Choosing Aya Madre is a serious commitment, and it’s something you step into with intention. You are traveling into a very remote part of the Amazon to do deep personal work, and the experience reflects that. For me, the heart of Aya Madre is Maestra Estela. Everything people say about her is true. She is powerful, grounded, and deeply connected to the work. You don’t just come for the setting, you come because she is the one guiding you. She holds the space with a kind of clarity and strength that makes the whole process possible. She holds space for the medicine to pluck away deep emotional pain, thought patterns, karmic cycles, completely buried in the subconscious so that you could begin to work at it.

At the same time, it’s important to understand what you are walking into. This is not a wellness retreat with modern “comforts”. You have the basics you need, but the focus is the work itself. The remoteness strips away distraction *very important*, and because of that, the process can be both transformative and challenging. I would not recommend this level of isolation to someone who has never explored deep deep healing work or therapy before. You need a strong mindset, conviction, and a clear intention when you arrive.

Even with the intensity, I can already feel the changes in my life weeks after returning. My mindset, the things that have begun to come up, the clarity I gained, all of it continues to unfold. Aya Madre is not for everyone, but if you are ready for real, life shifting work, and you feel called to learn under someone who truly knows how to hold the space, Maestra Estela is worth the journey.

My only bit of feedback would be around the food. Expanding the menu a little would really help. The limited options made the work feel even tougher, and simple, bland food can still be nourishing and taste good. It doesn’t have to be unpleasant to support the process.