How Do Ayahuasca and Yoga Compliment Each-Other?
At a moment in time when yoga is clearly established as one of the most important practices for physical and mental health, there is another ancient practice that it’s becoming popular for those seeking healing, self-knowledge, and spiritual connection: working with ayahuasca.
Let me start by clarifying that ayahuasca is just one part of an ancient healing tradition from the amazon that entails working with thousands of other plants. And it is not a drug as many would think.
As the benefits of working with this plant medicine are becoming well known and this practice is more available, it was a matter of time before these two traditions come together.
Why? Because of the beautiful parallels in the way they train us to become more present, open, and receptive to the natural divinity of this universe.
5 ways on how yoga complements the work with ayahuasca and vice versa
1. Practicing yogic relaxation before an ayahuasca ceremony will help the body and mind to relax, as well as to help you to let go of fear or expectation so that you are more open when receiving the plant medicine.
2. Practicing yogic breathing will help you to stay calm and focused. During times of difficulty within a ceremony, your breath becomes your best guide.
3. Yogic meditation techniques are a great tool to help you to open into ayahuasca visions. In this way of settling with more groundedness during ceremonies, you can make sense of your experience while becoming more engaged.
4. Ayahuasca ceremonies are intense for the body. Practicing asanas and relaxation on the days following a ceremony are a great way to recover in a healthy and effective way.
5. There is a saying: ‘the real ceremony starts when the ceremony ends,’ implying that integration from an ayahuasca ceremony can be just as important (if not more) as the ceremony itself. The beauty of Ayahuasca ceremony is found in the teachings that are revealed to us. The meditative and self-reflective aspects of yoga can help you to bring these teachings in practical ways into your daily life.
How can working with ayahuasca complement your yoga practice
1. Purification of the body and mind are an important part of the yogic path. Since this plant is one of the most powerful purgatives available, the cleansing during an ayahuasca ceremony is deep. Participating in any ayahuasca ceremony will help you to cleanse your body and clear your mind, supporting yoga’s fundamental aspect of purification.
2. In an ayahuasca ceremony, we can experience the subtle energies and how they work. Having this knowledge can deepen our yoga practice, specifically in relation to asanas (postures) and our pranayama (breath work).
3. Shadow work. In yoga, we engage in meditation and reflection in order to find those aspects of our personality that we otherwise are not ready to see. Sometimes this work can be confusing and might take years of yoga practice to get results. With ayahuasca, we are shown everything, including our shadow. In this way, ayahuasca ceremonies can prepare us for our yoga practices that follow the ceremony.
4. The word yoga means union. Yoga teaches us that in essence, we are one. During an ayahuasca ceremony, this experience of union is revealed to us firsthand. As a result, we are able to feel this in our day to day life.
5. With ayahuasca we are able to deepen our connection with the natural world and our fellow human beings. This is then experienced in our daily life, creating a feeling of being in a constant state of yoga or union.
Yoga and ayahuasca retreats
The best way of practicing and going deep in this work is by participating in a retreat. This is best done in nature, particularly in the jungle itself. It is also important to be under the guidance of an inspiring and experienced facilitator: meaning a yoga teacher, or a curandero (a shaman).
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