Wachuma
Wachuma, also known as San Pedro, Huachuma, Aguacolla, Pachanoi, and Achuma, is a revered master plant and sacred cactus medicine native to the Andes, particularly Peru. Scientifically known as Echinopsis pachanoi (formerly Trichocereus pachanoi), it contains mescaline, a psychoactive compound that induces hallucinogenic and healing effects.
History and Cultural Significance
For over 3,000 years, Wachuma has been one of humanity’s oldest and most sacred plant medicines. Respected by Andean cultures, it is called the “Grandfather Plant,” symbolizing masculine energy, wisdom, and protection. The Chavín civilization prominently used Wachuma in sacred rituals at sites such as Chavín de Huántar.
During Spanish colonization, the cactus was renamed San Pedro (Saint Peter), representing the “key to Heaven.” Despite colonial suppression, its use persisted in secret, preserving its role as a tool for healing and spiritual connection.
Sacred Practices with Wachuma Medicine
At Templo del Tigre, two traditional approaches to Wachuma ceremonies are offered: the Caminata San Pedro and the Night Ceremony, both led by Gwendal, an experienced curandero. These ceremonies facilitate healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.
Caminata
The Caminata San Pedro is a meditative day-long walk through the pristine wilderness bordering Corcovado National Park, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Lasting 6 to 8 hours, participants walk in silence, fostering mindfulness and grounding while the medicine gently guides healing and self-discovery.
This journey deepens one’s connection with nature, expands the heart, and releases emotional blockages. It fosters profound feelings of love, gratitude, and compassion while enhancing awareness of the natural world’s subtle rhythms. Participants often describe moments of clarity and a harmonious connection with the cosmos.
Ceremony
Typically held at night around a sacred fire, this ceremony offers a deeply introspective experience with a stronger dose of San Pedro. The curandero begins by honoring the medicine and setting intentions for the journey. Participants drink a tea made from the cactus, with effects gradually unfolding over 1–2 hours.
The ceremony promotes expanded consciousness, emotional healing, and spiritual growth. Experiences often include profound love, peace, and insights into life’s path, though emotional or physical purging may occur as blockages are released. Lasting 10–12 hours, the ceremony concludes with a reflection period to process insights and integrate the healing journey.
Healing Effects of Wachuma
Wachuma provides holistic healing that addresses the body, mind, and spirit in a gentle yet transformative way. Often described as a nurturing “fatherly medicine,” it guides participants through profound self-discovery.
Emotional Healing:
Wachuma opens the heart, helping release emotional burdens and fostering deeper love, compassion, and joy. It brings clarity about life’s path and relationships while dissolving the ego, allowing connection to one’s true self. It also supports recovery from drug addiction by helping to release emotional blockages and unhealthy attachments. Participants often experience a sense of interconnectedness and emotional rejuvenation.
Physical Healing:
Known as heart medicine, Wachuma improves circulation, alleviates pain, and enhances body awareness. It acts as a revitalizing tonic, helping relieve joint pain, tension, circulatory problems, and conditions like heart disease and hypertension. Additionally, it promotes attentiveness to physical sensations and supports the healing of nerve issues.
Spiritual Healing:
Wachuma serves as a gateway to higher consciousness, enhancing spiritual exploration and connection to nature. It fosters awareness of the life force in all things, cultivating unity with the universe. Participants may experience subtle visuals, profound realizations about life’s sacredness, and a deep understanding of their purpose and interconnectedness. For those seeking personal growth, Wachuma is a teacher plant that reveals ancestral wisdom and universal truths, helping dissolve the ego and connect with the greater whole of existence.
Rapé
Rapé, or hapé, is a sacred medicine used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon for thousands of years. Administered through a kuripe, a pipe that blows the powder into the nostrils, Rapé is made of tobacco blended with ashes from sacred trees and herbs, creating a potent and healing medicine.
