Preparations for a Jungle Retreat

ByRamKrishan ~ Joshua

rememberYour retreat in the jungle is your own magical portal into your own creation.  Literally you create the experience through your own readiness, sincerity, and preparations.  The more deeply you connect with your retreat and direct your energy towards its transformational effect upon your life, the more fully you will find yourself throughout your stay in the jungle.

Ideas for Preparation

Clarify your intentions for coming, crystal clear.  The more clear you are the more directly you can receive what you seek.

Put all things ¨back home¨in order.  Prepare for the ending of one cycle in your life and beginning of a new.  The you who returns in many ways is a different person than who goes.  Therefore allow unfinished business, loose ends of any sorts, any concerns all to be completed, tied, and compassionately addressed – so that you may be fully present for the jungle processes and receive the most of your stay.

Allow the retreat  to serve your intentions.  Let us know the depths of why you are coming.  Any physical dis-ease of any sorts.  As much as you feel to share, this helps us facilitate your process with plant medicines, specific treatments, guidance, and wisdom.

Mentally and emotionally prepare for PEACE.  It is true you will be surrounded by beauty, harmony, the inspiration of nature in every direction – yet for many it is a process of allowing oneself to relax and let go into this peace.  In the freedom from distractions we face ourselves, and our uncanny ability to create more distrations.  The cultural detox process facilitates the letting go of the unnecessary noise within.  It is a process, it may be challenging, it will be real, with an open and sincere heart trust the process and abandon all expectations.

Dietary Preparations

Diet is considered foundation for all the plant medicine work.  If we eat clean foods the body is clean.  If the body is clean the plant medicines can work very effectively and the result brings great transformation.  Also the individual feels more in touch with the process, stable, and balanced.

The health of our bodies directly creates / contributes to the thoughts, feelings, and any inner noise we experience.  Therefore its recommended to follow a similar plant diet way of eating at least 2 weeks before working with the medicines.

Plant Diet Guidelines

-Avoid –
Sugar (brown and white), spicy foods,  excess dairy, excess oil, excess salt, chemicals, preservatives, processed foods, red meat, coffee or caffeine, and any cold foods or beverages

-Good Ideas-
Fresh organic local fruits and veggies, whole grains, Local raw dairy or free range eggs if you wish

All in moderation – in the jungle we have none of the avoid foods – therefore its a good idea to be prepared by acclimating  to this degree of simplicity so the transition is as smooth and harmonious as possible.

Do Your Best

Prepare yourself as best you know how.  If you have a spiritual practice perhaps you allow it to deepen.  If you don’t have one perhaps you find something new that resonates and feeds your soul.  Appreciate your connection with all things, know that you are heard, seen, felt, that your heart can touch every particle of creation in an instant.  Be sincere, ready to let go of ideas, ready to rest and allow the natural process to unfold.

Things To Bring

Essentials

  • Camping Backpack for Travel – this is more ideal than a suitcase if you have this as an option
  • Headlamp
  • Notebook & Writing Utensils
  • Rain Poncho / Jacket
  • Bathing Suit
  • Water Bottle
  • Books to Read
  • Lighter (we love extras)


Clothing Ideas (1 weeks worth recommended)

  • Ceremony Clothing – Long sleeves and pants are good ideas – white is traditional
  • 1 Warm Sweatshirt
  • 1 Warm Pants
  • 3 Light Long-sleeves
  • 4 Short Sleeves
  • 3 Light Long Pants
  • 3 Shorts
  • 3-5 Pairs of Socks
  • Walking Shoes
  • Sandals
  • *We can purchase boots in the market if it is rainy season (January – April)

Optional

  • Extra Batteries
  • Camera
  • Mp3 Player (for travel)
  • Art Supplies
  • Sacred Items
  • Instruments
  • Extra Money for Gifts

Ram Krishan Singh is a lifelong student and teacher of traditions of universal wisdom and the pathless presence of living from the Heart. For more than 15 years he has traveled the world immersing himself in different cultures and traditions to more deeply understand himself and uncover a thread of unity that runs through all of life. He shares in this spirit of unity through his life work which he calls the science of Cultural Detox and the Way of the Radiant Heart.