Nestled in the lush foothills of the Colombian rainforest, at the base of a mountain just 90 minutes from Medellín, Lawayra Retreat Center offers a sanctuary for healing, reflection, and transformation.

Built using traditional methods and designed in harmony with the surrounding landscape, the retreat blends simplicity, comfort, and authentic indigenous tradition. Private cabins overlook the forest, while winding garden paths, a pool, sauna, and inviting gathering spaces create opportunities to rest, reconnect, and build meaningful community.

At the heart of the retreat is the Maloka—the sacred ceremonial space where profound transformation unfolds. Surrounded by towering trees and vibrant flowers, this is where you'll be guided through ceremony under the loving care and wisdom of 6th-generation Taita Fernando Jojoa.

The rainforest is more than a breathtaking setting—it is an active participant in your journey. Its rhythms, sounds, and vibrant life force gently support the healing process, inviting you to slow down, reconnect with the Earth, and experience the profound wisdom of Pachamama.

Before the ceremony even begins, you'll feel something shift.

This is a place where nature holds you, tradition guides you, and transformation becomes possible.

As the sun sets, the Maloka comes alive. The sacred fire is lit, participants gather in quiet meditation, and the sounds of the jungle gently shift as birds grow silent and the evening chorus of frogs and insects begins. The air fills with the cleansing aroma of Palo Santo and copal, inviting you to release the outside world and enter a sacred space.

Our experienced facilitators surround the circle, creating an atmosphere of safety, compassion, and unwavering support. As the ceremony team prepares the space, Taita enters and opens the ceremonial container with the wisdom of a lineage carried through ten generations. The medicine is prepared according to sacred tradition, poured with intention, and offered with reverence.

The cup is waiting.

Are you ready to answer its call?

Connect, heal, grow and learn is the purpose of this journey. Connection to the earth, to the jungle, to the medicine, to the wisdom, to yourself and to your community…these are integral parts of what you will experience. 

This is more than learning about ayahuasca. It is an opportunity to experience its teachings firsthand while gaining a deeper understanding of its preparation, ceremonial use, and transformative potential. As both participant and helping professional, you'll witness not only your own healing but also the profound process of holding space for others.

Each day includes two integration circles: one where you share your personal experience as a ceremony participant, and another where you reflect as a facilitator alongside fellow therapists and practitioners. Blending traditional plant medicine with psychotherapeutic principles, these circles create a compassionate container where healing, insight, and professional growth naturally unfold.

This training is an invitation into profound personal and professional transformation.

Beyond learning the ceremonial use of ayahuasca, you are invited to tend to your own healing—to gently release what you have been carrying from your life and your work, reconnect with your authentic self, and restore your capacity for presence, compassion, and heart-centered care.

As helping professionals, we often hold so much for others. This experience offers the rare opportunity to be held yourself.

Through ceremony, integration, and community, you will cultivate greater self-awareness, renewed vitality, and a deeper trust in your own inner wisdom—returning home with not only new knowledge, but a renewed relationship with yourself and your work.

This is more than a training.

It is a return to yourself.