity to share it with others.
• Strengthen and refine your yoga practice through daily classes, immersive workshops, and heart technology practices held in our beautiful yoga shala. Each day includes asana, meditation, and pranayama, along with opportunities to study yoga philosophy with our experienced teacher, Vanessa, and explore heart technology teachings with Hwaneetah.
• Sit with the sacred plant medicines of Ayawaska & San Pedro, and participate in sweat lodges, rituals, meditations, and ancient wisdom workshops that offer pathways for purification, alignment, and deeper connection.
• Become part of a supportive community of Ayllu Medicina.
Ayllu Medicina’s Fire of the Heart Retreat in February 2027 is created to support you in strengthening both your teaching and personal practice by opening space to explore your inner landscape. As we deepen our relationship with our inner world, we naturally develop the clarity, presence, and capacity needed to hold space for others and walk our own path with intention.
This transformational retreat is a unique offering, weaving together the healing practices of yoga and plant medicine specifically for those called to deepen their practice under the guidance of experienced facilitators.
The week is held in a balanced rhythm of yoga philosophy workshops, movement practices, ceremonies, integration activities, nourishing meals and snacks, and time for rest. The week is designed to allow you to slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with your inner nature.
Connect with the Sacred Master Plants of Ayawaska* & San Pedro. Purifying the body, mind, and spirit supports a deeper alignment with the heart, which is why we work with both these master plants during our retreats.
Each ceremony is guided by experienced medicine guides. The ceremonies are held with deep respect for the ancestral traditions from which these medicines originate.
Plant Medicine Ceremonies
Sit in two Ayawaska ceremonies and a San Pedro ceremony. Ayawaska is often compared to a wise Grandmother, and like an onion, she can help you find your center and let go of what no longer serves you.
Grandfather San Pedro is the masculine healing energy, helping you find alignment and open your heart once more, ready to take flight. You can learn more about these medicines on our Ayllu Medicina blog.
We will provide preparation support, and we hold intro to ceremony circles during our plant medicine retreats to discuss any questions you may have in advance. After our plant medicine ceremonies, we also have sharing circles, so you can share any pearls from your ceremony experience. Some of our participants have sat in ceremonies previously, whereas, for others, it is their first time meeting with the plant medicines.
*Ayawaska is a different spelling because of this platform. It is the same medicine.
Sweat Lodges
There will also be multiple sweat lodges (temazcales) throughout the plant medicine retreat week. Enter the womb of Mother Earth to integrate, purify, and experience rebirth.
Our volcanic grandmother stones are heated in the fire and are placed in the womb, the sweat lodge. Different incenses are placed on the stones before the door closes, and the heat begins to rise as water is poured over the stones. We share prayers and songs to guide each round.
We also share a 5th Moon round for all the women at our retreat, led by Hwaneetah, which is the round a woman who has her moon time enters.
Join us for daily yoga classes led by Vanessa, our experienced yoga teacher. She has over 1000 hours teaching students from around the world. She studied under the guidance of Yogi Vishvketu in the style of Akhanda yoga in Canada, is a yoga teacher trainer, has level 2 Reiki and has been studying Ayurveda for 12 years - she is a practitioner and teaches certified courses.
More recently she has completed a Masters Program in Pranayama with over 200 hrs of study, and is now a Yoga Nidra and Meditation Faciliator.
There will also be guided breathwork and meditation. For all levels.
You do not have to be a yoga teacher, or experienced at yoga to join this retreat.
We´re going to learn ancient meditations and techniques to answer our sacred and eternal heart’s call. This radical consciousness movement can bring profound shifts in perspective and reality. It can also help us align with service from the heart, also informing our yoga practices.
Some of the workshops and meditations include:
Heart technology
Basic understanding of our electromagnetic fields - torus or toroid.
Trinity Heart Meditation and Activation
An ancient way to reconnect our heart with our sacred Universal Mother’s heart, represented by Mother Earth - and our Universal Father’s heart, represented by Father Sun.