During a Rapé ceremony, it’s important to sit with an erect spine and an open body, allowing energy to flow freely from root to crown. This posture activates and aligns the chakras, fostering a deep connection to body and spirit. The experience is both grounding and uplifting, helping participants feel centered, balanced, and spiritually attuned. Rapé enhances mental clarity, promotes emotional balance, and supports respiratory health by clearing sinus blockages and aiding with ailments like colds and flu. It also facilitates detoxification, purging toxins from the mind, body, and energetic field. The medicine aids in chakra cleansing, grounding, and purification of the aura, while offering protection. Additionally, it helps open the Third Eye, enhancing inner vision, intuition, and sensory perception.
At Templo del Tigre, the ceremony is accompanied by the healing sounds of gong or other instruments, further enriching the journey, which typically lasts 20-30 minutes.
Sananga
Sananga is a powerful, sacred medicine made from the roots and bark of Tabernaemontana undulata, a shrub native to the Amazon. The plant is ground into a fine powder and extracted into a potent juice used as eye drops. Traditionally used by indigenous tribes in South America, Sananga supports eye health and treats conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, farsightedness, nearsightedness, and even blindness.
When applied, Sananga causes an intense burning sensation in the eyes, lasting a few minutes. This purging experience cleanses not only the eyes but also the mind and spirit, helping clear emotional blockages and enhancing spiritual clarity. The medicine is antimicrobial and antifungal, fighting eye infections, while its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. It also has detoxifying effects, particularly on the eyes and visual system. Sananga contains compounds that may support immune function and inhibit cancer cell growth. Spiritually, it promotes mental clarity, emotional release, and spiritual growth.
At Templo del Tigre, the Sananga ceremony is enriched with sound healing and the deep vibrations of the gong, guiding participants through their journey and supporting emotional release, relaxation, and heightened awareness. The Sananga ceremony, enhanced with sound healing, lasts 20-30 minutes.
Gong Bath Meditation
Sound healing through gong baths is a transformative practice designed to reset both the body and mind. Using instruments like gongs and singing bowls, sound vibrations help release energy blockages, calm the nervous system, and guide you into a deeply peaceful state. The gong’s unique tones are especially effective at shifting brainwave frequencies, taking you from an active Beta state into Alpha, Theta, and even Delta states, which promotes relaxation, meditation, or restful sleep.
Understanding Brainwaves
There are four main types of brainwaves, each linked to different states of consciousness:
- Beta: Active brainwaves experienced during focused, awake moments.
- Alpha: Relaxed brainwaves when you’re awake but at rest, often during daydreaming.
- Theta: Deeply relaxed brainwaves that occur during light sleep or profound meditation.
- Delta: The slowest brainwaves, associated with deep sleep and true rejuvenation.
Gong healing can guide your brainwaves from Beta to Alpha, Theta, or Delta, supporting relaxation and emotional release. These shifts may bring about vivid dreams, heightened awareness, or even deeper healing, helping to dissolve mental clutter and emotional blockages. Every session is a unique experience, based on your current state of mind and needs.
The Benefits of Gong Sound Healing
- Stress & Anxiety Relief: Induces deep relaxation and mental clarity, helping to ease tension and promote well-being.
- Emotional Healing: Clears emotional blockages and facilitates emotional release.
- Improved Sleep: Supports restful, restorative sleep by calming the mind and body.
- Enhanced Well-being: Aligns the body’s energy centers (chakras), fostering balance and harmony in both body and spirit.
Whether you’re seeking deep relaxation, healing from past trauma, or simply a moment to reset, gong baths offer a simple yet profound way to tap into your body’s natural healing abilities. Let the sound guide you to a place of calm, restoration, and peace. The gong bath at Templo del Tigre lasts 45 minutes.
