All ceremonies are conducted in our beautiful ceremonial space, known as a maloka. The maloka is a traditional rustic building made of wood and leaves. - Everyone has their own comfy mattress and bedding to either sit on or lie down during the ceremony as well as individual buckets, tissues and water to hand. - The ceremony is opened with shamanic prayers with students seated by candlelight in a circle format. There will be spiritual tools such as Mappaccho (pure tobacco) and Palo Santo (wood) used to cleanse and protect the ceremonial space as well as a smooth rapé (pronounced ‘ha-peh’ in English) for each student. This is then followed by receiving, one by one, a shot glass size of the medicine from the shaman before returning to your space to relax while the medicine takes effect. The shaman starts singing prayers (traditionally called icaros in Peru) to bring ceremony participants into the vibration of the medicine and protect the energy of the ceremony. - Physical release and sickness, known as ‘purging’, is an integral part of the healing journey to remove energetic blocks on a cellular level – essentially, it’s an accelerated healing curve to reach a higher level of health in a short space of time as one gets worse before becoming better. While it may be intense during those moments of purging, it is normally then followed by unrivaled feelings and experiences of pure love, inner peace, bliss and true wholeness. Depending on your personal circumstances, your sickness may be little to none or a lot. - Also, each ceremony is never identical to the other and provides a different experience each time, although how well you are prepared for the ceremony can influence your experience. We send each student comprehensive details to prepare in different ways prior to their retreat program. - Music and binaural beats follow for the reminder of the ceremony. For some, the medicine takes effect within 30 minutes, for others it may take up to an hour or longer. During this period it is important to relax, surrender and focus on your intention, and we provide guidance post booking to support your preparation.

Listed below are some of the known and more general contraindications that present serious health and safety risks: - Psychosis, bipolar disorders, and related medications - Heart conditions - Hypertension and related medications - Asthma medications - Antihistamine medications - Recreational drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and other hallucinogens Please also read the detailed list of contraindications on our website.