12 DAY AYAHUASCA WORKSHOPS

Our 12 day workshops are developed in co-operation with our local Peruvian shaman so they remain as true as possible to the traditional use of ayahuasca and other plant medicines for healing and visionary journeys.

The 12 day workshop is an effective process offering a safe, supportive environment for personal healing and spiritual transformation. The emphasis is on concentrated interaction with the plant medicines, balanced by informative activities and periods of relaxation and rest so you will be prepared for the next ceremony. We encourage discussion of your experience and spend a lot of time in the common area so we can be available to answer any questions and help you understand and integrate what is learned from your journeys. This process has been carefully designed to maximize positive outcomes for participants.

To prepare participants to get the most out of their ayahuasca experience we begin with a ceremonial tobacco purge to clean the stomach and body. This clears much of the negative energies that have accumulated in the body. While ayahuasca also works to clear negative energies, Eladio says that for some things ayahuasca is not the best choice, and that there are others that ayahuasca will not clear. Eladio has recommended a tobacco purge for many of our clients after they had their first ayahuasca ceremony. The results have invariably been positive, with those people having much more gentle and constructive ceremonies following the purge. Due to the frequency of this recommendation, and the clearly positive results, we have decided to have all our clients begin their healing process with a ceremonial tobacco purge.

Tobacco has a very negative reputation in most of our societies, and for good reason due to its abuse in smoking. Yet in every place it grows naturally, it is considered sacred medicine by the indiginous cultures of those areas. Within the ayahuasca tradition, most healers say that tobacco is the most important medicine plant. Everything begins and ends with tobacco, known locally as mapacho. Used correctly under the direction of a skilled tabaquero, tobacco is powerful medicine.

No smoking of tobacco is required. A tea is prepared using fresh mapacho leaves, and that is drank. The tobacco works to cleans and purify the stomach and body, then after a period of time that varies by individual one will purge (vomit), ridding themselves of many different form of toxins and negative energy. Most people report fealing energized after the purge.

There is a very interesting thread on the Ayahuasca Forum about Tobacco that is recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about the use of tobacco in this tradition.

We recommend participants arrive in Iquitos the day before the program begins. This allows you to enter the healing journey well rested and relaxed. You will be picked up at 10 AM and brought to the Hummingbird Center. We will meet at the Yellow Rose of Texas, a restaurant just off the Plaza de Armas. It is within easy walking distance of all the hotels near the plaza and very easy to locate. You will arrive at the center with time to get your rooms assigned, relax a bit, then have lunch. We will have an orientation meeting in the moloca at 3 PM, followed by the tobaco ceremony.

Highlights of our 12 day workshops include:

• One tobacco and five ayahuasca ceremonies      
• Optionally one San Pedro ceremony in place of one of the ayahuasca ceremonies    
• Cleansing steam bath
• A series of floral baths to cleanse and strengthen your energy body
• Individual healings by Eladio during ayahuasca ceremonies
• Additional healings outside of ceremony if Eladio sees it is required
• Practical energetic workshops that give you effective techniques for clearing and enhancing your own energy
• Availability of personal energy sessions from Paul, our gifted energy healer.  These are available for 125 soles paid directly to the Paul.
• An art class focusing on bringing your visions to life using color and texture
• Group circle meetings where you can share your experiences, gain new insights from them and ask questions of our shaman.
• Shamanic diet with delicious, wholesome and simple meals suitable for working with medicine plants
• Guided jungle walks to view the plants in their natural environment and understand their healing purposes
• Fire ceremony to release 'baggage' from your life.
• Ending your time at the Hummingbird with musical celebration Iquitos style. The local musicians we use are very talented!

On this program we encourage you to relax. Time alone to reflect and integrate your work with ayahuasca is an important part of the healing process. Journaling and the expression of your visions and creativity through art are also recommended and materials are provided for you.  On the mornings following ayahuasca ceremonies circle meetings are held so you can discuss your experiences with others if you wish. Sometimes our shamans also attend these meetings and offer their own reflections and insights.  Floral baths are normally held at noon on the days after ceremonies, though there will be some variabilty in this based on Eladio's recommendations. Freshly prepared, they use a special cocktail of jungle plants and flowers to cleanse, heal and purify body and soul and clear away any negative energies brought out for you during your ceremonies.

