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We have been hosting ayahuasca retreats since 1996. Our center is based in the midst of the beautiful Atlantic Rainforest along the coast of Bahia in Brazil. We facilitate a safe and comfortable space for you to achieve harmony in your everyday life by aligning your mind, body, and heart with your true self.
Our 9 day and 11 day ayahuasca retreats are designed to give you a balanced experience. We have ayahuasca ceremonies every other night and in between there are activities to integrate your experiences and insights. There is also ample free time to reflect, to enjoy the beauty of the jungle, to visit the gorgeous beaches, and just to relax, let go, and enjoy the pure bliss of the moment.
Calendar and prices on our website
We have extensive experience integrating ayahuasca, psychology, shamanism, self development, modified states of consciousness, and various other modalities. We are present at all times and are dedicated in supporting you with loving care, attention, safety, and respect.The activities include workshops focused on spiritual development. The techniques covered in the workshops can be practiced even after the retreat to continue the journey of personal growth. Some of the topics include inner child integration, life progression, discovering the source of your blockages and the resources to overcome them. Another very important part of the retreat are the Yoga sessions in the morning which greatly enrich the ayahuasca experiences at night.
Spirit Vine & TheVine Center previously known as Ayahuasca-Healing have been created by Silvia Polivoy. She received her license in clinical psychology and had a private practice in Buenos Aires, Argentina for several years until she began to feel the need to make a transition from studying and healing the mind to exploring the worlds of Spirit. This took her away from the busy city streets to the more tranquil life in the jungle, moving to Brazil where in 2004 she co-founded the TheVine Center, a trans-denominational and inter-faith spiritual center located in the state of Bahia.
The nature of our nonprofit center is philosophical, religious, mystical, spiritual, educational, and cultural. All the retreats’ income’ serves to maintain the center grounds, create employment for the local community, and help preserve the jungle, having replanted thousands of native trees over the years to give but one example.
The retreats take place inside of 39 acres of lush preserved area. It is about 7 miles from Itacaré on the coast of Bahia. Our location is only minutes away from beautiful coastal beaches, which back onto the Mata Atlántica, the second largest rainforest in Brazil.
The experience of sacred tea ceremonies can be challenging for some, deeply religious for others, but profound all around. Please note that we have several programs to offer and the plant ceremonies are always optional and not required to partake in during any of our retreats. The plant ceremonies begin in the evening and go through the night. The group dynamic is very important and there will be facilitators to look after participants throughout. There will be plenty of time for group discussions and also time alone to reflect on the experiences elicited by the spirit vine tea for those that wish to partake in the plant ceremonies.
At the retreat center we grow our own ayahuasca vine and chacruna plants organically! We also have an organic garden to source vegetables for the food prepared during the retreat. We have pure spring water for drinking and also coconut water, juices, and a variety of teas.
During all our programs we follow a strict (though delicious) diet. The meals are completely vegan, gluten-free, and nutritionally balanced, prepared by our in-house chef who has specialized in vegan cuisine and has a post-graduation in functional nutrition. They include plenty of fresh vegetables cooked with delicious herbs and spices, luscious fresh tropical fruits, salads, and grains.
A note about sexual abstinence: this varies from culture to culture; some recommending as long as 30-40 days while others as little as one day or none at all like here in Brazil. For energetic purposes we recommend sexual abstinence during the retreat as well as 3 days before it begins and 3 days after the retreat concludes. As well, a drug free and no salt diet with no red meat, pork or heavy alcohol use for the same amount of time is optimal.
We fully expect you have questions about the retreats, programs and the facilities we offer. Please feel free to explore our website or watch our videos and write to us to come to one of our retreats.
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erin
May 10, 2022 at 3:42 pmIt’s hard to know where to begin. I think starting with the retreat facilitators, Silvia and Tio is a good place. They are nothing short of incredible. Their directness, kindness and insight to one’s soul is exactly what I needed.
From the moment you arrive at the retreat you get a sense of sheer magic. It’s hard to describe but the grounds of Spirit Vine invoke a sense of calm and tranquility.
The bungalow I stayed in was shared with two other guests. My bed was so comfortable and I actually slept!! Something I struggle with. There is something to be said for falling asleep and waking with the sounds of the jungle all around you.
I have to admit I was nervous prior to my first ceremony of 5. Silvia and Tio do an amazing job at making you feel safe and prepared, something that help solidify my decision to attend Spirit Vine, safety. Being a women myself I was comforted knowing Silvia, a women was leading the ceremony.
My experience with ayahuasca and what I learned in those 5 ceremonies has forever changed my life. It is absolutely true that it’s a life time of therapy jammed into one night. Honestly there’s no way I would ever have unlocked the traumas and insight I have with my therapist.
I will forever be thankful I listened when ayahuasca called and am so grateful that I listened to myself and chose Spirit Vine.
My husband and I plan to return next year together as I did this journey alone this time. He has seen the change in me and is wanting to explore it for himself.
Thank you again Silvia and Tio. I miss our conversations and the feeling of community I felt for those 11 days. Can’t wait to be back again next year.
If you are at all hesitant, don’t be. A wise women told me, fear will hold you back from everything exciting that life has to offer.
tberg21
May 5, 2022 at 11:31 pmWow, where to even start as a review for Spirit Vine. I did a TON of research and used the reviews from ayaadvisors to choose Spirit Vine so I figured I should also give guidance for people seeking to absolutely, 100% come to Spirit Vine.
In an overview,
1. The food is exquisite!! It is tasty and beautiful. You do not even realize that you are not consuming salt because every thing you eat has so much flavor. I wish I could hire her to come cook for me every day.
