Journal by Asdru

A jungle sanctuary near Tulum hosts experienced facilitators offering traditional plant medicine ceremonies in a safe, lineage-grounded environment.

Deep in the Mayan jungle of the Riviera Maya, a growing number of seekers are arriving in Mexico in search of meaningful experiences with traditional plant medicine. Among these, ayahuasca has become one of the most recognized ceremonial practices — sought for its capacity to support healing, clarity, and a reconnection with what matters most.

Casa Arkaana is an ecological retreat center in Chemuyil, 20 minutes from Tulum, that has been hosting plant medicine retreats since 2021. The land, the temple, and the entire container are designed to support this kind of deep work — held with reverence, care, and a long relationship with ceremonial tradition.

What Is Ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian brew that has been used for centuries by indigenous communities — particularly in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil — for healing, spiritual insight, and communication with the natural world. It is prepared from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and other sacred plants, and is held within a ceremonial context guided by a trained facilitator or curandero.

The experience is typically approached with deep mental and physical preparation — a period of quieting the noise, adjusting the diet, and stepping back from the pace of daily life — followed by clear intention and a period of integration afterward. Those who seek it out often describe it as one of the most significant experiences of their lives — though outcomes vary widely depending on the individual, the facilitator, and the setting.

Today, many people travel to countries like Mexico, Peru, and Costa Rica to participate in ayahuasca retreats in settings that honor the tradition — held by facilitators with genuine lineage, training, and ceremonial experience.

Ayahuasca Retreats in the Mexican Jungle

Mexico’s Riviera Maya offers a landscape that naturally supports this kind of work. Ancient cenotes, dense jungle canopy, a Mayan cosmological heritage, and a climate that keeps you connected to the elements — all of it creates conditions that are very different from a hotel or urban retreat center.

Casa Arkaana sits on five acres of intact Mayan forest. The property is fully solar-powered, spring-fed, and built with bioclimatic design — open to the jungle breeze, cooled by the canopy above. The cenote pool draws from aquifers deep beneath the land. The fire circle, the temazcal, and the old-growth trees are part of the same living ecosystem that supports the ceremonial work.

Guests consistently describe the land itself as part of the healing — something that begins working the moment they arrive, before any session starts.

Our Role at Casa Arkaana

Casa Arkaana is a retreat center that hosts independent facilitators. We do not provide or administer plant medicines directly. Each retreat held here is designed and led by its own facilitator — a ceremonial guide, lineage-holder, or integration specialist who carries their own training, protocols, and ethical commitments.

Our role is to provide the physical and energetic container that makes this work possible:

  • A private sanctuary with one group at a time — no overlapping retreats
  • An octagonal temple (ceremonial space) built for all-night ceremony — open to the jungle, fully enclosed in mosquito netting, protected from weather
  • Dieta-aligned meals prepared from local and farm-grown ingredients
  • A cenote pool, fire circle, and temazcal as spaces for integration and preparation
  • Logistical and energetic support from Asdru and Maja, who are present throughout every retreat

Asdru and Maja have been in personal relationship with the Shipibo-Mahua lineage for 11 years — attending ceremonies, learning directly, and periodically hosting Maestro Gilberto Mahua and his family at Casa Arkaana. This relationship shapes how the space is held and the standard they apply when welcoming facilitators.

Preparation and Safety

Preparing for an ayahuasca experience is not optional — it is part of the medicine itself. The mental and physical preparation you do before you arrive shapes everything that happens inside the ceremony.

I know this from my own experience. The first time I drank ayahuasca, it changed my life in ways I could not have anticipated. It helped me forgive myself. It showed me the beauty of life, and how our bodies are perfect instruments of creation. It connected me to the deepest, cleanest, clearest source of life force I had ever felt. From that moment, I stopped drifting and started designing — building a vision of where I wanted to be, and taking every action from there toward healing, toward forgiveness, toward materializing that vision.

That kind of shift requires the right conditions. The environment matters enormously. And even if your life does not feel fully ready — even if there are still parts that do not serve you — the preparation process itself is the beginning of the work. Moving those parts, slowly and intentionally, step by step, is how the change happens. Ayahuasca shows you the direction. You walk it.

But this medicine is not for everyone. Before anything else, you need to know whether you can drink safely. Certain medications — particularly MAOIs, SSRIs, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and stimulants — can create serious, even life-threatening interactions with ayahuasca. This is not a warning to take lightly. It is a genuine medical reality.

At Casa Arkaana, screening is non-negotiable. Before we welcome anyone into our space, we want to understand your intention, your health history, and your past experience with plant medicines or other entheogens. All of this matters. It shapes the experience — for you, for the facilitator, and for the group. A trustworthy facilitator will conduct their own screening. We conduct ours independently as well. Not out of distrust — but because we are responsible for what happens on this land, and we take that seriously.

Integration and What Comes After

Integration — the process of making sense of and embodying what arose during ceremony — is widely considered the most important part of the journey. At Casa Arkaana, we take it seriously from the morning after the first ceremony.

