Ceremony Preparation Guidelines

Ceremony Preparation
Thank you for your interest in joining us in ceremony with Ayahuasca! While you are preparing to join us in ceremony, you will find it helpful if you can set aside some additional time for yourself prior to ceremony and after ceremony too. Do your best during the ceremony preparation phase to steer clear of distracting, disruptive, unhealthy, or negative influences in your life. It is important to avoid indulging in junk food, alcohol, recreational drugs, or other strong substances for at least a week prior to and after ceremony. Also consider decreasing time spent engaging with your cell phone, electronic devices, television programming, video games, news stories, and social media for at least a week prior to and after ceremony. It is recommended to decrease attendance at large gatherings and big expenditures of energy before or after ceremony as well. Eating moderate portions of fresh and nutrient-rich foods, staying hydrated, spending time in meditation and reflection, clarifying your intentions, and getting a good amount of rest are all worthwhile activities to incorporate into this preparatory phase leading into ceremony.

Preparing for ceremony can be a powerful experience in its own right and generally leads to a deeper and more meaningful encounter with Ayahuasca for those who dedicate themselves to the process.

Setting Your Intentions for Ceremony
It's helpful if you establish a clear intention and purpose for joining us in ceremony. Many people come to ceremony seeking healing, knowledge, insight, or a deeper understanding surrounding certain situations in their life. Simply ask yourself: Why am I attending ceremony at this time? What am I hoping to gain from this experience? Answering these questions should help you to discover and focus your intentions for attending ceremony. You may have one overriding intent or several intentions that you are hoping to address in ceremony. We recommend that you remain open, positive, and flexible surrounding your intentions, as you may find yourself revisiting and fine-tuning them or even replacing them altogether throughout the course of your ceremony experience. It does seem to be useful though to have at least a general sense of what you are aiming for as you prepare for ceremony.

Dietary Guidelines
The diet, or dieta, that one adheres to while preparing to work with Ayahuasca is a central feature of most ceremony preparation regiments. The emphasis with dieta is a focus on simple, fresh, whole foods and letting go of those foods and other substances that have traditionally been known to disrupt or interfere with the connection one can experience with Ayahuasca and the whole family of Amazonian master plants.

It is important to reduce your intake of salty, sugary, spicy, or greasy food as you prepare for ceremony. While we do recommended keeping some salt in your diet, please do your best to avoid heavily salted foods and snacks. And we always recommend working with organic and locally grown and sourced food choices if they are an option.

Certain foods also contain an amino acid called tyramine which is contraindicated with Ayahuasca and should be avoided. Tyramine, when mixed with Ayahuasca, has been linked to migraine headaches and elevated blood pressure — among other undesirable effects. Tyramine develops in foods as they age. Foods that are preserved, dried, fermented, pickled, cured, rancid, old, outdated, extremely processed, overly ripe, or even slightly spoiled should therefore be avoided altogether.
 

Below you’ll find a list of foods to avoid followed by a list of foods that you can include in your diet as you prepare for attending ceremony with us: 

What Foods Should I Avoid? 

• Red meat and pork products

• Processed meat products

• Aged, smoked, or canned fish

• Aged or hard cheeses

• Fermented foods (vinegar, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, etc.)

• Soy products (soy milk, soy sauce, tofu, fermented bean curd, fermented soybean paste, miso, tempeh, and Bragg's Amino Acids are particularly high in tyramine) 

• Dairy products that are close to the expiration date or that haven't been refrigerated 

• Alcohol of any kind

• Caffeine (minimize or cease completely) 

• Citrus fruits

• Preserved fruits (canned, jarred, or dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, dates, etc.)

• Over-ripe or bruised fruits: especially bananas, apples, and avocados

• Protein extracts, liquid or powdered protein dietary supplements, protein bars, and protein shakes 

• Brewer’s yeast, yeast vitamin supplements, or yeast extracts 

• Soups made with protein extracts or bouillon (eat fresh soups only) 

• Shrimp paste 

• Peanuts 

• Chocolate 

• Refined oils (canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, corn, peanut, etc.)

• Artificial sweeteners, flavoring agents (natural and artificial), and

• Highly processed foods and food that contain added chemicals or preservatives 
   

What Foods Can I Eat?

• Fresh or steamed vegetables (avoid canned, preserved, or pickled vegetables)

• Fresh fruit (avoid canned, preserved, over-ripe, or bruised fruit) 

• Fresh, unpasteurized milk, yogurt, and dairy products (its best to try and avoid large amounts of dairy; but, if you would like to incorporate dairy into your diet, please try to find fresh, unpasteurized dairy products) 

• Fresh, soft cheeses (goat cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, etc.)

• Whole grains (brown rice, millet, quinoa, etc.) 

• Beans (in moderation) 

• Nuts and seeds (except peanuts)

• Freshwater fish 

• Fresh chicken and eggs (organic or pasture-raised options are preferable)​

Additional Guidelines for Ceremony Preparation

It is important that any antidepressant medications, including St. John’s Wort, be completely out of your system prior to sitting in ceremony with Ayahuasca. Anti-hypertensive medications have to be out of your system prior to sitting with Ayahuasca. There is a wide variety of medications and substances which have to come out of the system in order to safely sit in ceremony with Ayahuasca, so please make sure that you have noted any prescription and over-the-counter medications, herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, or any other strong substances you have taken in the last two months on your ceremony intake forms. It is always advised that you consult with your prescribing physician before changing dosages or discontinuing any prescription medications. And please feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding any medications, substances, or supplements you are taking, considering taking, or have taken in recent months.

