We hear a lot about Yage and Ayhuasca but what is this Sacred Healing Brew of The Amazon made from?

In this fascinating article on Kaphi they research what are the many different Ayahuasca brews made from and why different Curanderos (healers) or Shamans put different plants in the brew. 
In my years of working with the plants and different healers after finding Taita Juanito I knew that they way he and his lineage prepared this sacred medicine is what felt must in alignment with my heart and Spiritual Path. The Yage from this lineage is brewed from the vine of ayahuasca and leaves of chacruna but in a distinct way giving it incredibly healing power.

Its very important to know the source of your medicine, who makes it, where was it grown, what is the intention of the cook, the Shaman, where is the ceremony taking place, who are the facilitators, the participants, how studied are the people holding the space and do they come from a lineage and many other levels that go into a properly held ceremony that can lead to deeply healing results. Do your research properly.

This medicine can be very healing but with some additives of other plants it can as well be dangerous.
​
The Shaman’s Treasure: The Many Plants Added to the Ayahuasca Brew by Giorgio Samorini (full article at Kahpi.net)
"It is a known fact that ayahuasca and yagé drinks consist of a pair of plants: vine or leaves of ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) and leaves of chacruna (Psychotria viridis) or oko yagé (Diplopterys cabrerana). The last two contain the visionary DMT molecule, while the vine produces the harmine and harmaline alkaloids. The molecules of the vine, due to their property of inhibiting the MAO enzymes, allow DMT to be absorbed in the gut and to manifest its visionary effects. This is the basic plant formula, which we can define the mother brew of ayahuasca and yagé. To this mother brew the natives of the Amazon have added many other plant ingredients. This articles looks at the wide variety of plants that shamans add to their ayahuasca brews and considers potential elements of their effects.
The main reason for these additions is to enhance, modify, or modulate the visionary effect of the traditional drink.
Bringing together the data presented by the three main studies that have dealt with what plants shamans have added to ayahuasca (Pinkley, 1969; McKenna et al., 1986; Bianchi and Samorini, 1993), we have identified more than 80 plant species, but I suspect their number is greater, including perhaps between 100 and 200 species. Some of these plants are used extensively among the different Amazonian ethnic groups, while others are used as additives of ayahuasca or yagé by individual ethnic groups or even by individual vegetalistas, as a result of some local experiment and knowledge.

One could raise a complaint about the lack of scientific studies on these plants, observing how the little research developed so far has always confirmed and “justified” the enhancing or modulating use of these additives.

These plant additions are mostly carried out at the time the mother brew is cooked, adding the chosen plant directly to the pot. The main reason for these additions is to enhance, modify, or modulate the visionary effect of the traditional drink, choices and preferences that highlight a very original range of nuances and perceptive refinement of visionary effects. In the Peruvian Amazon the Sharanahuas add to ayahuasca the leaves of a species of Psychotria to “give the impression of coldness and to produce less visions,” thus seeking a precise modulation that reduces the “grandeur” of the visions and at the same time their emotional impact. Peruvian vegetalistas add a species of Euphorbia to ayahuasca that they give to the apprentice, with the aim of improving his voice while learning icaros singing. In other contexts, certain plants are added to the boiling pot of ayahuasca in difficult diagnostic cases, as an aid to identify the cause of the patient’s illness that the vegetalista is treating. This happens among the Makunas of the Colombian river Popeyaca, which in these difficult situations add to the mother brew some pounded leaves of Malouetia tamaquarina to “better see” the origins of the disease.
The ayahuasca/yagé cooking pot could be interpreted as a neuroalchemic crucible, intended as a material tool of what I have called “psychotropic complexes” in my studies; that is, those contexts of traditional use of intoxicant sources that start from a psychoactive mother brew assumed as a visionary default; a visionary base that is modulated with a wide range of additives, to enhance the effects of the mother-brew, or to vary the color spectrum of the visions (more purple, more red, etc.), or to change the emotional levels or the extrasensory perceptions, or to induce specific visionary and thought contents.
We can therefore speak of an ancient Dionysian psychotropic complex, where the mother-brew was the grape wine of classical Greece; or of pulque, the fermented sap of agave used in Mexico since pre-Aztec times; or of chicha, the Latin American beer made mainly with corn. It is safe to say that in chicha everything has been added, the most weird ingredients, even live frogs and toads. Similarly, we can speak of a “psychotropic complex of ayahuasca” and, unlike the previous examples, the ayahuasca/yagé mother-brews are not based on alcohol sources. In all these complexes, ancient and modern, the number of additive ingredients available is always high—from a few tens to several hundred—and is subject to continuous expansion. This is the case of the same ayahuasca, whose list of additive plants is expanding along with the activity of research and acquisition of new knowledge by the Amazonian vegetalistas."

