Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Jurema / Changa / Xanga Ceremony & Retreats
Mystical Yoga Farm Ceremonies & Retreats
The Changa / Xanga / Jurema ceremonies are led by Jahendo and Sunny who have been holding space in 100s of ceremonies together for the last 3 years. Their deep friendship and love for each other vibrates out into any healing space they’re in.
By blending ancient spiritual & healing arts with modern therapeutic techniques, they create a sanctuary for self-discovery. Through their expertise, participants embark on an incredible transformative journey, unlocking profound layers of insight and well-being. Their experience as medicinal space-holders ensures that the ceremony is not only deeply enriching but also conducted with utmost expertise and care.
Jurema / Xanga / Changa Ceremonies at Lake Atitlán
Changa / Xanga / Jurema Ceremony Flow
The ceremony is held in a sacred container, lasting about 6 hours. Held like an Aya ceremony with noble silence, Icaros, songs from the jungle, medicine music, and Jurema songs.
Each person can smoke multiple times (as desired) throughout the night. Half way through, Jahendo will go and give individual limpias (shamanic cleansings) to each person, to release any old energy and bring forth more light. Then we will crank up the joy and bring lots of lightness, celebration and happiness into the space. We will open the space for others to share songs towards the end.
Afterwards we will provide fruit and soup for grounding!
And keep the music flowing and chat about our experience. Breakfast and integration sharing circle will be at 10am the next morning.
Ceremony will start at 5pm and go till about 1am.
This medicine will help to release any trauma or darkness, clean us out and prepare ourselves for the healing work of the other medicines. It will give us profound insights, clarity, visions, ideas, and so forth. Within this container it will be powerful, due to the added integration and support, and well as the continued spiritual work we will dive into.
Medicine will be served by Jahendo, alongside Sunny and other trusted MYF facilitators. Jahendo has 10 years experience serving this medicine (DMT) and 3 years experience sharing it in this particular ceremony style.
Sunny have offered support in these ceremonies for 3 years with extensive space-holding and ceremonial facillitation experience.
So you are in GOOD hands!
Jurema / Changa / Xanga Retreat Guatemala
About the Facilitators
Jahendo & Sunny have been holding space in 100s of ceremonies together for the last 3 years. Their deep friendship and love for each other vibrates out into any healing space they’re in.
Jahendo
Jahendo is the owner of the Mystical Yoga Farm and hosts ceremonies there regularly. He has been working at MYF since 2015, learning and sharing his skills.
He is a professional medicine music and carries many heart songs, medicine songs, indigenous songs from the jungle, and icaros.
He loves choosing songs based on the way that they move energy and the healing force they carry.
He has been serving Jurema (xanga) for over 10 years, and serving huachuma for just over 7 years. And now is serving Ayahuasca for the past 1+ years, with permission of his Huni Kuin teachers.
He continues to deepen his work and do his own healing by sitting with shamans and medicine carriers all over the world, and does a yearly pilgrimage in Peru. He’s worked deeply with a number of traditions including Shipibo, Huni Kuin, Marakame (Huichol), Quechua, and many more. He incorporates a lot of these healing modalities into a well-rounded service to the divine.
He has assisted in many Ayahuasca ceremonies, as well as Huachuma, Peyote and others, and believes it is a divine service to work with these medicines and work with their original carriers.
He is a 500hr E-RYT yoga teacher and has studied and helped in over 10 shamanic yoga teacher trainings. He loves infusing yoga philosophy into the ceremonial works.
His biggest passion is bringing joy and lightness, as well as focus and sacredness into his offerings. He provides a very safe, held and loving healing space for transformation!
Sunny
Sunny is the Heart Keeper and Manager of the Mystical Yoga Farm. She has been working at the MYF since 2018.
She is filled with the pure spirit of the hummingbird, of joy, love, connection and play.
She is a gentle yet powerful space holder, by active listening, being fully present, sharing heart opening music, and teaching playful yoga.
She first started working with plant medicines 6 years ago.
She says, “In my first Huachuma ceremony I found a deep connection with my true essence and the elements around me, it opened my voice, heart, mind and spirit.”
Since this experience Sunny has been sitting in different medicine ceremonies with indigenous tribes and people who have directly worked with the original medicine carriers.
Sunny has been assisting in Hucahuma, Xanga, and Ayahuasca ceremonies for three years.
In these ceremonies Sunny holds a motherly/sisterly/angelic presence, a safe space for those to be held and nurtured if they need that support.
She uses music and her voice to help the medicine move through our bodies.
She is available for 1-on-1 support, limpias, a hand to hold, and a bright light to look at when feeling lost in the dark.
