Todd

Jun 3, 2023

READ if you are on the fence about attending Gaia Sagrada

I had my call to Gaia Sagrada at the beginning of this year (2023) after a 12 year fascination with Ayahuasca plant medicine. I am so glad I found this retreat while searching for a destination to attend an Ayahuasca ceremony. I attended a 7 day retreat at the end of May (1-Ayahuasca ceremony, 1-San Pedro ceremony, and 1-sweat lodge ceremony consisting of Ayahuasca and San Pedro). From the moment I arrived, I was greeted with love and kindness. All of the staff were amazing. The week felt like one big long eventful day but I was sad it was over at the end of the week. There were plenty of workshops to attend along with bonding with other participants. My only regret is that I didn't book the 12 day retreat. Gaia Sagrada sits on 55 acres in the beautiful Andes mountains. The views are breathtaking. On site there are several different buildings for housing, ceremonies, common areas, places for workshops, and places to sit/relax/meditate/hike etc. I stayed in the dorms which I chose to take myself out of my comfort zone. It turned out to be the best choice I made because it kept me from secluding in my own room and created an environment to get to know everyone there. The food was amazing. Thank you Matt. His culinary creations were way above my expectations of what a vegetarian diet could be. The smells and flavors had me looking forward to every meal. I need a copy of his "kitchen bible" to replicate those meals into my daily life or find a "Matt" close to home to cook for me. Christine has really created a magical place to explore your inner self. The way she breaks through and touches your heart you will know that she is not doing this for the money. She is creating an army of "007 secret agents of love". She really makes you feel comfortable jumping into plant medicine feet first and let it have its way with you. The other people attending the ceremonies while I was there have become my new family. The bond created because of the struggles we took together is like no other. We all grew together while searching within ourselves and sharing our passages during the integration meetings after each ceremony. It was suggested to create a WhatsApp group so we could all keep up with the growth and healing once we integrate back to our normal lives. We will always be there to support each other and witness the changes/transformations we have made in our journey from that first day at Gaia. I will miss the interactions with the participants and staff but I will be back to visit again in the future. I could not say enough nice things about Gaia Sagrada. If you are looking for a retreat to attend, take a look at the reviews and get there to see that they are all accurate. Thank you Christine, Wendy, Paula, Fernando, all the shamans, the rest of the staff and volunteers. You all make Gaia a very special place. Thank you Todd G