We
are pleased to present a dedicated programme
in the Amazon rainforest, which is focussed on
an inner and deep self-exploration and encounter
with the power of the rainforest. This is an
adventure into the magical world of the rainforest,
and a transformative experience of the ancient
mystical rituals of the plant spirit medicines.
Yoga in the Amazon
Over the last years we have included an ad-hoc
yoga component on our retreats working with different
teachers. Since we have been working closer with
Eugene we have decided to integrate this fully
into our Retreat programme. Our experience
with yoga retreats has been very positive and
there is definitely a synergy between the practices.
Eugene Bersuker is a Yoga teacher, trained in
India, Shivananda Saraswati School of Yoga.
Traditional Hatha and Yoga for Healing. Yoga
postures and meditations used to relieve tensions,
purify mind/body, and raise vibrations. An
instructor in Chi Gong, and Eugene is also
a Licensed Massage Therapist - Swedish and
Shiatsu.
Although we
are based in the UK, participants from France,
South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the USA, Australia,
New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and Spain,
have joined us on our journeys.
In 2009 we
will be holding two Retreat programmes, our confirmed
dates are:
Retreat
Programme 1
Ayahuasca and the Magical World of the Shipibo
- Ayahuasca, Yoga, Shipibo arts , and Amazon
Plant Spirit Medicines.
January 17th - 31st 2009 with optional extension
week to February 7th
Retreat
Programme 2
Unique Ayahuasca Retreat and Art Workshop with
the great visionary artist Pablo Amaringo.
July 25th - August 5th 2009
Click here for further details: Pable Amaringo Workshop
Download
the 2009 programme
Ayahuasca
and the Magical World of the Shipibo
A Special Amazon Retreat with the Shipibo
January 17th – 31st 2009 with optional
extension week to February 7th
 The
Shipibo are one of the largest ethnic groups
in the Peruvian Amazon. These ethnic groups each
have their own languages, traditions and culture.
The Shipibo which currently number about 20,000
are spread out in communities through the Pucallpa
/ Ucayali river region. They are highly regarded
in the Amazon as being masters of Ayahuasca,
and many aspiring shamans and Ayahuasqueros from
the region study with the Shipibo to learn their
language, chants, and plant medicine knowledge.
One of the
most impressive features of the Shipibo nation
is their art which pervades all aspects of their
unique culture. The clothes and jewellery they
wear are exquisite, not one piece is the same
as another. Everything they do is done with an
aesthetic sensibility, and perhaps, more than
for any other group in the Amazon, the visionary
world of Ayahuasca is at the root of their culture.
Even everyday objects such as canoes and oars
are works of art and perfectly sculpted.
During this
special retreat we experience the Magical World
of the Shipibo, working with two shamans, Enrique
Lopez and the renowned Elder Benjamin Ochavano
(Enrique’s father in-law). The Ayahuasca
we will use in our ceremonies will be from the
Shipibo lands in the Ucayali region. Their Ayahuasca
is highly regarded and is of a different quality
and intensity than the Ayahuasca Cielo which
is generally available.
 The
Shipibo consider our state of health (which includes
physical, emotional and psychological) to be
dependent on the balanced union of the mind,
spirit and body. If an imbalance in this occurs
such as through emotions of envy, hate, anger,
this will generate a negative effect on the health
of that person. The shaman will re-establish
the balance by chanting icaros which are the
geometric patterns of harmony made manifest in
sound into the body of the person. The shaman
in effect transforms the visual code into an
acoustic code.
Many people
are astonished at how Shipibo chants provoke
vision of the patterns especially in ayahuasca
ceremonies. The Muraya, or shaman, sees these
patterns enveloping the bodies of his patients
like an aura, and where there is illness they
manifest as a dissonance and distortions within
the person’s energy patterns. With the
power of his chant he will reshape them back
to their former harmony and beauty, and thus
restore good health and well-being.
 For
the Shipibo, these highly complex and intricate
patterns are infinitely intelligent and creative.
The designs that the Shipibo paint are channels
or conduits for this multi-sensorial vibrational
fusion of form, light and sound. Although in
our cultural paradigm we perceive that the geometric
patterns are bound within the border of the textile
or ceramic vessel, to the Shipibo the patterns
extend far beyond these borders and permeate
the entire world
If you have
the appropriate intention, the Ayahuasca makes
this knowledge accessible to you. It is not rational
or logical but inside us all, holographic, integrating
all knowledge into one. Every moment of the ‘diet’ is
important for empowering our intention so our
activities are intended to help this.
 There
will also be daily sessions led by the talented
Shipibo craftswoman Teresa. In these experiential
workshops we can design and paint our own textiles,
an activity which every Shipibo girl learns at
an early age using plants to connect them with
the invisible field of cosmic consciousness.
Creativity is not seen as the sole preserve of
the artist, as is the tendency in our culture.
Cumancaya on
the Upper Ucayali is the sacred place of origin
of the Shipibo where large amounts of ceramic
fragments are believed to lie at the bottom of
the cocha, or oxbow lake. These large vessels
are still known as ‘the dead’ in
their language, as long as the bodies remain
there in foetal position, their spirits can climb
to earth and heaven by an invisible ladder and
be reborn, for this reason the Shipibo will not
disturb the remains. We will hold discussions
with the maestros about this and explore their
rich, vibrant and living mythology.
Download
the 2009 programme
Mishana Private Retreat
Centre
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