When people imagine an ayahuasca retreat, they picture the ceremony itself, the night, the medicine, the visions. Yet anyone who has sat with yagé will tell you the same thing: how you arrive shapes what you receive. Preparation is not a hurdle before the real work. It is the first chapter of the work.
At ZiruYai, in the Putumayo of Colombia where this medicine was born, the days before ceremony are held with as much care as the ceremony itself. The dieta, the slowing down, the gathering of intention: each one softens the body and opens the heart so the medicine can meet you fully. This guide walks through all of it, with the reasons behind each step.
Why preparation matters
Yagé is a powerful medicine that works on the body as much as the spirit. A clean, settled system meets it more gently. The dieta reduces the intensity of nausea and discomfort, lowers real safety risks, and is itself an offering, a way of showing the medicine, and yourself, that you take this seriously.
There is a spiritual logic too. To set aside rich food, distraction and stimulation is to gather your energy inward. By the time you sit in the maloca, you are already turned toward the work.
The dieta: foods to avoid before ayahuasca
Begin a week before if you can. At a minimum, hold the dieta for three days before your first ceremony and one day after. The cleaner and longer your preparation, the clearer the experience tends to be. During the retreat a cook is on site preparing food properly for the medicine, so you are well looked after once you arrive.
Set aside
- Pork and red meat. Heavy to digest and traditionally avoided around the medicine.
- Aged, fermented and cured foods. Aged cheese, cured meats, soy sauce, fermented foods and overripe fruit. This is the most important group for safety: these foods are high in tyramine, which can interact dangerously with the natural MAOIs in yagé.
- Alcohol and recreational drugs. None in the days before, and ideally longer.
- Excess salt, sugar, oils and fried food. Keep meals simple and light.
- Very spicy food and heavy spices.
- Caffeine in excess. Taper down rather than stopping abruptly.
Lean toward
- Fresh fruit and vegetables, simply prepared.
- Grains, legumes and light, unseasoned proteins such as fish or chicken if you eat them.
- Plenty of clean water.
If a perfect dieta is not possible for you, do what you can. Honesty and intention matter more than rigid perfection, and we will talk you through it during preparation.
Medications and health: the part that truly matters
This is the most important section of all. Certain medications can make yagé genuinely unsafe. Antidepressants, SSRIs and MAOIs in particular, can interact dangerously with the medicine. Some medical and psychiatric conditions are also a reason to wait.
Please never stop any medication on your own. Instead, disclose everything you take and your full health history during screening. We review it personally and, when needed, work with you and your prescriber. If now is not the right or safe time, we will tell you honestly. Not sure where you stand? Our two-minute readiness check is a gentle place to begin.
Preparing your mind and spirit
Set an intention
An intention is not a demand for a particular outcome. It is a question you carry, a direction for your heart. What are you ready to look at? What would you like to release, or to understand? Hold it loosely, and let the medicine answer in its own way.
Slow down before you travel
In the days before, soften your pace. Less screen time, more rest, time in nature, gentle movement, perhaps meditation or journaling. Arriving frazzled and depleted asks a great deal of the first ceremony. Arriving rested lets you drop in sooner.
Set aside sexual activity
Traditionally, sexual activity is set aside for a few days before and after ceremony. Like the food dieta, this is part of gathering your energy and focus inward, and of respect for the medicine.
A note for women
Out of respect for the medicine and for safety, women do not sit with yagé while menstruating, on their moon cycle, or while pregnant. If you are pregnant, it is important that your partner lets us know too. Please share this during screening so we can guide you with care and find the right timing.
The days right before, and what to bring
Most guests fly into Colombia and travel onward to the Putumayo. Once you reserve a place, we send detailed travel guidance and help coordinate your arrival, so the logistics are held for you. Pack simply: comfortable, modest clothing you do not mind getting dirty, a warm layer for the night, a flashlight, a refillable water bottle, any personal items that bring you comfort, and an open, willing heart.
You are not doing this alone
Preparation can feel like a lot to hold by yourself. It is not meant to be held alone. Every ZiruYai journey includes preparation and integration support through Miranda Vires, so you are guided before you arrive, supported in ceremony, and held long after you return home. When you are ready, the first step is simply a conversation.
