An Unforgettable Experience
Why Aya in Ecuador?
Your Stay at our Ayahuasca and San Pedro Retreat
Your stay at our Ayahuasca and San Pedro Retreat promises an unparalleled journey of healing and self-discovery. Aya In Ecuador stands as the world's sole BIPOC Queer-owned sanctuary for plant medicine, embodying our unwavering commitment to inclusivity. We warmly welcome guests of all backgrounds, embracing diversity in incarnations, orientations, races, genders, creeds, cultures, and economic statuses.
Central to our mission is empowering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and other underserved communities through accessible plant medicine and healing practices. We proudly support our local Shuar indigenous community, providing them affordable access to medicine and holistic healing.
Rest assured, your safety and well-being are paramount to us. Our team includes a seasoned medical professional well-versed in conventional medicine and the administration of plant medicine, so our ceremonies are conducted with the utmost care and expertise.
Embark on a transformative journey with us, where healing knows no boundaries and inclusivity reigns supreme. Experience the profound impact of plant medicine in a sanctuary built upon principles of diversity, equity, and compassion.
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Experience a rejuvenating reset at our retreats, designed to facilitate post-ceremony integration and holistic therapy sessions that foster a deep reconnection with nature and cultivate a healthier, happier way of being.
Nestled in this breathtaking locale, Ayahuasca is revered as a national treasure, adding to the sacredness of our surroundings. It's worth noting that Ecuador upholds strict regulations, requiring all "shamans" to be registered and adhere to a stringent code of ethics, ensuring your safety and well-being throughout your transformative journey.
Are you ready to discover yourself and experience the physically restorative power of Ayahuasca?
If so, contact us today to find out more.
What We Do
An Authentic Ayahuasca and San Pedro Retreat
We offer tranquil and comfortable lodging and freshly prepared gourmet vegetarian meals each day. Our Ayahuasca and San Pedro retreat is one of a kind. Here we center our body, mind, and soul in the programs we offer, focusing the experience of BIPOC and Queer folks while remaining inclusive of all.
We also facilitate travel to our genuine Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremony site (the Choza) on the Jurumbaino river surrounded by the lush Ecuadorean rain forest. There, our guests are given the opportunity to spend the evening with our trained shamans Tsentsek & Jhoselyn.
The following day after ceremony, you will then be escorted back home in order to rest, reflect, integrate and prepare for your next ceremony.
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We have incorporated New Age experiences with the traditional ceremony of Plant Medicines.
We incorporate somatic, embodiment, energetic healing therapies. Integration tools. Opportunities to learn and support from the indigenous community. A safe,sane space to come and be as you are.
The Medicine That Heals
Ayahuasca Plant
San Pedro Plant
Ayahuasca
Popularly known around the world as a shamanic gateway to the spirit world, Ayahuasca has traditionally been used for thousands of years as a healing medicine also. Made using two indigenous plants Banisteriopsis caapi & Psychotria viridis, Ayahuasca works by promoting massive mental and physical healing responses in the human body.
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While the results of sitting with Ayahuasca will be different for everyone, no one is ever not deeply affected by Ayahuasca and most people come away from an Ayahuasca ceremony feeling more spiritually and vitally restored than they did before arriving.
San Pedro
A lesser known but no less effective healing plant is the San Pedro cactus. Like Ayahuasca, it has been utilized by Shamans for many thousands of years in shamanic healing ceremonies, and there have been numerous reports of its healing power for cancer, diabetes, and paralysis, as well as for emotional and psychological problems such as depression and grief.
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The Biblical Saint Peter, whom the plant was named after, is said to be the holder of the keys to Heaven, and so the name represents an opening of a gateway for us to enter into a dimension where we can experience the world as divine. Participants are said to be ‘set free from matter’ and ‘engage in flight through cosmic regions… transported across time and space. One shaman described its effects as “First, a dreamy state… then great visions, a clearing of all the faculties… then detachment, a type of visual force inclusive of the sixth sense, the telepathic state of transmitting oneself across time and matter, like a removal of thoughts to a distant dimension.” In this way, San Pedro is said to remove our negative beliefs so the positive ones shine through and set us on the path to healing and total wellness.