Expeditions into the heart:
Moving our consciousness from the brain into our heart.
Guided imagery is a spiritual technique to live and create from the heart.
Exploring our sacred space of the heart, the space that holds our soul's history and spiritual guides, through Imagery exercises and meditations.
Exploring the sacred, tiny saint space of the heart (singularity, oneness)
Your plant medicine experience and healing process will be guided by Aime and Hwaneetah. Their purpose is to share medicine, prayers, music, and intention for healing with whoever is called to share in this journey. These two healers are well-known in the region for their music, resonant prayers, and heart-opening medicine.
Aime and Hwaneetah speak fluent English, Spanish, and French and have been working with medicine for over 20 years, along with other healing modalities. Aime is a Medicine Man of the Sacred Fire of Itzachilatlan, a medicine family based in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Hwaneetah also runs sweat lodges, is a canupa carrier, and sun-dancer. You can watch her talk on ancient womb technology on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X9LkyK4bHw
The Ayllu Medicina team will be supporting you throughout your retreat week; you can learn more about our medicine guides and facilitators on our website under 'team.' We also have a great kitchen team who will be providing nutritious detox food and drinks throughout the week.
There are certified and experienced teachers holding our yoga classes, meditation, and breathwork workshops.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. We will also be providing orientation support, and there are options for integration sessions post-retreat. You can also choose from other add-ons, such as a moon session with Hwaneetah or a shamanic cleansing with Aime.
How do we support the local community?
Sometimes we are asked how we support the community here in Ecuador! Ecuador is home for all of us, some of the ways we share with the communities here are:
Working with our local kitchen team!
Taking part in community events such as for the water and community sweat lodges
We are connected with a family in the Amazon who harvests the Ayawaska we prepare, along with other artisans and organisations with products such as Guayuasa, that are sustainably working with this plant.
Contact us to learn more!
Ayllu Medicina is based on the coast of Ecuador, in Manglaralto, situated near the world-famous surf capital of Montañita and the peaceful haven of Ayampe.
Immerse yourself in nature in our retreat space, which is perfect for renewal. It is magical during ceremonies to hear the sounds of all the nature around, from the birds singing to the waves crashing.
You can easily access the beach, which is a ten-minute walk from the accommodation. The accommodation has everything you need to be comfortable, feel at peace, and retreat inwards during your stay, including a swimming pool with ocean views, one of the best spots to enjoy Ecuador's sunsets!
Rooms include air conditioning, large comfortable double beds, internet access, and hot water.
Read: Accommodation and Flight Recommendations
We recommend flying in at least one day before retreat to allow time to settle. We can recommend some accommodations nearby.
If you need to fly in on the Saturday we start retreat, schedule your flight to arrive by 10am to allow time to get to the retreat center.
We can help arrange transport with our trusted taxi drivers or we provide public transport information. Taxis cost around 90$. We will be in touch re. all logistics once you sign up.
For departure, we finish retreat at around 3pm on Saturday. We have a community sweat lodge this evening, starting around 5pm. We recommend flying out the next day, or late this evening. Of course, if you can stay longer, this is also great!
Usually there is the option to stay an extra night at our retreat center post-retreat for an additional charge, with sufficient notice.
Airport: Guayaquil is the most convenient, which is 2.5-3.5 hours away.
Do you plan to stay for longer? We are happy to offer recommendations for where to stay and where to visit pre or post-retreat!
Call to the four winds & directions to set our main intention for retreat, reconnecting with the Sacred Fire of our hearts. Release old patterns & unwanted energies with a Tobacco cleanse.
Daily yoga - a mix of restorative and active flows. Meditation & pranayama exercises included. All levels. Designed to deepen your practice. Workshops based on Ayurvedic teachings / yoga philosophy
Connect to the purifying medicine of the sweat lodge (temazcal). Through incenses, steam, songs, & prayers, we release stress, tension, and detoxify the mind, body and soul.