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient spiritual discipline that unites the body, mind, and spirit. Rooted in a subtle science, it seeks to bring balance, peace, and harmony to all aspects of life. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit term Yuj, meaning “to join,” “to combine,” or “to unite.” It is not only a physical practice but also a path to mental clarity and spiritual growth.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Yama – Ethical disciplines
Niyama – Self observation
Asana – Posture
Pranayama – Breath control
Pratyahara – Sense withdrawal
Dharana – Concentration
Dhyana – Meditation
Samadhi – A state of joy and peace
At Templo del Tigre, we offer a variety of yoga classes, including Vinyasa and Hatha, each lasting one hour. With over two decades of combined experience, we are committed to providing personalized care and attention to each student. Our intimate class sizes—capped at no more than 8 students—ensure a supportive and nurturing environment where you can receive the guidance needed to deepen your practice. Whether you’re just beginning or you’re an experienced practitioner, we create a space for growth, connection, and mindfulness, helping you progress on your journey toward harmony and well-being.
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita
Benefits of Yoga:
Physical Benefits: Increases flexibility, builds strength, improves posture, enhances balance and coordination, boosts respiratory health, promotes cardiovascular health, aids detoxification
Mental and Emotional Benefits: Reduces stress and anxiety, enhances mental clarity, improves emotional well-being, promotes mindfulness and self-awareness, cultivates inner peace and calm
Spiritual Benefits: Enhances spiritual awareness, fosters connection and purpose,supports personal growth and transformation
Pranayama
Pranayama, from the Sanskrit words prana (life force) and ayama (expansion), is an ancient breathing technique that originated in India. It helps regulate the flow of energy in the body, enabling control over your inner energies while promoting vitality, clarity, and emotional balance. As the fourth limb of yoga, pranayama involves three key stages: Puraka (inhalation), Kumbhaka (retention), and Rechaka (exhalation).
Benefits of Pranayama:
- Boosts Energy: Enhances prana, increasing vitality.
- Mental Clarity: Clears blockages, promoting focus and calm.
- Emotional Balance: Reduces stress and fosters a positive mindset.
- Physical & Spiritual Harmony: Balances the body, mind, and spirit.
- Improves Health: Cleanses toxins and supports overall well-being.
At Templo del Tigre, we offer pranayama either as a brief practice before yoga to center the mind and body, or as a standalone session, allowing for a deeper experience lasting 30 minutes.
Shamanic Cleansing and Flourishing Ritual Baths
Plant baths embody the essence of shamanic healing from the high Andes to the Amazon basin, serving as a powerful ritual to wash away unhelpful spirits. In this cleansing, blockages are released, allowing the energy of the universe to flow in and restore harmony to our being.
Plants and herbs are thoughtfully selected by the curandero for each patient, addressing their unique ailments with care and intention.
Yoni Steaming: A Women’s Wellness Ritual
Yoni Steaming originates from various indigenous cultures, including Mayan, Korean, Chinese and African traditions. It is a practice and ritual that honours this source and physical “womb” through herbal steaming. It is a holistic practice aimed at promoting female reproductive health and overall well-being, where one would sit over an herbal steam bath, and vapours would cleanse and support the external vaginal areas. The experience nurtures the sacred site by soothing and unblocking physical and/or emotional trauma that may be present. Women were also inspired by Yoni steam to unlock the magic of the womb and divine feminine within.
A ritualistic yoni steam can provide holistic and soothing properties to the sacrum, pelvic floor area, “feminine crown.” For those managing menstruation issues, transitioning through menopause, working through trauma, or wanting to foster a flourishing relationship with the “source,” yoni steaming is a beautiful place to start.
Discover more about its benefits below:
- Restores regularity to the menstrual or moon cycle by either stimulating stagnant menstruation or decreasing a heavy flow.
- Brings relief to common symptoms associated with PMS and menstruation including menstrual cramps, bloating, pain and fatigue.
- Reduces pain associated with sexual intercourse.
- Relieves itchiness.
- Helps to clear uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.
- Heals endometriosis.
- Promotes fertility.
- Cleanses, tones and heals the tissues of the vagina.
- Labor preparation and support.
- Postpartum healing from birth, miscarriage and/or abortion.
- Supports the transition into menopause.
- Minimizes hot flashes.
- Balances hormones.
- Moisturises and lubricates vaginal dryness and/or tightness.
- Surgery recovery.
- Healing from past sexual abuse and trauma.
- Clears vaginal and/or yeast infections.
- Promotes healthy prana or life force energy.