Read the rest of the article at Kaphi.net

 The Ayahuasca as it is a vine its natural tendency is to spread itself outwards. In this way we see it rapidly spreading out around the entire planet. In most cities around the world today you can find Ayahuasca ceremonies at some point during the year.

As we partake in the sacred ceremonies of the tribes and indigenous of the Amazon it is important for us to take time to learn about Ayahuasca. To learn how to integrate after ceremonies, to take time to investigate before we go and work with a particular Shaman, Musician or Healer that is leading the ceremony and to make sure we are in good hands. One of the beautiful things abut Science is now being able to detect what are the chemical compounds in Ayahuasca and how does it work with our brain. 

Many people around the planet will be skeptical of Ayahuasca and whether or not they should take this medicine and can it really heal the physical body or the mental illnesses of a person. Today, it seems like the research and studies are only picking up speed on these different plant medicines and the brew Ayahuasca. On this Blog we will be putting up different articles and writings of own our own about Ayahuasca, Shamanism, Consciousness, Meditation, Prayer, Intention Setting and much more. For now enjoy this article from Kahpi.net

Here is an amazing article from Kahpi.net about what Ayahuasca Does to the Brain written by Alex Gearin.

"Ayahuasca is all over the news these days. But how much do you actually know about ayahuasca’s effects on the brain, body and mind? Did you know that ayahuasca triggers “neuroplasticity” or the brain’s ability to adapt and transform? What this neural adaptability means to the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca is not fully clear, but there is evidence to show that certain types of neuroplasticity are important for the journey of healing mental illness.
The experience of ayahuasca is nothing short of extraordinary and in many ways it transcends the instruments of science and, some would argue, the material universe. Ayahuasca drinkers typically draw upon spiritual traditions to guide their visionary journeys. At the same time, it’s becoming more and more obvious that separating spirit from science does not appear to be the best way forward.
Because, science has enabled us to understand the short-term and long-term effects of ayahuasca in powerful ways. Neuroscientific research suggests that ayahuasca, when used in the correct settings, may be able to relieve trauma and heal deep emotional wounds – the domain of spiritual life.

Another way to understand the effects of ayahuasca is to consider what each molecule in ayahuasca actually does. Ayahuasca brews contain the molecule DMT which is similar to LSD, psilocybin (psychedelic mushrooms) and other classic psychedelics, but ayahuasca also contains a range of other molecules that are not necessarily psychedelic. One of the fascinating scientific discoveries about ayahuasca is that these other non-psychedelic molecules in ayahuasca (ie. particularly harmine and harmaline) appear to have different types of therapeutic effects. Two molecules in ayahuasca have been shown to grow new brain neurons in laboratory experiments. 

DMT has been shown to raise Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels in the brain. Common anti-depressant medications also raise BDNF levels, but you need to take them every day for two weeks to begin to experience an increase. DMT increases BDNF levels immediately and sustains an increase for up to 2 weeks from one single dose. This is often referred to as the psychedelic “after glow” effect. Interestingly, Harmine and harmaline have also been shown to increase BDNF levels. In addition, harmine has also been shown to have anti-anxiety properties (i.e. anxiolytic effects).
Connected to the spiritual experiences of ayahuasca are profound visionary encounters. People report seeing complex geometric designs, beautiful or grotesque scenes, unfamiliar landscapes, jewelled palaces, and spirits. Kahpi teacher and neuroscientists, Dr. Draulio de Araujo scanned the brains of experienced ayahuasca drinkers while they were having strong visions. His research showed that when people are experiencing ayahuasca visions, parts of brain associated with memory, emotion, intention and seeing, were activated.

Ayahuasca is a veritable cocktail of different molecules that each act differently in the brain. Yet the different molecules may all work together in profound ways that transcend each individual molecules’ effects. This potential group action or ‘net effect’ of ayahuasca molecules is generating important questions for researchers. How ayahuasca works to bring about lasting healing for some people is certainly not fully understood by science. The psychological preparation of the individual before the ayahuasca experience and how they relate to it afterwards are central for minimizing risks and helping bring about more positive and sustained outcomes."

Hi friends! Taita Juan, Juan David, Mariah Ganessa and the whole Nature Within Team are very much looking forward to our upcoming retreat at Blue Spirit Costa Rica - May 19th to 26th!!
Our first retreat ever at Blue Spirit was July of 2016 so we are just about 2 years in! It has been so amazing for me to witness and help to give birth to these retreats and to see how they have grown and touched so many peoples lives!

