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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Elainey
September 21, 2019 at 10:51 amThe beauty of Spirit Vine literally took my breath away. What Silvia Polivoy has created here with all of her hard work and dedication is incredible. Silvia is so full of love and caring for everybody at Spirit Vine – she is wise and intelligent, but also has a great sense of humour. I just want to hug her again as i’m writing this! I found it tough at times – you don’t always hear what you want to hear, but you definitely hear what you need to hear. Silvia and all at Spirit Vine have helped me so much to understand myself better and put me on the right path. And then there was TiO – so kind and helpful, and dedicated to putting his heart and soul into everything he does at Spirit Vine. Every time I make food now, I miss his happy little face standing there describing everything I am eating! 🙂 And also a special mention for Noor, such a happy, peaceful and kind soul and a great guy to have around. As for the other people taking part in the retreat – what an awesome, diverse group of people. We laughed, we cried, we healed together. I have so much love for everybody who was there, especially Fotini, who helped me more than she knows with her wise advice!
The ayahuasca was pure and strong, and took me to some incredible places. Ceremonies were sometimes spectacular, sometimes tough, sometimes funny, but always a great learning experience. I think everybody should experience ayahuasca and I can’t imagine there being any better place. You feel safe and well looked after at all times.
There is so much to say about Spirit Vine I could be here all day. The day trips to the stunning beach and waterfalls were amazing! And it was definitely good advice to stay on in Itacare for a few days after the retreat – absolutely loved it!
I would especially like to express my gratitude for the final daytime ceremony. I had no idea what to expect with this one, as ayahuasca is normally always at night time in the dark. I can only say WOW!! I was straight into that beautiful pond, with the bats chasing each other above my head, all of the stunning birds and insects coming to play, and every tree alive with wisdom. I actually felt like I was bathing in the Garden of Eden. Nothing will ever come close. If I could go back to re-live just that one day, I would be there in a heartbeat!
Thank you so much Silvia – your advice and wisdom to me were exactly what I needed and I feel like a stronger, better person now that my path is clearer. I hope to return in the near future to your beautiful paradise! Lots of Love to all of you beautiful people – Elaine xxx
SherryA
September 17, 2019 at 12:16 pmIt’s now a week after the retreat and I’m still buzzing from how amazing my time was at Spirit Vine! Going into an Ayahuasca experience for the first time, I had a lot of nervous energy and emotions. I didn’t know what exactly to expect and I had a lot of expectations on areas of my life I wanted “fixed”. My nerves were quickly calmed as soon as I stepped onto the Spirit Vine grounds. This place is a true oasis. There’s a beautiful pond in the middle of the grounds where participants can float, swim, and relax. I spent a lot of my days laying by the pond or diving into it –so much healing in just relaxing and meditating by the water!
Silvia who founded the retreat is the most amazing, wise, and pure soul you will meet! The center and program she has built is incredible. Her and Ti0, who facilitates the retreat with her, were incredibly kind, generous, thorough, and genuinely put you at ease going into, and during, the experience. We had incredible workshops before the ceremonies that really helped get to your essence and unleashing our unlimited potential. I really loved that there were therapeutic components built into the experience. For me personally, these workshops primed the experiences that I had during the ceremonies and helped me to dig a layer deeper. It was also really empowering to share our journeys afterward and listen to others as well. Our days were so well organized and helped cultivate an amazing energy for the ceremonies at night.
In addition to the beautiful grounds, you will meet the most amazing people at the retreat. I feel like I have close friend’s all over the world now and am so grateful to Silvia for creating this space for people of all walks of life to come together to improve themselves and be there to support each other. I’m completely overwhelmed by all the love and light I feel after the retreat, and am so looking forward to making this a yearly tradition. I can’t recommend a more a supportive, loving, peaceful, and safe environment for your aya experience!
Val Jan
September 17, 2019 at 8:31 amI went to Spirit Vine in May 2019. I have waited a long time to write a review because I wanted to let learnings and
impressions settle deep within. Silvia and Tio offer all of us a very beautiful, professional and commited environment where
we all are safe (their presence, love and care, the quality of the Work & psychological tools, the purity of the Medecine, the
rooms, the delicious food, the luxurious nature). 3 days ago, it was the full moon and it struck me. I finally understood why
my experience with the Medecine was so difficult back then. As everything outside was so perfect & as Silvia helps all of us
to learn navigate confidently in the realm of the Plant, I did not get why I was so sick (not the purging version, something
else). Now, I understand. I can summerize it in a sentence Silvia repeats : « Ayahuasca is a way of living ». It is true and it is
a demanding path.
Thank you, Aya, Silvia & Tio, from the bottom of my heart.
Hope to see you soon.
If you are willing to try the Medecine, it is definitely the place to go.
With Love,
V (Belgium)
andymac
September 16, 2019 at 11:10 amThis is my second go around and I can’t wait for next year to continue my journey in understanding my physical, mental and spiritualness.
Sylvia’s has done an amazing job at providing a well structured, organized and safe experience in her retreat. It shows in how her staff interacts with the participants and the day to day running of the retreat.
Sylvia, Tio and Noor genuinely wants to see people get better and have an amazing experience. That is their primary focus and it shows as to how the whole event runs.
I am truly appreciate and thankful for the amazing experience and can’t wait to come back!
Michael NH USA
September 15, 2019 at 6:52 pmIf you are reading reviews at this website, you would seem to be making an effort to be mindful regarding the choosing of a retreat center. You should be mindful as the full range of quality is possible, from very good to very bad. I have attended retreats at several centers in Brazil and Peru and Spirit Vine stands head and shoulders above the rest. I recommend you do your due diligence, carefully research the possibilities based upon what you want and then choose Spirit Vine. Here are three questions I encourage you to consider.
How do I know what is in the medicine I will be drinking? At Spirit Vine the plants (Caapi Vine and Chacruna) are grown onsite and ceremonially brewed with NO add mixtures. The medicine is clean and strong. Period.
Will I feel safe? At Spirit Vine you will not only feel safe, you will feel pampered. The campus is within the Mata Atlantic Rainforest, beautifully landscaped and includes comfortable bungalows, lagoon, an amazing Temple, massage room and “restaurant” that serves high quality, Ayahuasca diet friendly vegan and vegetarian fare. Special dietary requests are considered upon request such as gluten free, etc. All of this provided with the non-profit center.
Do the staff know what they are doing? The answer at Spirit Vine, is that staff clearly know what they are doing. Lead by Silvia Polivoy, formerly trained as a psychologist who has spent considerable time with shaman, using many medicinal plants. The combination of education and practice in clinical psychology with decades of experience with medicinal plants as well as facilitating retreats gives participants access to an unique set of skills. Activities are designed to help you open up to the possibilities arising in ceremony. Ti O and Noor are there to assist with every imaginable request while housekeeping and the chef’s make you feel pampered. There are other delights like massages, yoga, trip to nearby beaches on the Cacao Coast of Bahia and if you choose, after the retreat to the charming surfer town of Itacare, Brazil.
I have now attended four retreats at Spirit Vine and hope to return again as I view it as Sacred Ground, and I am agnostic!
Michael