Jurema / Xanga / Changa Ceremony in Guatemala
She helps to release traumas, heal parts of ourselves, release old patterns, receive beautiful visions and insights, illuminates parts of ourselves that need shifting, strengthens our relationships, brings deep connection to Spirit and the Forest, and ultimately brings forth more joy and magick in our lives!
She is a deity, as mentioned, as well as a sacred plant called Mimosa Hostilis. The plant is extracted into a smokable form of Xanga / Changa. We also offer a MAOI tea, called Syrian Rue, which will enhance and elongate the DMT effects. This allows it to flow into our bloodstream for deeper healing and space within the experience.
Other Plant Medicine Ceremonies
Ayahuasca Ceremonies & Retreats
We also offer Ayahuasca ceremonies & retreats in Guatemala throughout the year. This sacred medicine has been used for centuries in indigenous rituals to facilitate deep transformation, spiritual insight, and emotional healing. Ayahuasca creates a deepened connection to your emotions that facilitates healing of trauma, provides profound spiritual insights and a broader understanding of oneself and the universe, and can help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, among many other benefits
Huachuma / Wachuma / San Pedro Ceremony & Retreats
We also offer Huachuma / Wachuma / San Pedro retreats & ceremonies throughout the year. Huachuma, or San Pedro, is seen as the Grandfather medicine of the Andes. The main effects of huachuma are heart-opening, deepened state of awareness, profound connection to Nature and deep communion with Spirit. The most magical effects are that of Clarity of Vision, and revealing our Truest Self and how to embody that.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ayahuasca in Guatemala…
Is Changa legal in Guatemala?
Unlike some countries where Changa use is heavily restricted, Guatemala occupies a more open space for alternative and spiritual medicines. It operates in a legal gray zone, which allows traditional ceremonies to take place without formal restrictions. This openness, combined with Lake Atitlán’s potent energy vortex, has made Guatemala an increasingly popular destination for those interested in working with Changa.
What to avoid before Changa?
Preparing for a Xanga / Changa ceremony will make sure your energy and physical vessel are as clear as possible to fully receive the medicine’s wisdom and healing. Please refrain engaging with these substances on ceremony day and it can be beneficial to remove these in the days leading up to your ceremony.
Here are the key practices to avoid as part of your preparation process:
- Alcohol, Cannabis and Recreational Drugs: These may interfere with Ayahuasca’s ability to work harmoniously with your mind and spirit.
- Caffeine and Stimulants: Avoid coffee, cacao and other stimulants to give your nervous system space to settle and recharge naturally.
- Pharmaceuticals & Medications: Please consult with us about any you are taking prior to joining the ceremony. These may require a longer detox or be reason to not join the ceremony as the interaction between Ayahuasca and certain medications can be dangerous.
What food to avoid before Changa?
Your diet is also an integral part of your preparation. A clean body helps ensure you are energetically, emotionally, and physically ready for the experience. Here’s what to avoid on ceremony day and it can be beneficial to to remove this food from your diet in the days leading up to your ceremony.
- Spicy Foods: These can overstimulate your body’s systems.
- Red Meat: Heavier to digest and can weigh down your energy.
- Fermented Foods: Minimize these as they may interact negatively with Changa’s components.
- Sugar and Processed Foods: Stick to whole, nourishing foods to keep your body light and clean.
- Salt & Oil: Reduce these to promote an alkaline environment within.
Who should not join a Xanga / Changa ceremony?
While Jurema / Changa / Xanga holds profound healing potential, it is not suitable for everyone. Here are those who should tread carefully—or avoid it altogether:
- People on Antidepressants or Medications containing Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOIs) or Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): The interaction between Ayahuasca and certain medications can be dangerous.
- Individuals with Severe Heart Problems: The purging process may intensify the physical body’s response, so extreme caution in this case is essential.
Above all, participating in any Changa / Xanga / Jurema ceremony requires a commitment to the work, a willingness to confront shadow aspects of yourself, and respect for the plant’s sacredness.
If this is your first time sitting in a Changa / Xanga ceremony then please contact us if you have any questions and to make sure the ceremony is a good fit for you.
About Mystical Yoga Farm
Mystical Yoga Farm is a unique eco-retreat center focused on Yoga, Ceremony, and Permaculture. We love devotional singing, meditation, ecstatic dance, authentic expression, and shamanism. We are 100% off-grid, sustainable, zero-waste community! Our peaceful refuge provides a safe container for healing, growth and empowerment. We are delighted to offer unique guest experiences, workshops, Guatemala yoga retreats, Guatemala yoga teacher trainings, plant medicine ceremonies, cacao rituals, devotional singing events, leadership residencies & volunteer opportunities.