Afternoons are generally for relaxation and reflection with time for you to read, take gentle walks, swim in the lagoon, write in your journal, catch up on sleep, meditate or take it easy as you absorb the sights and sounds of the jungle around you. This is also a good time to speak with our staff about your experiences to gain a deeper understanding of what you have been shown and how you may integrate that into your lives. On days when there are ayahuasca ceremonies, these normally begin at 7pm.

Our experience shows that these workshops can be extremely helpful in leading people towards positive change in their lives. Participants tell us that they have been able to let go of fear, despair, insecurity, illness, anger, worry and doubt to return home filled with new hope and passion for life. We have seen some amazing changes brought about by ayahuasca including “miraculous” events and healings which medical science (and we) cannot fully explain.

A 12 day workshop can also be the beginning of a longer relationship with ayahuasca and we often see people returning to Peru to continue their work with this medicine and deepen into healing and further understanding of themselves.

 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

• February 1-12, 2012
• March 1-12, 2012
• April 1-12, 2012
• May 1-12, 2012
• June 1-12, 2012
• July 1-12, 2012
• August 1-12, 2012
• September 1-12, 2012
• October 1-12, 2012
• November 1-12, 2012
• December 1-12, 2012

 

PRICE POLICY

The Hummingbird Center is dedicated to keeping this magical healing tradition accesable for all who are looking for an effective alternative to western medicine. While maintaining focus on our mission of healing and providing the highest level of individual care and attention, we will always be one of the lower priced centers in the greater Iquitos area.

Our 12 day workshops on the 1st-12th of each month are offered for $1300.

BOOKING YOUR PLACE 

To book your place in a workshop please download the booking form found on our Make a Reservation page and follow the enclosed instructions.

DAILY SCHEDULE

The following schedule is a general outline of the program offered. There may be some variation in the schedule based on Eladio's judgement, the energy level and desire of the group, and the weather.

 

•  Day 1	Pick up at 10 AM at the Yellow Rose of Texas restaurant near the Plaza de Armas. Rooms assigned, followed by lunch. An orientation meeting at 2 PM followed by the tobacco ceremony.
•  Day 2	After breakfast we will have a circle meeting to discuss your experience with tobacco.  The afternoon is spent relaxing and preparing for the 1st ayuahuasca ceremony. 1st ayahuasca ceremony at 7 PM.
•  Day 3	After breakfast we will have a circle meeting to discuss ayahuasca insights from the previous night's ceremony. This is followed by the 1st flower bath. The afternoon is spent relaxing.
•  Day 4	2nd ayahuasca ceremony. In the afternoon there will be a practical energy workshop where you will be shown exercises that help raise your body's energy level and connect to your power animals.
•  Day 5	Circle meeting to discuss ayahuasca insights, followed by the 2nd flower bath. The afternoon has free time to swim or relax before dinner.
•  Day 6	3rd ayahuasca ceremony. Art workshop in the morning with paint and paper supplied. Afternoon free to relax, swim, read or write. Ceremony at night.
•  Day 7	Circle meeting to discuss ayahuasca insights, followed by the 3rd flower bath. Second energy workshop with Paul.  In the afternoon you can rest, swim, read, write or paint. Dinner.
•  Day 8	4th ayahuasca ceremony.  After lunch there will be a jungle walk to identify different plants. Rest time in the afternoon. Ceremony at night.
•  Day 9	Circle meeting to discuss ayahuasca insights, followed by the 4th flower bath.  In the afternoon you can rest, swim, read, write or paint. Dinner.  No eating after 8 pm in preparation for the next day's San Pedro ceremony.
•  Day 10	San Pedro ceremony in the morning. The San Pedro effect lasts 10-12 hrs, so this takes most of the day.  Those not wanting San Pedro may participate in an ayahuasca ceremony in the evening.
•  Day 11	Circle meeting to discuss last ceremony experience. Last flower/plant baths and healings Eladio wants to do for individuals. Day of relaxation and integration.  Fire ceremony after dinner. Musicians begin at 7 PM for the closing celebration.
•  Day 12	Transport back to Iquitos. A visit to the Pasaje Paquito medicine market for anyone who would like to come.