What You Need to Know

What is Yagé

To begin with, I consider it as the remedy or medicine of the soul. It contains all the memories of our ancestors, compiling experiences and experiences of trial and error to achieve the understanding of being able to draw from within ourselves the capacities and qualities to help in our spiritual work and evolution of our consciousnesses.

Grandfather Yagé has the ability to draw from the depths of our being the two sources from which we humans feed spiritually, helping us understand the mysteries of our origins and our creator. Yagé helps us contact our guides and understand their language and way of helping us see our own difficulties and gives us the tools to transform ourselves into our own teachers.

The mystery of Grandfather Yagé leads us with love but firmly to mature and improve some aspects of our personality, giving new opportunities and paths to make ourselves our best version, vibrating at the frequency of true love and harmony.

Taita Alejandro

Medical Requirements

MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors), TCA’s (Tricyclic Antidepressants), SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), SNRI’s (Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors), Dual action Antidepressants, NDRI’s (Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors), Amphetamines, Methylphenidate in your system. It is required that you stop these medications at least 45 days before taking yage. You should not abruptly stop these medications without first discussing this with your doctor.
Certain herbs should be suspended two weeks before taking yage. Those herbs include Rhodiola, St. John’s Wort, Kava, Licorice root, Kanna, Kratom, Ephedra, Ginseng.
Two weeks before taking yage, you must stop taking antihistamines, allergy medications, decongestants, cold and flu medicine, sleeping pills, diet pills, ephedrine, sedatives, etc.
Please inform us if you or your family has a history of depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or other mood disorders.
Please inform us if you have diabetes.
Please inform us if you have a liver problem.
You may not drink yage if you have a history of heart problems or high blood pressure.
Street drugs are extremely dangerous to combine with yage and must be stopped three weeks before taking yage. If you cannot seem to stop the drug within the three-weeks timeline, please be honest as honest with us as possible and we will work with you and possibly prescribe other plant medicines to help with the process of cleansing your body from those drugs.

Please inform us of any medical conditions or addictions including but not limited to the following:

Women and Yagé

It would be an honor for Inner Rising Retreats to provide a supportive space for menstruating women in ceremony. While some Ayahuasca traditions advise against this, Taita Alejandro has come to recognize the sacred significance of women's cycles.

We honor the lunar cycle by inviting women to return their sacred blood to Mother Earth, symbolizing new beginnings. At Inner Rising, we welcome women in their cycles to honor the balance of masculine and feminine energies within ourselves and the Medicine.

Ayahuasca serves as a tool for spiritual growth and collective consciousness. We include menstruating women in our ceremonies to facilitate healing and prepare them for motherhood with a healthy vessel.

By breaking generational patterns, these children will contribute to a more conscious world.

How to Prepare

You must disclose any history of mental illness, health problems, heart problems and medications (prescribed, over the counter and herbal products) that you have taken within the last six months. Because the healing process of Yagé means that you could experience purging both with vomiting and diarrhea, the idea is that you want your body to be as clean as possible. You will want to start a physical and psychological cleanse even before the ceremonies begin. Therefore, it is recommended that two weeks before and two weeks after ingesting Yagé avoid:

Alcohol
Marijuana
Street drugs
Psilocybin
Ketamine
Caffeine
Pork
Beef
Sex, Masturbation

One week before and one week after ingesting Yagé, avoid all of the above plus:

Dairy products
Pickled Vegetables
Kombucha and other fermented drinks
Lower sugar intake
Lower salt intake
Junk Food
Citrus Fruits

After the ceremony, the most important diet to adhere to for a minimum of two weeks after is no drugs, no alcohol, and maintain a healthy whole foods diet.

In addition, it is recommended that you journal about what intentions and healing you would like to receive from the medicine. It is recommended that you continue the journaling after ingesting Yagé as well.

Before and after ceremonies you will also want to be very mindful of what you are reading, watching, the music you listen to, the people you surround yourself with and you daily activities.

The idea is to come into ceremonies with a clean vessel, a calm mind and an open heart. It is best to not have any expectations coming into ceremonies as well.

Take time to meditate daily, journal about your intentions with the upcoming ceremonies, maybe write a letter to the medicine, practice yoga and breath work. These are all things that will best help you prepare for your journey ahead.

During Ceremonies

According to Taita Alejandro, ”The processes are different for each person. It depends on your past existences and your spiritual works. The Ayahuasca helps people to understand why we behave in certain ways helping to repair pain in their feelings, traumas of childhood, understanding of karma and how to pay for them and finish the karmic process. Ayahuasca also helps you understand your own family life and repair broken bonds. It has been known to be the remedy of the soul.”

In a ceremony you can expect to vomit or have diarrhea usually at least once. You may have visions, auditory visions, physical pain, physical discomfort or you may experience nothing. This is typically the moment when the medicine aims to understand you and your circumstances to determine the next steps. Sometimes Yagé can present itself in a very subtle manner. In a case like this, an experience can be in a deep understanding, an idea, a memory that you think is your imagination or a smell that won't leave you alone.

During Ceremonies you may hear different noises and sounds from other people participating in ceremonies. It is best that you focus on your own healing process and not let outside distractions bother you.

Recommended Items to Bring

Hammock
Socks
Yoga or sweat pants
Shorts
Sports bra ( during the final ceremony please note you will possibly be removing your shirt for your healing)
Sunscreen
Lightweight rain jacket
Swimming suit
Washcloth and Towel ( quick dry recommended )
Flip Flops
Sneakers
Journal
Biodegradable soap/shampoo/conditioner
Ear Plugs
Wet Wipes
Beanie or something warm for your head during the night
Bug Repellant
Sleeping Bag
White or light clothing for ceremonies