Please refrain from using recreational drugs or other strong substances (alcohol, cannabis, caffeine, cacao, kava kava, kratom, other psychedelic substances, etc.) for at least one week prior to ceremony . Too much influence from other substances can affect your ceremony experience. Taking into account the essence of this work, and all of the people involved, including yourself, please consider refraining from recreational drug use in the recommended period leading up to ceremony. After all, we want everyone to get the most out of ceremony as they can. The emphasis here is to focus on your intention for coming into ceremony.

It is advised to refrain from orgasm for at least one week prior to and at least three days after ceremony. Preserving sexual energies has been known to create a more beneficial experience for individuals working with Ayahuasca.

Please try your best to minimize caffeine consumption (for example: if you drink more than one cup of coffee or any other caffeinated beverage per day, try to cut that down to just one cup in the morning and avoid taking any medications or nutritional supplements that contain caffeine). 

Please avoid wearing cologne or perfume or using any artificially-scented products on the day of ceremony (this includes artificially-scented soaps, shampoos, conditioners, or deodorants). One's sense of smell tends to be especially heightened during ceremony.

Food Selections, Fasting, and Detoxing Prior to Ceremony
Organic foods are always preferable to non-organic options. The more organic and natural the food is, the more your body will thrive. Eating fresh and healthy foods in this way will aid your body in detoxifying before the ceremony. Easily digestible foods, such as cooked or steamed vegetables, fresh greens, fresh fruits, fresh juices, and healthy grains (such as brown rice, millet, quinoa) are always great options when preparing to sit with Ayahuasca.

Gentle detoxification is suggested, but it is not recommended to do an intense amount of fasting leading up to ceremony. Try to eat lighter, but you don’t have to starve yourself. It is not recommended to fast for days or weeks on end leading up to ceremony. Gentle or intermittent fasting can be supportive, but making sure you have proper nutrients in your system is more important. Organic, leafy greens and water are great tools for detoxifying your system. 

Pau D’Arco Tea
If you like, you may drink pau d'arco tea as part of your preparation steps for ceremony. You can buy it in bulk from most health food stores or co-op's. Bulk is recommended over the capsule form. Pau d'arco tinctures are also not recommended (as they may contain alcohol). 

Pau D'Arco Tea Recipe

• Place two thick pinches of pau d'arco in 1 quart of water.

• Bring to a full boil. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink hot or cold.

• Drink 3 cups per day with or without meals. 

• Cat’s claw is another excellent preparatory tea that can simply be added to the pau d'arco. (It’s available at most health food stores that sell bulk herbs as well.) To prepare cat’s claw and pau d'arco together, keep everything the same as with the pau d’arco tea recipe, just add a couple of pinches of cat’s claw to the mix.
   

*Please Note: Drinking this tea is not mandatory but may help to reduce potential reactions like nausea in ceremony. If you do take pau d’arco leading up to ceremony, we’d advise you to stop drinking it the day prior to sitting in ceremony with us.
 

Additional Recommendations
Stay hydrated the week prior to and throughout the ceremony weekend by drinking plenty of water or simple, non-caffeinated teas. The pau d’arco tea is a diuretic, so you will need to pay extra attention to hydration if you choose to work with it prior to ceremony. Consider adding trace minerals to your water for additional hydration benefits as well.  

Meditate the week prior to ceremony. Breath-focused meditation, or conscious breathing, is an excellent and simple meditative practice in which you place your attention on your breath until you notice that your attention is not on your breath — and then you simply return your attention back to your breath. It helps to relax the body, calm the nervous system, quiet the mind chatter, and center the individual.

Rest. Catch some extra sleep the night prior to or a nap on the day of ceremony. You'll be awake late into the night during ceremony and you won’t want to struggle with feeling tired.

Fasting on the Day of Ceremony?
Some people like to fast on the day of ceremony, but we suggest coming to ceremony feeling nourished and comfortable — especially for folks who are new to Ayahuasca. You may eat a good-sized breakfast and a light lunch prior to ceremony, but it's best to enter ceremony on an empty stomach.   ​
 

What Should I Bring with Me and When Should I Arrive for Ceremony?

You will receive email communications in the days leading up to the event you are scheduled to attend with packing recommendations, arrival instructions, driving directions, and all of the information you will require for attending ceremony with us.

A Note on Integration and Life After Ceremony
Try to give yourself time after the ceremony to integrate the guidance you receive into the rest of your life and relationships. It is ideal to engage with people, places, and activities that lift you up, make you feel happy and supported, and centered. For some this may include meditation, yoga, hiking or outdoor activity, making music, listening to music, prayer, reading, creating art, time with family, time with animals, making healthy meals, and cleaning up around your living space. Prioritize getting good sleep. If you can, don't rush back to work; and, if possible, spend some time in nature to reflect on your experience. And please keep in mind that you are always welcome to call, text, or email us if you’d like additional support after ceremony or simply want to talk with someone and further process your ceremony experience.

Thank You for Your Interest in Attending Ceremony with Us!
We’re honored that you have decided to join us in ceremony and are looking forward sharing the sacred space of ceremony with you. Please feel free to email us at ceremony@ayasoultribe.org or give us a call or send us a text message at 520-314-2005 if you have any questions or simply want to connect with us about anything as you are preparing to join us in ceremony.​​​​