Most people first participate in an ayahuasca retreat for personal growth, optimization, up-leveling consciousness and healing. After participating in ceremony and experiencing the transformative power behind this plant medicine, some feel called to become a ceremonial facilitator. This is a huge decision in someone’s life and needs to be taken very seriously. There are significant responsibilities holding ayahuasca ceremonies. It takes traditional practitioners (shamans) anywhere from five to ten years of training to be certified and allowed to hold their own ayahuasca ceremonies.

To support the growing community of ayahuasca enthusiasts, Blue Morpho has created an academy to train and certify ceremonial facilitators and assistants. The academy will offer both online courses and in person training to ensure graduates have the expertise they need to carry on the evolving traditions of safe and professional ayahuasca practice.

The Blue Morpho courses teach the core principles and tools to be a globally recognized facilitator. This is a holistic approach to training, encompassing mind, body, heart and spirit. It is a profound program for anyone interested in learning ayahuasca based practices, as well as anyone interested in facilitating the personal growth and exploration of consciousness. The courses are designed for modern educated people from around the world and seeks to solve many of the problems that arise from modern culture’s loss of ancient plant medicine knowledge.

You will learn about

Ayahuasca Retreats
Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Ayahuasca Preparation
Ayahuasca Icaros
Plant Medicine Dietas
Safety and Conduct
Human Dynamics
Dietary Restrictions
Traditional customs and practices
The course will be available online, allowing you to access a lesson and activity each day. These activities include a variety of tools and practices that you apply directly to your life, as you live it.

Some of the themes explored throughout the course include:

Setting sacred space, conducting ritual
Shamanic journeying
Connecting with your guides
Exploring different realms of consciousness
Performing your own soul retrieval and shamanic healing
Spirit communication
Personal transformation and using spirits to guide trance
Sacred Geometry
Holding ceremonial space
Shamanic vision
Learning powers and abilities
Training your mind
Intuitive creativity
Learning knowledge and wisdom
Blue Morpho courses are a toolbox for improving every key aspect of your life

Training mindfulness, focus and grounding are foundational skills that every ayahuasca retreat facilitator needs. Here are five exercises to promote these skills in your everyday life.

Exercise #1: Grounding Exercise– Intentional Walking

This exercise will help bring you to a singular focus. In doing so, you quiet the story in your mind and break free of bombarding thoughts that seem to never stop. It recreates mindfulness so that you can return to your path.

Often when we go through changes it is easy to get ungrounded and to rise up into our concepts about our life and experiences. When this happens we need to get back into our bodies and really stay connected to physicality. This is a grounding technique that you can use to get out of the mind and connected once again to the earth.

Get barefoot either outside or inside, whichever is practical. Connect to your feet and really focus on feeling them connected to the ground. Feel all sensations. Bring your mind completely to your feet. Walk around taking steps holding your attention on your feet. If your mind wanders, bring it back. Connect to the earth beneath your feet.

Look at your habits as rituals or ritualistic behavior. It is something you do each day, the same way over and over again. If you are doing the same thing each day, you can’t expect to evolve and integrate change. You have to change little by little how you live. Daily rituals offer immediate ways to change your day. Certain ones will help you connect to and maintain connection with spirit and guides throughout the day. Each activity reinforces spiritual connection and the evolution and integration of your training. These are simple ways to blend focus and intention in a modern life.

Exercise #2: Smudging – Cleansing Energy

Smudging is a great way to cleanse energy. Smudging will not only help cleanse your energetic body but also the energy in your home, workspace, car, or anywhere you spend a lot of time. It’s a good practice to regularly smudge, just as you would physically cleanse your body, home, etc. Smudging is very helpful when you feel stressed, unbalanced, after a difficult day, or if you just feel like freshening up your space.

Obtain a smudging plant that you would like to work with: White Sage, Palo Santo, or something else that you connect to.
Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit with your sage (or other smudging plant) and have a lighter with you. Take long, slow deep breaths. Relax your mind and body. Use your breath to deepen your state of relaxation.
After seven to ten relaxing breaths, light the sage and blow on it until it emits a thick smoke. Make sure there aren’t any live flames, just embers and smoke. Wave the smoking sage all around your body. Use your hands to guide it to each body part. Connect with the smell and the feeling it evokes within you. Feel its calming energies. Continue to take long slow relaxing breaths through the process.
As you smudge yourself, ask the sage spirit to cleanse your energy, to bring calm and clarity into your mind, body and spirit. Imagine the cleansing energies emanating from the smoke, surrounding you, and filling your entire energetic space.
Continue for up to 5 minutes (or longer if you prefer). When you are finished, leave the smudge in a safe place to let it burn out.
Exercise #3: Water Cleanse

This shower exercise is like a cleansing shower for your whole being. It’s important for you to really reach down deep inside yourself to connect. Use it as a tool to relax yourself and let go.

In the shower (basic version):

While entering into the water stream in the shower, invoke the spirit of the water. Say, “I call on the energy of the water to cleanse my body physically and to cleanse me energetically. Remove all energetic blocks and cleanse away any and all spiritual attachments. Free my body, mind and spirit.”
Focus as the water washes everything away and penetrates your being. Feel the water go into the depths of your body. Allow the spirit of the water to enter you and travel through your whole body, cleansing and reenergizing you.
You may repeat this invocation and process as many times as necessary. You can repeat the saying verbally or inside your mind. You can also come up with your own saying or prayer. Do whatever you feel connected to.
Exercise #4: The Breath of Love

The breath represents a flow of life force through your body. Without this energetic life force, you will experience a burning need for it. You will learn to harness the energy of life that brought you into this world. You’ll understand air and you’ll intentionally bring the pure life force into and out of you. The result is that it will continually ground you and center you.

When you feel yourself getting tense, change your breathing patterns. Start taking long, slow, deep breaths. Inhale to the count of 4 and exhale to the count of 4 while focusing on the breath itself. Imagine that you are breathing in love and exhaling love. Do this for 7 breaths and relax as much as possible with each breath. Do this type of breathing before any activity that would normally be difficult or anxiety provoking.

Exercise #5: Affirmation Statements

Affirmation statements are powerful tools when you focus and concentrate on what the meaning found in the statement represents. It is not enough to say them without being connected to their powerful meaning. Also, repetition is key. Say these statements throughout the day. When you do, focus on and be mindful of the meaning of the statement. As a facilitator, you will learn how to gain the maximum power from affirmations. You will get benefit from these even if you just say them a few times, but feel free to continue connecting with their meaning as much as you can:

I am the only one I can ever be
I live in my heart and think with my mind
I am worthy of love
I am capable
I integrate all change with grace and ease
I love myself
I am the giver and receiver of love. I give and receive love to myself from myself
Blue Morpho ayahuasca retreats offer the best in comfort and service. You will receive Blue Morpho plant medicines, that have been perfected over twenty years, working with thousands of guests from over 100 countries.

Experience 4 Blue Morpho Ayahuasca Ceremonies on your Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru
Twenty years, serving over 5000 satisfied guests from over 100 countries.
www.bluemorphotours.com