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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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princessthestar
March 5, 2018 at 9:51 amSpirit Vine is a very special place…
From the moment I arrived I got a sense of energy and grounding, that carried me so gently with love through the entire experience.
Silvia is so good at what she does, she really knows her stuff! She also has a personal relationship to the plants she works with, and it’s apparent in the plant medicine she grows and brews on her land.
Prior to Spirit Vine I had been on 2 separate Ayahuasca retreats. The previous times had each been a healing journey in its own way… but this experience was way different. This was the first time I received tools of how to work with Mother Aya to apply an understanding of myself, which has since brought about a permanent, lasting change for the better. The mental tools I had been given to work with by Silvia were able to clarify total comprehension of myself and the baggage I had been carrying for so long (lifetimes even).
As the other reviews have mentioned, the location is perfect, grounds are lush, full of flowers, plants and wildlife, food is organic and well prepared, & accommodations are comfortable with daily maid service. All of this was really great and so much appreciated! For me, my favorite things of what makes this place irreplaceable and priceless was Silvia and the beautiful, healing, retreat center she has so carefully well-thought out and created, as well as Rohan, & Andreas… I will definitely return in the future to continue the work. Peace & Love Be With You All
Balazs
February 23, 2018 at 8:21 pmI’ve already tried ayahuasca with many shamans and at many places. Spirit Vine is one of the most professional retreat centers that is currently available.
Most important is that the brew that they offer is the strongest and the purest that I have ever tried. They only use the ayahuasca vine and the chakruna leaf they don’t add anything else. It shows how strong the brew is that they are very serious about giving pariticpants the exact amounts (they measure it for each participants in milliliters)
Inbetween the ceremonies there are workshops that are extremely useful becuase they teach people how to use the ayahuasca experienc so that it really becomes a healing process.
The trajectory of the retreat is great and the whole program is well put together. As a praciticing psychologist who works with groups I can tell that the way that they work with people is very professional.
The venue is beautiful and it feels more like staying in a five star hotel then in a retreat center. The meals are delicious (which is already a great compliment since during the retreat they stick to the traditional ayahuasca diet) and there is always a huge variety of different kind of dishes. Everything is organic, gluten free and made right there on the spot. Many times they use vegetables and fruits from their own garden.
I have to admit that the place is expensive so it’s definitely not for people who have limited resources, but keep in mind that the quality of the retreat is extremely high, so I would say that every penny that I spent on it was worth it.
bella
January 5, 2018 at 3:21 pmI may start saying I do believe in magic!
Last year I had by unknown reasons the inner big will to heal through ayahuasca. Perhaps because I needed to change something strongly in my life. I didn’t want to give further steps in life without having kind of a light exactly in those steps. I needed inspiration and answers.
The first time I heard about this plant I was traveling in Peru. And in that moment I knew I was not ready for that experience. Later, when I heard about the plant in Europe, I was very sure that I wanted to be in a place where the plant grows naturally and is not abused in any sense. And the time I felt ready for that came, and I understood why last year was the way it was and why I went trough a strong healing process. Lucky me, life, magical dwarfs or even better ayahuasca itself (I have to say again I do believe in magic) took me to the right place.
Don’t ask me how or why but I arrived to Spirit Vine Retreat Center at Bahia. Now, after some weeks I finish the retreat, I’m still not sure how to describe what I experienced. Because is a circle of things…. Is the place, Silvia and Rohan, the bed, the food, the pond, the closest beach, the ladies and guys helping over there, the smells, the rain, the sun, the ayahuasca of course, the ceremonies, the chats, the group therapies, the exchanges, the drawings, the music….. And just to close with flourish, the people sharing the retreat, everything was overwhelming for me.
I’m trying to process everything I learnt and saw. I wish I could have had something to film the ayahuasca trip and those special moments. But only my soul will do.
