--- title: "Preparing for My First Experience with Ayahuasca: Rythmia Life Advancement Center" description: I had fire in my belly. A pull towards something bigger. The universe had perfectly placed each stepping stone on this winding path that led me here. This trip wasn’t about sipping margaritas on a bea image: https://blog.retreat.guru/hubfs/pexels-eternal-happiness-3326362.jpg --- # [![retreat_guru_logo_250px](https://blog.retreat.guru/hs-fs/hubfs/Retreat%20Guru%20logo/retreat_guru_logo_250px.png?width=170&height=45&name=retreat_guru_logo_250px.png)](https://shorturl.at/hHW89) read # Preparing for My First Experience with Ayahuasca: Rythmia Life Advancement Center By Jenny ![](https://blog.retreat.guru/hubfs/pexels-eternal-happiness-3326362.jpg) - ** - ** - ** As I sit here on the plane looking deep into the clouds, watching the sky melt from blue into yellow, golden, then into soft tones of orange, I think, *“Holy shit, is this really happening?”* I’d always wanted to travel to Costa Rica. Beach. Sun. Surf. I mean, what more could you want? I had a lot of friends who’d traveled the country. But my trip wasn’t going to be like theirs. I had fire in my belly. A pull towards something bigger. The universe had perfectly placed each stepping stone on this winding path that led me here. This trip wasn’t about sipping margaritas on a beach. This trip... this trip would help bring awareness to things inside of me I didn’t even know existed. The idea of sitting with the ancient medicine, [Ayahuasca](https://blog.retreat.guru/how-do-i-prepare-for-my-first-ayahuasca-journey/), had been slipping in and out of my mind over the past couple of years. I have always been drawn to spirituality. I have this deep love for the earth and a passion to help protect the planet. Meditation helped me through college and I loved practicing yoga. But I didn’t really know much about [plant medicine](https://blog.retreat.guru/category/article/plants/). ![Preparing for First Ayahuasca Experience](https://blog.retreat.guru/hs-fs/hubfs/Preparing%20for%20First%20Ayahuasca%20Experience.jpg?width=615&height=410&name=Preparing%20for%20First%20Ayahuasca%20Experience.jpg) Working at [Retreat Guru](https://retreat.guru/) has fuelled my curiosity. I have spoken to so many retreat providers across the globe about the power of spiritual practices, especially, plant medicine ceremonies. I hear of people working with these sacred plants every day so there's no way I can ignore the healings, tools and knowledge these plants hold. *It was so interesting. *Some drank the medicine to guide them in their addiction recovery, others, to help aid them after a heavy breakup. Ayahuasca has been used as a healing tool for all types of disease, [mental health issues](https://blog.retreat.guru/ayahuasca-and-mental-health/), and even for people suffering from PTSD. Personally, I wanted to embrace the lifestyle I was already living. *I wanted to understand more. To continue this wake up.* So why Ayahuasca? I wanted to find peace. To let go of a lot of hurt, anger and bitterness towards my childhood and where I grew up. For some reason, at 24 years old, I knew my curious soul was ready. I was destined to spend the next week at a beautiful resort in Costa Rica. But this, I knew, wasn’t just your typical retreat. This was Rythmia Life Advancement Center. [![FIND UPCOMING AYAHUASCA RETREATS](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7681171/3fe06fd4-3226-4c1a-af26-39f8d336ce0e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/7681171/3fe06fd4-3226-4c1a-af26-39f8d336ce0e)Over the last 5 months, I immersed myself in an abundance of Ayahuasca knowledge provided by the center. I read [*Shit the Moon*](https://www.amazon.com/Sh-Moon-Said-Story-Ayahuasca/dp/0757320864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538588628&sr=8-1&keywords=shit+the+moon+said) said by the founder, Gerry Powell. I watched the [documentaries](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbsR9XqPVx0). And then came the [podcasts](https://player.fm/series/the-kyle-thiermann-show-1441507/39-i-took-ayahuasca-in-costa-rica-dr-jeff-mcnairy). I wanted to know everything I could about the center I was going to spend the next 7 days at. [![download](https://blog.retreat.guru/hs-fs/hubfs/download.webp?width=617&name=download.webp)](https://blog.retreat.guru/rythmia-costa%20rica%20-%20ayahuasca) *It didn’t feel real yet*. *Is this really happening? *The way I describe