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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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Magz H
April 10, 2025 at 7:43 pmWhen my bestie and I were researching ayahuasca retreats, spirit vine was definitely the one that called to us and magically aligned so perfectly. At first we were very uncertain about how things would go. But after talking to a few of the attendees that have come back a few times, made us feel so secure.
The thing that stands out so much from this retreat, Is that Sylvia incorporates lectures on therapeutic life tools depending on the needs of the group and tools we can use during our ayahuasca journey. For example, She taught us this meditation where we scan our body and check for blockages/pain and to release them out into the “cosmic vacuum”. This has been such a helpful practice from me. I’ve taken this and implemented this into my everyday life.
My first impression of an ayahuasca journey has always depicted a shaman in the center. But the way Sylvia curated this retreat is not shaman centered, which is by far way better. She gives you the power to find it within your self to create the healing experience. And this way you can really take this experience and bring it back with you to your every day life. This was You can always harness your inner healing.
In the beginning it took a lil ice breaking to get used to the group setting of sharing. But once we got to really know each other, it felt so good to share and feel understood and supported. It truly felt like a safe space. Thank you Sylvia for creating such a healing sanctuary in the jungle. You can really tell she meticulously planned every little detail of the retreat based on her many years of learning and experiences. Elvis, the staff and the cooks were all amazing. I highly recommend spirit vine.
MarcelVanPraag
March 30, 2025 at 11:31 am#FirstTimeAyahuasca
I believe it was my intuition that led me to Spirit Vine. After discovering the website, I couldn’t consider any other retreat—something was calling me to this specific place, and now I understand why.
What I was searching for was a safe, non-judgmental environment that isn’t purely “shamanic” but respects the original culture while also recognizing the needs and challenges of the modern world. Everything exceeded my expectations—these nine days taught me more than I could have imagined.
Silvia has created a true paradise, a space designed to support you on your never-ending healing journey. Before this retreat, I didn’t fully understand what healing truly meant. The workshops are both psychotherapeutic and spiritual, teaching you how vital it is to harness your own power. It’s deeply empowering.
I could write a hundred pages describing my experiences, but that’s not the purpose of this review. All I want to say is this: Where you do ayahuasca truly matters! If you want to do it right, learn, and heal—this is the place.
Thank you, Silvia, for sharing your profound wisdom with us and for creating such a safe and transformative space.
Radovan
March 16, 2025 at 11:36 amThis retreat far exceeded my expectations.
Silvia created an exceptional space for healing. With years of psychotherapeutic expertise, she designed workshops that cut straight to the core of deep-seated issues, helping us prepare for the ayahuasca journeys in the most meaningful way.
Every detail was carefully thought out—the choice of music, nourishing food, the design of the ceremony room, the forest’s close presence, and the garden with its tranquil pond. Sharing sessions and time with other participants built a strong sense of support. There was also plenty of quiet time for reflection—just enough stillness to let the subconscious surface. I think this is what 20 years of fine-tuning turning into mastery looks like.
As for the trips themselves, they’re hard to describe since everyone’s experience is unique. For me, I finally felt what I had been trying to reach in five years of talk therapy.
Thank you for this lesson in love, patience, and care.
annapaquin
December 12, 2024 at 10:48 amWriting this one month after the retreat, I want to start by saying that this 11-day Ayahuasca retreat at Spirit Vine literally changed my life. I could stop there but I want to share more context to why that is.
I had had the desire to do an Ayahuasca retreat for many years, yet it never seemed like the right time in my life — until last August when my husband and I were introduced to it by a new friend and it just clicked. It was our time. We were ready.
Now came the research to find where we would feel safe and supported to embark on this journey. Spirit Vine came up as an option from a simple Google search and I am eternally grateful it did. I could not have asked for a better, more perfect, guided, and structured retreat than this one. Silvia created something extraordinary with this place. The bungalow where we stayed was beautiful, spacious and made us feel at home from the moment we entered. To say that the food was delicious is an understatement. The common room where we exchanged meals, the Maloka where the ceremonies took place just like the beauty of the outside space with the pond to swim in every day were all majestic.
I went to this retreat because I was seeking healing. Physical healing for my hair and my digestion but more importantly, healing trauma that had kept me in self-hatred and body shaming for over 13 years. I can now happily say that I feel completely healed emotionally and my physical symptoms are continuing to improve daily. I now love myself. I really do and this is the most beautiful gift I could ever have received. One thing that made the world of differences are the workshops taught by Silvia before each ceremony. This is one of the main reason my husband and I chose this place over other retreat centres and I now know how transformational they are. The workshops on inner child, soul retrieval and Complex PTSD were insightful and practical. We learned and then applied it right away during the ceremonies which allowed for deeper understanding of ourselves and deeper healing.
I have so much gratitude for Silvia and what she created. She is an absolute gift to humanity and I wish every single human being who receives the calling for Ayahuascua to get to experience her teaching, wisdom, care and pure love. Elvis, our sitter was a gem, so caring and with his open-heart shared his own experience with all of us. I know that without them and the group sharings, I would not have been able to connect the dots the same way, make sense of my trauma and experience, hence not reaching the level of healing I did.
Another really important aspect was the community and friendship we get to develop throughout the retreat. We all feel so open, vulnerable, yet so safe that it becomes natural to deeply connect to others. We were 15 people and every single one of them now fees like family whom I will continue to stay in touch with long after the retreat ends. I truly believe that this happened because Silvia intentionally keeps these retreats smaller retreat (15-18 people) which allows for safety, connection and compassion.
If you’re reading this and you are considering going to Spirit Vine, I only have one thing to say to you: Do not wait one more second, do it. This is the most loving gift you will ever give yourself, I promise you.
Connor
December 12, 2024 at 9:23 amI am truly in awe of what an incredible experience I had at Spirit Vine. I did the 11-day retreat, and it was, by far, the best 11 days of my life.
The amount of care and attention Silvia and her team put into making the entire retreat perfect is unbelievable. Everything is set up so thoughtfully, clearly refined through years of experience running these retreats. The yoga and massages were absolutely magical, and the food—wow—it’s sooooo incredible! Every meal felt like a gift, not just to my body but to my soul.
The workshops and meditations were incredibly insightful and so essential for preparing us for the ayahuasca ceremonies. I found myself using the techniques not just during the ceremonies but even outside of them, and I still find myself practicing them today. There is so much timeless wisdom and so many powerful teachings shared in such a beautiful setting. You can really just disconnect from the outside world, go inward, and heal. There’s nothing else to worry about—just being fully present with the group, the jungle, the teachings, the food, and yourself.
Silvia is an absolute blessing to the world. She is so present and radiates pure light. You can feel her genuine desire to help people heal and break through their past traumas. She’s an incredible guide for everyone, and the intimate space and small group size allow her to help each person on such a personal level. Silvia, along with Elvis, the assistant at our retreat, created the most sacred, intentional, and safe environment imaginable for the ayahuasca ceremonies. I felt so deeply cared for and safe during every ceremony, which allowed me to fully surrender, learn what I needed to learn, and heal on such a profound level.
The property is absolutely stunning—so beautiful and peaceful that the photos truly don’t do it justice. Being surrounded by the jungle and wildlife was such a magical experience. Even the mosquitoes weren’t bad at all! The pond, in particular, is a mystical, breathtaking place. Spending time there felt deeply healing and allowed me to connect with nature in a way I never had before.
I have so much gratitude and love in my heart for Silvia, Elvis, Andrea, and all the other amazing people who made our stay so special. Thank you all so much for making this journey so extraordinary. I will absolutely be coming back one day!