Integration circles are one of the most important tools we have. When we speak our experience out loud — when we put it into words in front of others who were there — something anchors. The experience becomes real in a different way. That is why we hold morning circles after ceremony, and why we encourage every participant to share, even when it feels difficult to find the language.

One of the most important pieces of advice we give: do not make big decisions right after ceremony. Not the next day, and sometimes not for weeks or even months. The experience needs time to settle. The clarity you feel in the first days can be real — but it can also be raw. Give it space before you act on it.

The same goes for radical changes. The impulse to transform everything at once is common after a powerful experience. We encourage a different approach: take the eagle view first. Rise above the details of your life and look at the wider picture — where you are, where you want to go. Once you can see that horizon clearly, break it down. Short goals, then medium goals. Each step forward brings you closer to the larger vision. That rhythm keeps you inspired and moving, without the overwhelm of trying to change everything overnight.

A few practical things that help:

  • Stay a few extra days before flying home. The transition back into daily life is one of the hardest parts. A buffer of even two or three days makes a real difference.
  • Journal. Writing down what you experienced, what you felt, what you noticed — this becomes a compass. When things get unclear weeks later, you can go back to it. It holds the thread.
  • Watch your environment. The clarity that comes from ayahuasca often makes it easier to see which relationships, habits, and environments genuinely support your growth — and which ones don’t. You don’t have to make dramatic changes. But pay attention to what the medicine showed you.

We are also always reachable after a retreat. If something comes up — a question, a difficult moment, something you need to talk through — we are here. That does not end when you leave.

Is This the Right Path for You?

There is no checklist that tells you whether this is the right time. It is more of a feeling. A pull toward change. A need for clarity that will not quiet down. A grief or trauma that has not found its way through. A life that has stopped making sense. Or simply a desire to go deeper into your spiritual practice — to touch something real.

Trust that feeling. Your intuition knows.

What we do encourage you to think carefully about is who you work with. There are many people facilitating ayahuasca today — and not all of them are trained to do so responsibly. This matters more than most people realize before their first ceremony.

In the Shipibo tradition, facilitators — curanderos — undergo dietas. A dieta is not just a dietary restriction. It is a relationship. Through periods of isolation, specific foods, and intentional practice, the curandero builds a living relationship with master plants — the trees and plants that support the work done with ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a vine. Like any vine, it needs trees to hold it. The dietas are how a facilitator builds those trees — the knowledge, the spirit connections, the energetic support that guide the visions and protect the work.

Without that training, the experience can only go so far. You might find someone who plays beautiful music, who holds a beautiful space — and that has value. But there is a ceiling. The depth of the work is inseparable from the depth of the facilitator’s preparation.

We are not here to judge anyone’s path. We are here to be honest about what we look for when we welcome facilitators into Casa Arkaana — and to encourage you to ask the same questions when you choose who to trust with your healing.

Find an Upcoming Retreat at Casa Arkaana

Throughout the year, Casa Arkaana hosts a range of retreats led by experienced facilitators from different traditions. Some of these retreats include ceremonial work with ayahuasca and other plant medicines. Others focus on breathwork, somatic practices, women’s healing, or nervous system work.

To explore what is currently available — dates, facilitators, and how to join — visit our retreats page. You can also reach out directly if you have questions or want to understand which upcoming retreat might be the right fit.

Are you a facilitator looking to host a plant medicine retreat? Learn about hosting at Casa Arkaana →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you hold ayahuasca ceremonies at Casa Arkaana?

Yes. Casa Arkaana has hosted plant medicine ceremonies for years — held by experienced facilitators who carry their own lineages and protocols. We provide the sanctuary and logistical support. The ceremonial work is led entirely by the facilitator and their team. Asdru and Maja have been in personal relationship with the Shipibo-Mahua lineage for 11 years.

Who leads the plant medicine retreats?

Each retreat is led by an independent facilitator — a ceremonial guide, lineage-holder, or integration specialist who has curated their own program. Casa Arkaana does not provide or administer plant medicines. We host the space and ensure the container is protected and cared for.

How do I prepare for an ayahuasca ceremony?

Preparation typically involves following a dieta — dietary and lifestyle guidelines set by your facilitator — for a period before arrival. This often includes avoiding alcohol, processed foods, certain medications, and strong stimulants. Your facilitator will share their specific protocol when you register. Casa Arkaana’s kitchen prepares dieta-aligned meals throughout your stay.

Ayahuasca is not listed as a controlled substance in Mexico’s General Health Law. Many indigenous communities and ceremonial practitioners work with it openly as part of ancestral and spiritual tradition. As with any plant medicine experience, we encourage participants to research their own country’s regulations regarding travel and return.

Is this the right experience for me?

Plant medicine retreats require genuine readiness — physically, emotionally, and intentionally. They are not recreational experiences. We recommend approaching them with clear intention, working with a facilitator whose lineage and safety protocols you trust, and having integration support in place for when you return home. If you’re unsure, reach out — we’re happy to help you find the right fit.

Casa Arkaana is an ecological retreat center that hosts independent facilitators. We do not provide, sell, or administer plant medicines. All ceremonial work is designed and led by the retreat facilitator and their team.