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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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tanyaclarke82
January 18, 2014 at 12:00 amVisiting Spirit vine was one of the most important experiences of my life and came just at the right time. I am also so happy that a place like it exists!
We had a small, brilliant and diverse group, chosen personally by Silvia and the team, who all bonded very intimately and brought such different elements to the table. We all shared our experiences openly and with Silvia’s background in psychology we discussed many things in a safe and intimate environment. Its was a very bonding and beautiful experience and not at all invasive. Many of us are still in touch now. I am grateful for the opportunity to really use the plant and my own intuition to awaken me spiritually and embark me on a journey that has led to greater happiness and trust in myself.
Needless to say the food, accommodation and the setting is divine, and I was super comfortable which is important when delving into some deep personal stuff! I particularly enjoyed the final ceremony being done outside with nature, trees and sky, but the whole process is a very personal one and in my view there is no other place I would have this wonderful experience than at SPIRIT VINE- Thanks guys x
Premdhara
January 18, 2014 at 12:00 amComing at home….
Aya experience and Spirit Vine Center for me means to come at home. Thanks to Ayahuasca every time I can contact my true essence, my inner master, my higerself and everything has a sense in my life. During the retreats I am in my hearth space and less and less in my mind space, where we usually are in ordinary daily life. All the understandings, insights, sharings is the baggage I bring back with me when I come back to Italy and will help me forever in my life.
About Spirit vine center, actually I cannot immagine to be in another place where to do the Aya experience. This place is simply magic!! Nature so present with is amazing beauty, silence, fruits, water and waterfalls, ocean, beautiful beaches, amazing flowers and much much more that everyone should experience once in his life. All conforts and very good food and healthy diet, very very important for a good experience with the plant.
Silvia is the perfect facilitator, the sister, the mother, the friend, the psycologist but all that with incredible respect of your own space, of the retreat rules and keeping a safe space and place for everyone in the group. Never invading, you know that she is there if you need her. I love her vision: she always says… Here the Master is the Plant, not me. But often when I needed her help, she became a master for me too, for my relations, for my life. Thank you SIlvia, we will be always grateful to Spirit Vine, Love, Prem and Lila
tiina
January 18, 2014 at 12:00 amSpirit Vine retreat was a beautiful and deep experience in many ways and levels. Place is absolutely magical and calming – it’s easy to let go, be in the present moment, recognize and remove obstacles that diminish your true potential and essence to manifest.
Silvia knows plenty of tools to help people to balance and decode their mental programming and to be more aware of the ego structure. That’s also key factor to develop consciousness in the long run. Absolutely recommend Spirit Vine to everyone who is open minded and hearted to get to know her/his higher self better. So for you reading this, follow your curiosity and be ready for an multidimensional adventure.
Now I am more openly and honestly me. Feeling good and happy about that! And in my point of view it’s much more important to be a happy person than to argue who knows the truth best. We will never know the truth, but we can definitely feel it – be it. When connecting to your inner truth and guidance, there’s no point to suffer or be a victim anymore. Life is a gift and we are meant to enjoy it fully!
I’m really grateful to Silvia for the great and important work she does to help people to heal themselves and remember that we are much more than flesh and blood. Silvia is definitely a pioneer of consciousness development!
spiritvine
January 15, 2014 at 12:00 am?…Sometimes in life you need to do things that you?re not entirely comfortable with. The things that stretch your comfort zones and remind you of your vulnerabilities. I felt like this when I arrived at SpiritVine. I was nervous, with a heart full of confusion and desperate to reawaken from the spiritual slumber that had somehow crept upon me.
The minute I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. Silvia, the group, the glorious jungle, they all reminded me how beautiful the external world is, once you get to understand – and appreciate – the limitless one inside yourself. I have grown more in one week than I thought possible; I am still growing…?
Milly
January 15, 2014 at 12:00 amVisiting Spirit Vine was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. The place is stunning and beautifully run. The bungalows are very comfortable and with beautiful views. All the meals were great and healthy, especially breakfast with variety of delicious fruits.
Silvia is a very gifted facilitator and I felt very comfortable right away. All the workshops helps to integrate the experiences with ayahuasca and really helped me shift things I wanted to work with to the surface. I think this allowed my ayahuasca ceremonies to be very effective. I felt so many blockages being realised, a truly transformative experience. I have no doubt that by being in a safe place like Spirit
Vine, run by very professional people and in the habitat where the plant grows really added to my successful experience. I feel blessed to have had the chance to visit the centre and delighted to know that a place like Spirit Vine exists!