Meet the Shaman
Tsentsek is a traditional Uwishin Ayumpum with 50 years of experience. He began his training in his teens and has practiced traditional medicine independently since he was 22 years old. His training is a combination of traditional learning from his direct lineage of ancestors, as well as participating in many convocations of indigenous practices all around Ecuador.
Tsentsek has a long family tradition of indigenous medicine and was called to his profession by lineage. His work includes working with the ancestral medicines of his lineage and training, spiritual and cosmic cleanses, and a devotion to Medicine and Spiritual work.
Tsentsek lives in Puyo, Ecuador and has been mentoring Jhoselyn since 2017. He has a love for Medicine, his People, Nature and delicious pears.
Meet the Facilitators
The role of our facilitators is to support you to locate the courage you need to move through the difficulty. Their primary role is to ensure your wellbeing. Our facilitators will create a loving, compassionate space in which all participants feel safe, respected and free to express themselves authentically.
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CreatorGoddess Jhoselyn Gaddy is a licensed registered nurse with over 19 years of experience, as well as a curandera with 12 years of experience. She is also a sacred sexuality guide, sexual health advocate, and certified tantra practitioner. Goddess Jhoselyn has training with the indigenous Shuar culture of her native land of Ecuador, and is a plant medicine retreat facilitator and intuitive healer. She has worked with clients of all ages, genders, and backgrounds in both Spanish and English, and finds joy in sharing her medical and holistic knowledge about healthy living, personal healing, and leading a spiritually and emotionally balanced life. She draws upon the ancient, sacred knowledge passed down to her from her South American Indigenous lineage while also incorporating her many years of western medicinal training.
Goddess Jhoselyn has been working with Plant Medicines in her healing journey since 2012. She was introduced to Aya in Ecuador in 2016 while in search of her own healing from breast cancer. During her experience, she received a deeper calling to bring people in need of healing to this very place to receive the medicine that helped her return to health. Since 2017, Jhoselyn has shared the experience of Ecuador’s beautiful medicine with many, and in 2020, she was presented with the opportunity to take ownership of the Ayahuasca retreat center in Ecuador, fulfilling a long-standing dream of bringing this sacred medicine and her healing gifts to even more people, especially those belonging to the BIPOC and Queer community.
Goddess Jhoselyn is grateful to Mother Aya and is thankful for the opportunity given to her by her faith in this Medicine to bring spiritual healing to those who seek it. As a mother, she understands the importance of healing as a family unit and in community with one another, and looks forward to sharing more of her gifts in this journey of life.
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Co-Creator
Courtney "Gaddy" is a powerful force for healing and transformation. With a background in music, project management, and community activism, she brings a unique blend of skills and talents to the healing team. Her intuitive nature and spiritual insights make her a valuable member of the group, and her passion for helping others is evident in everything she does.
Raised in a Christian home, Gaddy has always had a strong faith in the powers of good. Her love of music as a healing tool led her to use singing, songwriting, and create new music for the retreat. She has also been involved in numerous community projects, working to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
As a project manager, Gaddy has honed her ability to see beyond the present and envision a better future. This skill has been invaluable in the development of the retreat center, which promises to be a life-changing experience for all who visit.
Gaddy's spiritual leadership has also been a source of inspiration for many. She has helped others navigate their shadow work and find healing through their own spiritual practices. Her recent experiences with plant medicine have further expanded her understanding of the spiritual realm and deepened her connection to the divine.
Above all, Gaddy is a compassionate and caring soul who is dedicated to helping others find their own path to healing and transformation. She is a true asset to the healing team and an inspiration to all who know her.