Each retreat I look forward with excitement and always with the intention of how can these retreats improve - How can the people coming get the most out of these retreats and how can this week really be the catalyst for them to move back into their lives with more love and a strong desire to liberate themselves completely in this life and realize there true nature within.

These past months I have been gifted by the Universe with time off and time for reflection and inner growth and healing. A lot of new ideas and ways to improve the retreat has come and I am really excited to share this in our upcoming retreats. One of the main focuses I will be working with people on the retreat is a daily spiritual practice in the east sometimes referred to as 'Sadhana'

This could be sitting in mediation for 20 minutes in the morning or weaving or yoga or prayer or connecting with the spirits. Whats important is no what you do but finding what mosts support you to come back to Essence Love - The Big Love of the Universe

For me I have found that the practices of meditation have been most supportive for rooting me back to my heart and to my essence.

In these upcoming retreats we will be giving you different tools and practices throughout our time together and working together to create a practice which you feel excited to bring into your daily life and too use it as a tool to ground and help integrate the deep healing we have done with Taita Juan and the plant medicines!

Its important to make the shift from what many feel as 'oh no' I have to sit in meditation to 'oh yes!!!' what a joy and how lucky am I to have to the time today to sit and really look at what it means to exist as a Human Being on this planet

What is the truth of my existence and how can I live its implications? What would it take for me to awaken my heart and live as the great sages and teachers of the day live?

It is a great gift to have this spark of light in your heart struck in this lifetime - Don't let it go out! Feed it with love, courage, forgiveness - Its the one thing really worth investigating and looking at in this life!

A deep bow to you all and so grateful to life, my teacher Taita Juan, to the teachers who have preserved the deeper teachings of meditations from all over the world and to our ancestors!

I would greatly appreciate if you can share our flyer here with friends and family! And you can also have them email me directly at eli.rechtschaffen@gmail.com for more information on retreats and our mission!

​"Open presence" by Tsyonki Rinpoche from Open Heart, Open Mind (book)
 
Some teachers refer to this practice as "open presence" because it involves being just lightly aware of whatever you're experiencing--internally or externally---right here and now. You're merely present.
 
The instructions are simple. Just straighten your spine while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. Take a couple deep breaths.
 
Keep your eyes open---though not so intently that your eyes begin to burn or water. You can blink. But just notice yourself blinking. Each blink is an experience of presence.
 
Now, let yourself be aware of everything you're experiencing--sights, sounds, physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Allow yourself to be open to all these experiences. Inevitably, as you begin this exercise, all sorts of thoughts, feeling, and sensations will pass through your experience. This is to be expected. This little exercise is in many ways like starting a weight-training program at the gym. At first you can lift only a few pounds for a few repetitions before your muscles get tired. But if you keep at it, gradually you'll find that you can lift heavier weights and perform more repetitions.
 
Similarly, learning to rest in simple, open presence is a gradual process. At first you might be able to remain open for only a few seconds at a time before thoughts, emotions, and sensations bubble up to the surface and consume your attention. The basic instruction is merely to be aware of everything that passes through your awareness as it is. Whatever you experience, you don't have to suppress it. Even latching on to irritations--"Oh, I wish that person next door would turn down his music" or "I wish the family upstairs would stop yelling at each other"--is part of open presence. Just observe these thoughts and feelings as they come and go--and how quickly they come and go, to be replaced by others. If you keep doing this, you'll get a taste of emptiness--a vast, open space in which possibilities emerge and combine, dance together for a while, and vanish with astonishing rapidity. You'll glimpse one aspect of your basic nature, which is the freedom to experience anything and everything. 
 
Don't criticize or condemn yourself if you find yourself chasing after physical sensations, thoughts or emotions. No one becomes a buddha overnight. Recognize, instead, that for a few seconds you were able to directly experience something new, something now. You've passed through theory and ventured into the realm of experience. As you begin to let your experiences come and go, we begin to see them as less solid. They may be real, but you being to question whether they're true.
 
Experience follows intention. Wherever we are, whatever we do, all we need to do is recognize our thoughts, feelings and perceptions as something natural. Neither rejecting nor accepting, we simply acknowledge the experience and let it pass. If we keep this up, we'll eventually find ourselves becoming able to manage situations we once found painful, scary or sad. We'll discover a sense of confidence that isn't rooted in arrogance or pride. We'll realize that we're always sheltered, always safe, and always home.