2. The land/housing is beyond beautiful! You are in the beautiful Bahia. Every bungalow is beautifully crafted overlooking acres of gorgeous jungle that Silvia is working to preserve. 3.The workshops are tailored to guide and help you learn tools for both ceremonies and to be used in practice back home.
4. The team especially Silvia and TiO are absolute geniuses with some much knowledge, wisdom, and heart. I felt so safe, seen, and grateful to be able to interact daily with both of them.
5. Everyone participant was absolutely amazing, kind, funny, and had such a story to share and grow from.
6. The massages are OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Let’s just say I almost booked a flight home and I AM SO GLAD I STAYED. My bunkmate, whom Silvia so intuitively pairs you with, convinced me to say. The third night I had 27 years of searching for why come to light. I found so much clarity, understanding, self love, and peace. I wish I could be back now, continuing to learn and grow with the thoughts and guidance from both Silvia and TiO. It is truly a life changing experience. You must go!
Ping Xia Po
May 3, 2022 at 12:25 pmIt’s the fourth time I’ve been coming in this place to work on my self.
I was always a more practical person than anything else so doing an experience like this was a challenge for me. This “life changing” experience seemed to good to be true but here I am after attending 4 retreats and doing almost 20 ceremonies !
I know that it’s hard to take the step to do such an experience.
From the things you read on the internet about people screaming or purging to the definition of Ayahuasca as a drug, many can be scared to do it.
But it is completely different here. You learn how to work with the plant in order to heal your past traumas from your childhood or any current intention you want to work on.
You are in a dream place, in the Jungle, in Brazil, with really nice bungalows in the property where you have a big pond in the middle where you can swim.
There is are two special vegan chefs that cook really good food with all the different fruits and vegetables Brazil has to offer. I was not vegan at all, I love eating cheese, meat, having wine etc.. food is my passion, but it was never a problem to stop this and do a vegan diet as the cooks here are really talented, and the diet really helps clean your body.
Now, for the actual experience of taking Ayahuasca, you have workshops during the day to learn some tools to heal what you want to heal. You are accompanied by 2 professionals who have been working with people for years and years which has granted them enormous experience and wisdom.
They are the reason I always come back to the same place. I trust them, but mostly they know me and my traumas and they see what I can’t see and this makes the biggest difference in the world. They know exactly how to work with me and so with other people after all those years working with people. After working in finance for some time, I can say that this will be the best investment you will make. Investing on yourself and taking the time to do this experience will be a choice that you will not regret no matter what.
To Silvia and Ti0, forever grateful
christian
April 8, 2022 at 11:28 amayahuasca came, saw and conquered.
i learned about spirit vine from someone i met on my travels in patagonia. it should be like that, because my trip should take me to itacare anyway where i wanted to go surfing. I was unsure at first and checked many other retreats and not only did I like Spirit Vine the most, but it also seemed to be a very safe place, which was very important to me in my first experience. and everything came as it was supposed to. silvia and tio are two incredibly great people whose mission is to help other people. no hokospokos here, or any quackery. the retreat is located a few kilometers from beautiful beaches in itacare and has grown into a magical place with a lot of love over the years. all my expectations were exceeded. as a chef i can say that the food was of an absolutely high standard. vegan, gluten, sugar and unfortunately also salt free. Unfortunately, that has to be the case, because ayahuasca doesn’t go well. but it doesn’t matter, because you get to know the real tastes. the experience with the medicinal plant was life-changing and still ongoing. I would come back any time, which I will do as soon as possible. which, by the way, a lot of people do, which actually says everything about spirit vine. buckle up and let the journey to yourself begin. you are in very good hands! thank you silvia and tio from the bottom of my heart
christian
waveedavey
April 3, 2022 at 2:31 pmFirstly some context around my decision making in selecting Spirit Vine. I felt the calling to do ayahuasca back in 2017, so this trip has been a LONG time coming. I researched many many retreats extensively before deciding upon taking my first ayahuasca journey at Spirit Vine. Experience and knowledge of Silvia was one of the reasons that I chose to come to Spirit Vine. With her background in clinical psychology as well as extensive work with plant medicine I felt she would be the right person to help guide me on my journey. Also, in terms of location I really wanted to be near the sea for a few days after the retreat (which tuned out to be a great decision). In all, I can honestly say this was one of the best life decisions I have ever made.
Let me first start by talking about the centre itself. Spirit vine is a slice of paradise. The retreat is set in around 40 acres of lush tropical jungle. Upon arrival, what becomes clear is that Sylvia and Ti0 take a huge amount of care in every single detail of the Spirit Vine experience. Ti0 is an incredible being who was there for all of us when we needed him – kind, patient and full of wisdom. Both of them expertly and safely guided us all through this incredible experience. Everything within the retreat is meticulously cared for and considered. The surroundings, the buildings, the accommodation, the food and the workshops. All of the constituent parts that comprise the experience have clearly undergone many years of refinement to get to where they are today. There is deep care and respect for the jungle which is beautiful to see.
The workshops provide a hugely valuable framework for helping to process the numerous insights that flow from the ceremonies. The three workshops were ‘Regression to Childhood’, ‘Spirit Release’ and ‘Victimhood’. Each workshop played a vital role in helping to provide the tools for the participants to work with in ceremony and beyond.
The group dynamic was incredibly powerful. It was incredible to share with such a fantastic group of beautiful people, all looking to work on their spirituality and healing. It is no surprise that there were a few folks on the retreat that had been before. I now understand why.
It is also worth saying that the nearby town of Itacare is lovely. It has a warm and friendly vibe with beautiful beaches, and fantastic food. The perfect place to process the insights and experience post retreat.
In all, this was a deeply profound, life-changing experience that has brought me deep healing and insights beyond all my expectations.
I wanted to say a huge heartfelt thank you Silvia and Ti0
I will return to Spirit Vine to continue my journey…
Adam