Sit with the medicine of Ayawaska, also known as Grandma Ayawaska for her feminine energy. Dive deeper into your inner world during these night ceremonies.
Meet with the Grandfather medicine of South America, San Pedro. Connect to your heart's center and raise your flight with this healing masculine energy.
Learn more about the cyclical nature of women during moon rounds for women only, & during workshops (for everyone)
Integrate your ceremony experiences in our sharing circles.
Connect to the medicine of music and learn some plant medicine songs when we gather to sing. No previous experience required!
Our kitchen will be ready to provide you with local tropical fresh fruits, detox juices, and other homemade snacks throughout the day. Try different drinks native to Ecuador, like Guayusa.
Our local chefs provide plant-based, healthy meals aligned with the plant medicine dietas. Enjoy healthy nourishing plant based cuisine, which will support you during the detox week.
Enjoy Ecuador coastal living with our comfortable accommodation, which allows you to fully retreat inwards. Enjoy ocean views, a pool, & relaxation. Rooms include AC, hot water & private bathrooms.
The focus of this retreat is yoga & Technology of the Heart and Expeditions into the Heart. Workshops and meditations will help you find alignment in your heart's space and connect to heart wisdom.
Reset with the medicine of guided ice baths with warm-up and breathwork.
Close the week and directions with your retreat group, so you can begin the next part of your journey!
Speak to one of our Ayllu Medicina team members to discuss preparation advice, your intentions for this retreat and any questions you may have.
Journey to the center of your heart with the medicine of music, during this guided shamanic drum journey around the fire- a highlight for many participants
Integration support available, along with optional 1:1 integration sessions
It is recommended to fly into Guayaquil airport or Manta airport unless you are already based in Ecuador. Check location paragraph for more info about flights
We can arrange transportation for you via taxi. Rates are between $60-$100 depending on location.
- Arrive at our retreat space and settle into your accommodation.
- Enjoy a welcome lunch and meet the rest of the group.
- Welcome Meeting for Schedule & Logistics
- Set your intentions and open the retreat week with our opening fire ceremony.
- Opening sweat lodge to purify (temazcal)
- Dinner
The schedule is subject to change. The first day of retreat, you will receive a retreat-specific agenda. We can guarantee there will be time to integrate, rest, and find some quiet time between activities.
- Breakfast
- Yoga, breathwork, & meditation
- Heart technology workshop
- Cold Plunge
- Lunch
- Intro to ceremony circle
- Rest time
- Yoga Nidra
- Ayawaska ceremony (beginning around 8pm)
- Sunrise Sweat Lodge
-Breakfast
- Rest time
- Lunch
- Gentle Restorative Yoga
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Yoga, breathwork, meditation
- Sharing circle & Power Animals talk
- Lunch
- Art and meditation time
- Rest & Restore
- Light dinner
- Ayawaska ceremony (starting around 10pm)
- Sunrise Sweat Lodge Purification
- Breakfast
- Rest time
- Lunch
- Restorative yoga
- Heart technology workshop around the fire
- Rest & integration
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Yoga, breathwork, meditation - alignment workshop
-Sharing Circle
- Lunch
- Intro to ceremony circle
- Music and art time
- Light dinner
- Yoga Workshop
- Rest
- San Pedro night ceremony (starting around 10pm) OR
Heart technology workshop , dinner , bed- day ceremony of San Pedro tomorrow. Dependable on scheduling, weather, and other factors.
- Ocean offering and beach time
- Breakfast
- Mud purification and Sound Bowls
- Songs around the fire
- Farewell celebration lunch
- Restorative yoga
- Rest time
- Dinner
OR DAY CEREMONY OF SAN PEDRO AND CELEBRATION DINNER
- Breakfast
- Yoga, breathwork, meditation
- Workshop
- Closing fire ceremony to close the week and say farewell
-Lunch
- check-out 2-3pm
- Optional afternoon sweat lodge
The adventure continues...
