My Powerful Rythmia Ayahuasca Experience

They say that when you get the call you should listen and go. This is what drew me in to my first Rythmia experience. This typically is in reference to the second cup of Ayahuasca during a ceremony, and I feel it is true for pulling you to the Rythmia retreat center as well.

How I Arrived At Rythmia

I had felt the pull for years.

I learned about parts of the world where Ayahuasca ceremonies took place and each had its own unique version of what was offered. While it all felt very foreign and exotic at first, it kept crossing my path. As the information sprinkled in more and more through a few different sources, I could no longer deny my curiosity. I began by researching all the places and spaces where this experience was being offered. I dove into watching all the documentaries and asking Grandfather Google for advice. (My new enduring term for where I get my guidance. It’s a humbling way for me to realize that I don’t sit around a multi generational campfire hearing stories from my ancestors. This is one of the many awareness’s that Mother Aya shared with me.) 

There are so many wonderful credible people sharing their experiences about these ceremonies, it was easy to get my hands on tons of information. I had the chance to hear from so many peoples’ experiences. 

It was during the pandemic that a friend of mine mentioned that she had been looking at going to a resort such as Rythmia and it was the resort that I had my eye on. As we sat one afternoon at a café casually discussing it, the call got stronger.

It was later that night when I bounced the idea off my husband that it all came together. He knew how long I have been wanting to do it and fully encouraged me to finally take the leap. Looking back I realize that without that nudge I probably would have struggled to make the leap and book the trip. 

There were many reasons why I personally wanted to have this experience. The main one is that I know deep down that we are not meant to carry all the pain and suffering that we all do. I have seen firsthand what stress and anxiety do to people. I have seen the damage it does to our health and the ripple effect it has on those around us. 

There are many cultures and ancient traditions that are far more advanced in the knowledge of release and healing than we currently deploy. It’s up to us to seek and align with the ones that speak to us from that vast generational knowledge. 

At the point of deciding where and when to go, there were still so many unknowns. We had many considerations such as traveling during covid, and navigating all the covid testing etc. I knew I could figure all that out but I also knew those nerves would be on top of all the nerves about the Rythmia Ayahuasca ceremony itself. While I had been to many retreats before, this I knew, was completely different than anything I had ever experienced before. 

I always knew my comfort level was to experience my first ceremony at a luxury resort such as Rythmia vs in the middle of the jungle. For me being in the middle of the jungle would be a separate set of worries and fears, in and of itself. I knew with a foundational level of safety and security and comfort, which Rythmia delivered and then some, I’d be able to lean in fully to the deep restorative experience and all it had to offer.

So after much research we booked our experience at Rythmia in Costa Rica. Throughout the whole process they were so great to thoroughly answer any and all questions prior to booking. In fact they offer a few calls to discuss anything you need to know.

My 2 Top Rythmia Ayahuasca Questions

I had so many question but some of my top questions I asked prior to booking were:

‘Talk to me about the barfing, how bad is that?’

And secondly…  

‘My worst fear is not making it to the bathroom in time, how often does that happen?’

The staff at Rythmia candidly talked me through all of my worries and concerns and left me knowing they truly had a plan in place to handle every situation imaginable. Looking back it was like having a baby, at a certain point none of it matters, everything is perfect and beautiful. For the record I did not sh*t myself but, I completely transformed the way I view all purging. 

Release Is Not Something We Often Honor

But I now see it’s something to be revered. 

I went to my friends that had attended Rythmia a year prior and fully picked their brains on what they gained and experienced and wished they knew before going. What’s great is that most people that have had these sacred experiences are more than happy to share the  wisdom they’ve gained. It’s a way of passing on ancestral knowledge. Just like sitting around a campfire, it’s a chance to pass on ancient wisdom in the best way we know how.  Rituals and teachings look differently than they did in history past. There is profound life changing nuggets to be had everywhere, for those who seek them. 

Today we all seem to be so busy and overwhelmed. There’s very few places and spaces where people gather with the intention to share wisdom and grow and expand through release. ….

Two Things I Learned Prior To Going

• I was encouraged to keep this one thing in mind during each ceremony: what’s coming is going. 

This allowed me to lean in and stay detached. As I moved through the high of highs and the low of lows, with this one awareness I was able to detach and be and not shatter. I’m a self identified deep feeler but what Ayahuasca co-creates is next level. It’s the absolute best and worst thing I’ve ever felt. (And absolutely well worth it all). 

Nothing can fully prepare you for all you move through, but learning how to detach allows you to move through and not stay stuck. It’s such a wild ride. Beyond words actually. This one piece of advice has changed how I experience everything since. 

• The second thing my friends prepared me for was the level of care that I would receive. Just like the people at Rythmia had described. This was my biggest take away from all of it (and let me tell ya, there was so many incredible awe inspiring moments. I can’t possibly do them all justice.)

There was a moment in my first ceremony where I was called to sit my body up and scan the room. Across the entire Maloca I could see all the Shaman and helpers and healers floating around the room offering care where it was needed. 

It was nothing like anything I had ever witnessed or felt before. The power in their offerings was indescribable. As I sat there, I felt my heart was going to burst wide open. I began to sob. It was then that I realized that most of us have never or ever will experience that level of love and care. 

Yes we were in a vulnerable state and required this level of attention, but there was something else at play. It was as if we were downloading secrets and ancient wisdom. The helpers and healers were assisting the power of this evolution. 

Again if you haven’t sat in ceremony this all may sound a little out there. As I re-read my words I feel you. It is pretty far from what most people can conceptualize. 

It was as if the curtain was being pulled back and we were being shown behind the scenes of our lives, but not just our own. During these ceremonies we access a level of immense knowledge that goes universally wide and deep. Lifetimes long. 

There was a collective unity of ancestral wisdom being rained down in full service of our release and healing. 

Unless you’ve had the experience it’s truly hard to explain. 

Being present and witnessing the transformation will live with me forever.  

What’s wild however, is that I can feel again the power of that moment now that I bring it back into my mind and heart, and I can just as easily put it in the back of my mind and forget that that part of humanity exists and is available. 

One of my biggest regrets is having seen and felt all of it and not know how to keep it alive in my everyday life. That depth of love is the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced. 

Is that example rare or do we simply spotlight pain and suffering out in the world? 

What I Believe

I truly believe that people either show us love, or the parts of them that need love. 

We are all just wavering in and out of all the things we know. At any given moment we are either tapped into the love deep within, or we are in search of it. 

Sadly I think most people go their whole lives never having access to the level of release that creates the capacity to feel that depth. We all carry so much hurt and pain and that’s been normalized. Most of the world is so numbed out and shut down. 

We cram things we don’t want to deal with under the rug in the name of ‘progress’. When one rug gets full we go out and buy a bigger rug. We keep stuffing and cramming. 

Imagine a world where we feel safe enough to pull back the rug and simply sort and sift through our hurt and pain along the way?

That’s what’s possible. 

Prior to going to Costa Rica I had been tapped into many other ways to sort and sift through my shhhtuff. (That’s my word for the shitty things I carry). There are a tremendous amount of options to practice release and heal. They may not be to this magnitude but they all have extreme power in shifting our lives. 

I wish you the very best in finding and discovering what serves you best at this time in your journey. Perhaps this article will spark your desire to release something you’ve been holding onto and gripping for far too long. 

Let your heart guide you into what’s next. Let it remind you of what’s possible.

Be open to the pull…