Welcome!
We are so happy that you will be joining us for the Bobinsana Dieta with Shipibo Maestro Teo Ochavano Lopez. This is a very powerful spiritual journey and we honor you for taking the time to deepen your path with the sacred medicines.
​
You are about to embark upon a magical journey that will bring new perspective to how you see yourself and the world around you. It will be an initiation of stepping deeper into who you truly are beyond your mind, ego, conditioning, unconscious patterns & beliefs.
​
Know that we are committed to making you feel safe and prepared.
When we come together we will share in depth information about the medicine, tools on how to receive the most from the experience and for navigating things that may arise in ceremony. Until then, these preparation guidelines will support you to receive the most from the immersion.
​
Know that you will be held in love, and all is welcome. You don't have to be perfect, spiritual or have it together - all we have to do is show up exactly as we are.
​
Before we come together, it's important that we get to know you a little more, make sure this retreat going to be supportive for you and that we have all the information we need to support you in the best way.
We'll start this process by having you fill out the registration form linked here.
You will find the preparation details and information on what to bring below.
​
We'll send out directions and any other necessary details before the retreat.
Preparation
​​​As you may know, the spirit of our plant teachers begin to work with us when we say yes to this opportunity. You may start receiving insights or become triggered by something that is ready to be felt and cleared.
In our experience working with these master teachers becomes more profound with mindful preparation to your commitment.
If possible, it is good to begin preparing a few weeks leading up to the immersion.
​
The medicine is a powerful tool to help us return to our true nature but it is not a magic pill. We need to meet the medicine with our openness, courage, presence, and willingness to do what it takes to prepare as well as integrate the lessons into our daily lives so that it is not simply a peak experience but something that deeply transforms our lives.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​
CREATING AN ALTAR​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​
We invite you to create an altar that will support you in this process of metamorphosis. Each day light a candle and burn some incense, plants or resin to clear your energy at your altar before your meditation or yoga practice.
​
Connect into your prayers and intentions for the immersion and offer gratitude, flowers, fruit or anything that feels like a beautiful representation of your prayer.​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​
When we are in ceremony it is ultimately a meditation. To prepare your body, mind and spirit, it is highly suggested to begin a seated meditation practice of 10-60 minutes a day at least a week before the retreat.
Moving meditation like walking, dancing or gardening can also be incredibly supportive to quiet the mind, cultivate awareness and connection.
​
As much as you can, give yourself the gift of solo time in silence to just be with whatever thoughts, emotions or sensations arise without trying to fix or change anything. The process of allowing, being with and surrendering to what is is one of the keys to receiving graceful teachings in ceremony.
Another important key is cultivating our connection to our breath. In your meditation and yoga practice focus your awareness on your breath and how it flows through your body.
Notice where you feel areas of blockages or stagnation of your breath and life force energy and see if you can explore what they are connected to and what they are here to teach you.
In Vinyasa Yoga there is an art of synchronizing your breath with your movement. I invite you to explore this not only with your yoga or movement practice but in your daily life as a way to bring you into a flow state of greater awareness.
Yin Yoga is another powerful practice to support with relaxing your nervous system, cultivating a greater awareness of subtle energy, emotions as well as support with surrendering on all levels which is perhaps the greatest preparation for ceremony.
You can download a guided audio yin yoga practice I created here that focuses on self love.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​
Meditation & Yoga
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Time in Nature
Giving ourselves the gift of time in nature to simply be without distractions helps to open and tune our frequency to be able to connect with the spirit of the plants. It is equally beneficial to give ourselves this gift as much as we can post retreat.
Diet
We encourage you to listen to your body’s wisdom while following these guidelines.
The most important thing is to be eating clean food that is ideally local & organic. Make sure to drink a lot of water for the few days before the retreat as hydration is a multi day process.
For a week both before and after our gathering it is good to refrain from red meat & pork.
Ideally for a week, but at least a few days before - refrain from processed foods, chili and spicy foods, fermented food & drink, beans, legumes, dairy, coffee, salt and refined sugar. If you wish you can choose to cleanse and refrain from these foods for longer.
On the day of our ceremonies you can eat a simple meal up until 2pm.
