More Than Ceremony: Life, Healing, and Community at Gaian Rhythm Retreats
Choosing to sit with ayahuasca is a powerful step toward transformation — and choosing where you sit shapes the journey just as much as the medicine itself.
At Gaian Rhythm, we honor not only the sacred plant but the ancient cycles of earth, sky, and spirit. Whether you’re stepping into ceremony for the first time or seeking a deeper, more grounded way of walking with the medicine, here’s what you can expect when you join us.
Ceremony Structure: Flowing with the Rhythm of the Earth
At our weekend retreats, you’ll experience three ceremonies:
Friday night ceremony,
Saturday night ceremony, and
Sunday morning daytime ceremony.
Guests are welcome to depart later Sunday afternoon or evening — or to stay and rest until early Monday morning, giving more time for gentle reentry.
Our weeklong retreats offer a deeper unfolding, with five ceremonies woven across the week:
Three ceremonies held at night,
Two ceremonies held during the day.
This rhythm allows for deep dives into the medicine, balanced with spaciousness for rest, reflection, and integration.
A Gentle Arc: Daily Life at a Weeklong Retreat
Each day at a Gaian Rhythm retreat is designed to balance sacred work with grounding activities and generous time for rest.
The basic flow for our weeklongs follows a steady rhythm:
Day 1: Arrival, introductions, seasonal alignment workshop, shared dinner, fireside chat or early rest.
Day 2: Night ceremony.
Day 3: Night ceremony.
Day 4: Daytime ceremony.
Day 5: A day of rest, workshops, and integration — no ceremony.
Day 6: Night ceremony.
Day 7: Daytime ceremony, followed by a closing gathering.
Day 8: Morning farewells and departures.
While the ceremony structure remains steady, the workshops and daytime offerings shift depending on the season, the group’s needs, and the natural unfolding of the retreat.
Throughout your time with us, you can expect:
Seasonal Alignment Workshops: Honoring the turning of the earth and the wisdom of natural cycles.
Integration Talks: Practical tools for weaving ceremony insights into your everyday life.
Share Circles: Safe spaces to be witnessed and offer your own witnessing.
We honor spaciousness — participation is always an invitation, never a requirement.
You are encouraged to listen to your own body, spirit, and rhythm.
Ceremony Space: A Living Soundscape
Ceremony at Gaian Rhythm is alive with vibration and prayer — whether under the stars or in the sacred light of day.
Throughout each ceremony, you will be held in a living soundscape of:
Traditional Shipibo icaros, sung live to call in healing, protection, and connection.
Guitar, drums, sound bath instruments, and other sacred sounds moving through the space.
Sacred smoke baths at the beginning of every retreat to cleanse and strengthen your energetic field.
Flower baths at the end of weeklong retreats, blessing and sealing the work.
Music is not background — it is medicine. It moves through the ceremony, weaving layers of healing, strength, and connection.
Preparation: Ceremony Begins Before You Arrive
True ceremony begins long before you drink the cup.
After registering, you’ll receive clear and loving guidance on preparing through dieta — a practice of cleansing the body, quieting the mind, and making space for the sacred.
We emphasize emotional preparation just as much: setting clear intentions, opening to shadow work, and approaching the journey with humility and courage.
Your preparation is the foundation for the unfolding ahead.
Integration: Walking the Path Together
Transformation doesn’t end when the ceremonies close.
At Gaian Rhythm, we believe integration is not something you must do alone — it happens best when nourished by community.
During your retreat:
Daily Check-ins: Our integrationist, Kate, personally checks in with participants, offering support, encouragement, and guidance as needed.
Mental Health Support: If anything unexpected or heavy arises, compassionate help is immediately available.
After the retreat:
Weekly Integration Calls: Open to all past participants, offering a place to share, reflect, and continue growing — with a natural mix of familiar and new faces each week.
Private Community Group: You'll be invited into our private Facebook group, limited only to those who have sat with us. Monthly traditions like "Roots and Reflections" and "Branching Out Day" offer opportunities for connection, reflection, and celebration year-round.
Annual Gaian Gathering: Every summer, we host a weekend camping and river float trip open to all past guests (and a plus one) — a joyful, earth-based way to reunite, network, and strengthen the bonds that began in ceremony.
Healing is a living path — and it is one you are never meant to walk alone.
What Makes Gaian Rhythm Unique
While many places offer ayahuasca retreats, Gaian Rhythm carries a distinct spirit:
Seasonal and Earth-Centered Alignment: We honor the turning of the year, syncing ceremonies to solstices, equinoxes, and midpoints.
Live Ceremonial Music: Traditional icaros and live instrumental soundscapes guide and deepen your journey.
Depth and Emotional Safety: Daily integration support, mental health awareness, and a strong ethical foundation.
Living Community: Through weekly integration calls, a private online community, and our annual summer gathering, we foster real, lasting relationships among those who walk this path.
Sacred Humility: We are in service to the medicine, to the earth, and to your healing — not to ego or image.
We do not heal you.
We tend the fire while you find your light — and we walk beside you as you carry it forward.