​Let us be free to be the one we have remembered and the one we left behind
 
Let us be free to be the poison and its antidote
 
Let us be free to be the tamed and the tamer
 
Let us be free to live life in all its shapes and sizes
 
Let us be free to look to the left and sometime to the right
 
Let us be free to scream in anger when we lose one to war
 
Let us be free to be the made and to be its maker
 
The be the smiling toothless child and the one who punched him
 
Let us be free to express our anger, greed and envy
 
And to breath in life itself
 
Let us be free to be the sand and the entire ocean
 
Let us be free to curse with hatred at those who oppose us and to sing the praises of those we love
 
Let us let life be life itself
 
Let us have anger when we are angry and jealousy when it rises too
 
Let us be free to walk the abyss between life and death and right and wrong
 
Let us be free to cry with longing and sing her name
 
Let us be free to see the truth of our existence
 
Let us be free to see that freedom is our nature
 
To see that we are life itself
 
To see that all of life is ours in freedom
 
But in that freedom we live in love
 
We see that our freedom is ours but that we shouldn't judge the other
 
We see that freedom is what's waiting in our heart and in the eyes of all we meet
 
We see that freedom has a sort of scent one which reeks of love, and beauty and truth
 
We see that this is the eternal one and it can never be taken
 
We see that we are the source of all and can't help but laugh and smile
 
We see that we are the only seeing one and that its all a reflection of our grace
 
Our inner child come to play and she had many colored paints
 
We see the scientist and his creation
 
And we see the lovers deep embrace 
 
We see the man on the moon and the one who never left his home
 
We see the grinning of my enemy about to shoot me on the line
 
We see the ones you can not see and the ones you don't want to see
 
We see that life itself is seen
 
And somehow we see that there's a harmony to it all
 
We see that somewhere peace is still to be
 
And around the corner lurks compassion in its mighyt wind
 
We see that courage scales the mountain
 
And we see forgiveness diving to the depths of the ocean
 
We see that life is sometimes easy and sometimes hard and sometimes rocks the boots right of your feet
 
We see that peace itself seems to be only a distant cry of a lover long lost
 
We see that this is life and yet don't lose hope
 
Because when we really stop to look and see, well see that we are the abundant one, the that can't be broken, stained or damage
 
And when we really stop to see well see that we are peace, forgiveness, love and life itself
 
And when we really stop to see well see that we were never going anywhere and that we are silence, stillness and joy itself
 
Let us be free to break through the barriers of our existence
 
Let us be free to climb to the highest rung and jump for life
 
Let us be free to walk the plank of death and itself and plunge into its mouth
 
Let us be free to face our fears and darkest nights of our soul
 
Let us be free to break the chains around our ankles
 
Let us be free to see that we already are free
 
To see that this life is ours to take
 
And to see that in our freedom she is the one whose taking us
 
To see that we can let go into her Grace
 
So let me give you one last reminder 
 
To love this life and live it freely
 
 

Hi Friends!!
Firstly, I just want to send you all lots of blessings and light! 

I have just landed back from India after two amazing months traveling, learning, studying, healing and as Rumi says "flowing down and down in always widening rings of being."

So to start here is a little something I wrote and then about my two months in India!


Writing


The beloved of my eye strikes a chord
A chord that I have never strum before
With ever wink she tells a story
And every sigh she sings a love song
The beloved of my eye can't be seen
And yet she is the only one
The beloved of my eye she can't be touched 
And yet she is the only one that I can touch
She is the one and only one and yet she is the innumerable one


India


So I have just arrived in Costa Rica back from India and had an amazing two months really could not have asked for a better trip. The first week I was studying with an amazing Iyengar Yoga Teacher Usha Devi who is based out of Rishikesh but I was on a retreat with her in Goa. One of the most incredible teachers i have ever studied with. Would highly recommend her work to anyone!


Then I went to Tiruvannamalai on the side of Mount Arunachala one of the holy sites of Shiva and where Ramana Maharshi lived and his Ashram is to this day.

This site is very energetically charged as pilgrims from all over the world come to visit Ramana's Ashram and to sit in meditation there and in the two caves where he lived for 17 years after waking up. I have never been to a place where so many people are meditating and coming from the deep place of love for truth and deep desire to realize their divine nature.

India in many ways is such a hectic place but in Tiru it is amazing to feel the peace and presence that is held there even amongst the craziness - Was such a deep teaching of how our peace and well being is only related to our inner state of being. I felt this further when I went next for my PanchaKarma cleanse in Karnataka at Ayurveda Yoga Villa as we were right on the beach and all our food was delicious Ayurvedic meals and we all were receiving yummy Ayurvedic treatments yet the states of happiness from one to the next varied so differently. Having just come from weeks of meditation I felt so supported to stay grounded in the truth of Who I am.