Generally keep your diet vegetarian, (fish and chicken can be ok) and simple without too much food combining, spices, salt or sugar.
It is very important to avoid recreational drugs, most other medicines, alcohol and processed food two weeks before we gather and after as well.
If you are taking any pharmaceutical medication, it is very important that you let us know on the registration form so we can determine if there are any contraindications.
This is a wonderful opportunity for cleansing on every level and the more we prepare beforehand, the more receptive we will be.
Sexual Intimacy
​​​
We invite you to create an altar that will support you in this process of metamorphosis. Each day light a candle and burn some incense, plants or resin to clear your energy at your altar before your meditation or yoga practice.
​
Connect into your prayers and intentions for the immersion and offer gratitude, flowers, fruit or anything that feels like a beautiful representation of your prayer.​​​​​​​​​​​​
Keeping your Field Clear
As part of your preparation, I invite you to keep your phone off for the first and last hour of each day and take these times when the veil into your subconscious is more open to do some of the practices and journaling suggested here.
I ask that you unplug and disconnect from technology during our retreat, so please plan for this in your schedule.
​
It is ideal to give yourself as much time as possible post retreat for integration. At the very least, do not plan anything important for at least one day after the retreat so you can continue to reflect, integrate and be in your own energetic space.
​
To keep your field clear please refrain from any intense experiences, conversations, news, movies or media as it can leave imprints in our mind and our energetic body. It is recommended to refrain from these at least a few days before and after our time together.
Journaling / Intentions
​​If there is any fear arising, know that this is completely natural as we prepare to go into the unknown. Journaling before the retreat can help us process fear as well as begin to formulate our intentions for the experience.
Creating our intentions is an important part of the experience. It invites us to go deeper into our WHY - what is the deeper calling inside of us?
It is also beneficial to stay open to the intelligence of the medicine and know that we will always receive exactly what we need even if it is not exactly what we ask for.
It is also beautiful to be in an open enquiry around our intentions and see what comes, especially when we first wake up and right before bed.
Here are a few suggested journaling prompts to prepare for the retreat.
* Choose 3 specific things in your life that you are ready to transform or upgrade and write them out in detail.
Tune into the emotions and how you feel in the timeline where these shifts have already taken place and write out how it feels in as much detail as possible.
* What habits or ways of being do you see that you can shift or release in order to actualize this and live a life of greater liberation?
* What ways of being would be beneficial to step into to actualize these shifts?
* What fears arise inside of you and what do you feel is holding you back in your life?
* Is there a thought loop or fear that takes up a lot of space in your mind? Do some free writing around, asking where it comes from, where it lives in your body, what qualities of energy it has and anything else to bring greater understanding.
* Is there anything unspoken, not forgiven, withheld or incomplete in your life or with your relationships that is weighing on you?
* What are your dreams for your life? If there were no limits around time, money, location, experience, education, etc. what would you be doing with your life right now?
​
* What is the legacy you wish to leave for the future generations? ​​​
YACUMAMA WELCOME GUIDE​​
​
Please see the welcome guide with everything you need to know about travel to Yacumama and information to support your stay.​​
​
- Ceremonial white or light colored clothes
- Comfortable yoga clothes
- Clothing for hot days and cool nights
- Bathing suit for swimming
- Sarong/pareo
- Toothbrush, toothpaste & soap (natural/biodegradable)
- Natural insect repellent & itch soothing cream
- Headlamp/Flashlight
- Eye mask & ear plugs if you need for sleeping post ceremony
- Reusable water bottle
- Journal and pen
- Art supplies if you wish to create while you are in dieta
- Sacred objects for your own altar if you wish
- Cash for the remainder of the retreat
If there are any of these things that you don't have we can likely help provide them for you. ​​
​
​
​​What to Bring
​​
​
​ARRIVAL
​
Plan to leave San Jose between 9 and 10am to arrive between 1:00 and 3:00pm on Dec 11th. If your flight arrives in the second part of the day, arrive on the 10th and book one of the hotels listed in the welcome guide.
​
We are happy to coordinate private taxis or a group shuttle.
Please contact us with any questions.
We look forward to welcoming you!
​​​