it? [Rythmia](https://retreat.guru/centers/2272/rythmia-life-advancement-center?ref=BLOGRYTHMIA1) is a hybrid retreat center. They use a number of healing tools to fully incorporate healing of the mind, body and spirit. They offer daily education created by world-renowned teachers like Michael Beckwith. There’s mud baths, breathwork ceremonies, massage, hydro colonic therapy. They have doctors and nurses, shamans and helpers. The menu is designed by a nutritionist. You get to experience 4 powerful plant medicine ceremonies with a community who are all on this same path of healing. Think: spending your time completely relaxed in luxury, with a pool of course, but then also attending classes that will make you question things and really transform your way of thinking. Rythmia is the first legal medically licensed Ayahuasca center *in the world*. This place is a big deal. Driving through the gated community, on my way to the center, my mind started to spiral. *Should I really be here?** ** *The man at the gate happily greeted me and handed me my parking sign. It was three numbers. My birthday. I smiled to myself, full of excitement. I was reassured about this journey. ![download (1)](https://blog.retreat.guru/hs-fs/hubfs/download%20(1).webp?width=617&name=download%20(1).webp) [![FIND UPCOMING AYAHUASCA RETREATS](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7681171/3fe06fd4-3226-4c1a-af26-39f8d336ce0e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/7681171/3fe06fd4-3226-4c1a-af26-39f8d336ce0e) Tags: [Psychedelics](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/psychedelics), [Featured Retreat Centers & Teachers](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/featured-retreat-centers-teachers), [Yoga](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/yoga), [Sexuality](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/sexuality), [Meditation](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/meditation), [Retreats](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/retreats) Posted by [Jenny](https://blog.retreat.guru/author/jenny) Jenny loves her marketing and communications position at Retreat Guru in Nelson, BC, Canada. She is always up for a hike, paddle, yoga class or climb in the beautiful Kootenays. Jenny is passionate about holistic nutrition and is a business owner of Jenny D’s Remedies. Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Website ### Related Articles** ## [Healing Burnout: Retreats vs. At-Home Self-Care Strategies ](https://blog.retreat.guru/healing-burnout-retreats-vs.-at-home-self-care-strategies) *( read )* Topics: [Psychedelics](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/psychedelics), [Featured Retreat Centers & Teachers](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/featured-retreat-centers-teachers), [Yoga](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/yoga), [Sexuality](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/sexuality), [Meditation](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/meditation), [Retreats](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/retreats) ## [Meditation Retreats vs Meditation at Home: An In-depth Comparison](https://blog.retreat.guru/meditation-retreats-vs-meditation-at-home-an-in-depth-comparison) *( read )* Topics: [Psychedelics](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/psychedelics), [Featured Retreat Centers & Teachers](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/featured-retreat-centers-teachers), [Yoga](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/yoga), [Sexuality](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/sexuality), [Meditation](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/meditation), [Retreats](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/retreats) ## [Yoga Retreats vs Yoga at Home: In-depth comparison](https://blog.retreat.guru/yoga-retreats-vs-yoga-at-home-comparison) *( read )* Topics: [Psychedelics](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/psychedelics), [Featured Retreat Centers & Teachers](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/featured-retreat-centers-teachers), [Yoga](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/yoga), [Sexuality](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/sexuality), [Meditation](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/meditation), [Retreats](https://blog.retreat.guru/tag/retreats) ### Subscribe to The Chronicles of Marketing Newsletter ©2026 Retreat Guru™ Inc.