The PanchaKarma treatment I did was 28 days and it was really one of the best things I have done for myself in a very long time. On the one side is the physical cleansing of toxins, inflammation and all else causing illness in the body. But what I felt even more was the energetic and emotional cleansing happening every day. The first commitment I made to myself when going for the PK was I would not use electronics during the treatment and this alone was a huge detox. I couldn't believe how addicted I had become to electronics and how much of my life force I wasted using them.

During the treatment I had a lot of time for Non-Doing - Actual non-doing where I just sat and stared and rested into Beingness - This supported me to see all of the patterns, belief systems and stories that kept me locked in my life. I began to see ways I didn't take care of my body, ways I wasted life force, thought patterns that kept me trapped in belief of separateness and so many subtle forms of bondage that prevented me from really living life.

The amazing thing was it didn't take some huge leap to break free from these patterns but just taking time to see them and to see how they were holding me back in my life.

The cleanse itself was also incredible and very difficult at times - I had no idea what I was getting myself into haha but in some way it was much better that way - Incredibly I lost 7 kilos over the month and really feel like a new born baby after coming out of it.

So immensely grateful for the ability to take this time to heal my body, mind and spirit this trip was long overdue for me. I am excited to continue forward from hear and take all that I have learned and apply them to my everyday life and to bring them to my work.


Skype and Retreats!


I am also planning to go back to Ayurveda Yoga Village and bring a small group of friends! I fell in love with the place and by chance met the owner and we are going to put on a retreat for a small group of people. If you are interested write me and ill add you to the email list for this trip! Dates are not set for this yet!

Also, I am back in Costa Rica for the next two months and will be starting Skype Sessions again! The Skype sessions are a combination of Shamanic Healing Work and Meditation Guidance. In the Shamanic Work we step out of the realm of time and space and thus we are not limited by physical distance. 

The healing work we do in these sessions are very deep and it will be combined with suggested meditations or practices for you to take into your daily life. The Shamanic Work primarily comes from my study with Taita Juan and the Ingano tribe but also from the Quero lineage of Peru where I learned Energy Extractions, Soul Retrievals and other practices. In these sessions I combine all of my studies of meditation and Shamanism to meet your spirit and that together we can best bring healing and peace to your life.

For information on any retreats you can email me at eli.rechtschaffen@gmail.com

Blessed to have you all in my life
That you can break free of any bondage in your life and realize your divine nature - That you can live a life of peace, happiness and joy
That we can learn to dance and sing through this miracle of existence!
A deep bow to you all!


Passage from Osho


"Story If you ask a Buddha, "Why are you happy?" he will shrug his shoulders. if you ask Lao Tzu, "Why you are blissful?" he will say, "Don't ask it. Rather than asking why I am blissful, inquire why you are not."

It is like a small spring in the mountains: when there is no hindrance, the spring flows; when there are rocks in the way, it cannot flow. When the rocks are removed... You don't create the spring- you only remove the negative, you only remove the obstacle. The spring was there, but because of the rock it was not able to flow. When you remove the rock you are not creating the spring--the spring was already there. By removing the rock you have removed the negative, the obstacle, and the spring flows. Now if somebody asks,"Why does the spring flow?" because the spring is there, that's why it flows. If it is not flowing then there is a cause to it. Let this sink deep in you because it is your problem too."
Osho

On our Blog we will dedicate our writings to topics related to Consciousness, Shamanism, Non-Duality, Meditation, Plant Medicines, Healthy Life Style, Indigenous Cultures and topics which support living a life from the heart and a life dedicated to understanding who we truly are and what is our highest calling for this life we were gifted.

The central pillars of our work is the Shamanic Path especially through the Siona and Ingano tribes of Colombia which are brought from Taita Juan and who have been passed down from his ancestors. We will from time to time add blogs with the teachings of Taita Juan and from these lineages. We also will focus on Non-Dual meditation teachings.

We would love you to leave comments and if you have specific topics you would like us to write about or particular questions for us to address we will do our best to reach all of these!

We appreciate your dedication to the path of the heart and to following whichever path brings the most joy to your life. If there was any marker of what is a good path I would say it is how much happiness the path brings to your daily life! We hope the path we are constructing is one in which you feel called to help us to construct and that together we can dance and sing to remember where we have come from and to join the celestial ancestral party!