It is a very safe place, they are very professional and more over, lovely people that will take care of you with love. That is very important because ayahuasca healing/ learning process is very strong. Actually, I think everybody should experienced it once but at the same time, should prepare consciously for that, to be OPEN to receive information, to know that life is a healing road and ayahuasca is a powerful tool but not the solution, though is a great connection of things that our inner wisdom knows in a way. The experience is just divine and indescribable. I do recommend this place, organic ayahuasca, organic delicious food and organic flow experience. I’m very thankful, very very.
mario
January 2, 2018 at 10:39 amI just participated to the Ayahuasca Spirit Vine retreat in the marvelous facility in the middle of the jungle, just outside of Itacare, Bahia.
The experience was really amazing, not only as regards the ceremonies, but every single detail of the 8 days we spent there was thoroughly studied and designed in order to make the best out of the retreat.
Beginning with the place, which is just beautiful, in the middle of the nature, is the perfect asset to reach the peace of the senses and get emotionally and spiritually ready for the ceremonies.
In order to get ready, there are also yoga sessions, which are really useful to bring our consciousness to the present and, for a moment, forget the day to day issues of every day life, in order to be fully focused on the spiritual path addressed by Spirit Vine. Besides there are workshops that really dig into our depth, and help us increase significantly the insights.
The ceremonies were very strong and deep experiences, which really helped me look into myself and know me way better than I used to. It helped me get in touch with myself, understand some sides of my identity and personality that I couldn’t understand, and also make peace with myself.
I went back to the “real world” really renewed and I could feel huge benefits from the very first day. My perspectives completely changed, and gained much more clarity on my choices. I also managed to accomplish some little but meaningful goals within the first week outside the retreat.
It was an eye opening experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
sophi
January 2, 2018 at 9:10 amIt has been my second time at Spirit Vine in December. And this may already say it all. Without any other experience with other places (but certainly inquiries that were treated in dubious ways…), to me there is no need to look any further and I am sure I will return.
When you arrive behind the gates of Spirit Vine, you enter a parallel universe. It is a lush secluded place full of plants and flowers and all kinds of lovely creatures. Birds are surrounding you while you eat or drift in the natural pond, looking at the palm trees and clods in the sky. At night, during the ceremonies, you can actually feel the interconnectedness of all because you witness and even become part of the whole creation, from frogs croaking to all kinds of beings playing the drums, to the falling rain, all like orchestrated with the music and your personal experience. In the morning, when you come back to “reality” you slip out of your cocoon I the dawning sun and chances are you feel like newborn awakening to a new world.
Apart from the awesome magic and intelligence that Ayahuasca offers per se, I think the ceremonies at Spirit vine leverage the potential to the full, especially because they are embedded in a smart integrative retreat schedule which includes preparative and integrative workshops, shared meditation and yoga classes as well as leisure time at the amazing beach or inspirational move nights. You will truly get a retreat with the possibility to recalibrate your being.
While Silvia does not consider herself a shaman, she is a highly experienced and intuitive psychologist who is able to integrate approaches wisely and guide participants through the retreat and their own personal journeys – if necessary also after the retreat. This is important as we all have our own challenges before, during and after the retreat. You can feel the focus is one the individual and Silvia and Rohan are absolutely present, trustworthy, human, intelligent and also humorous in not only caring and sharing the journey, but also opening up on their own experiences. I could truly feel the focus lies on the purpose of healing (vs. potentially ego driven shaman roles and rites).
Together with the all the people from allover the world, an amazing healing energy is created, providing for a space for mutual sharing and support. I think the people chosing to come to Spirit Vine make up another quite important ingredient in the whole setting – I have loved the groups and individuals I met, even making true friends for sure. We have set up a WhatsApp group where we still share and support each other now we are back home integrating the experience.
Last but not least, while the Aya diet can be quite restrictive, Spirit Vine’s organic garden provides the freshest and most delicious ingredients for a very yummy and satisfying creative wholesome vegetarian (or rather mainly vegan and glutenfree) kitchen, delighting and surprising the tongue (and eyes!) every day.
I felt truly nourished on all levels – physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and aesthetically when I left the retreat.
I will highly highly recommend Spirit Vine, not only if you are looking for an Ayahuasca retreat – but actually I think everybody should experience this at least once in their life.
As a very last thought, on a meta level, it is quite amazing to see what healing paradise Silvia has manifested following her visions and her heart along her own journey. Which, to my eyes, speaks for itself.