Ayahuasca
background.
SANTOS began studying ayahuasca and plant-medicine practices in 2019 in Northern California. His studies included Shipibo songs, language, ceremonial customs, and plant practices.
His studies in Northern California prepared him for the next stage of his apprenticeship in the Peruvian Amazon.
His training included a plant dieta with Noya Rao, an important period of study within his apprenticeship.
The study of icaros, plant traditions, and ceremonial care continues to inform his work as a curandero. His approach considers preparation and integration alongside the ceremony itself.
Shamanic training
in Peru.
At Inkankena, SANTOS immersed himself in Shipibo language, ceremonial songs, and plant practices. His studies included icaros, ceremonial care, and the relationship between song and spiritual practice.
His apprenticeship also explored the work of a vegetalista, a practitioner whose spiritual study centers on plants. These teachings shaped his understanding of the relationships between song, the natural world, and ceremonial practice.
SANTOS describes this as a formative period of study. Today, he works under the name SANTOS and carries that history into a practice grounded in his own commitments and responsibilities.
Today, his practice is independent. He is not affiliated with his former teachers and does not represent the Shipibo community. Respect for each person’s identity, beliefs, and personal agency is a foundational commitment of his work.
Study &
integration.
SANTOS remembers his time in the Amazon as a physically demanding and spiritually significant period. His apprenticeship included a month-long plant dieta with Noya Rao, alongside the study of song, ceremony, and personal practice.
Since returning, he has focused on balanced meals, regular weightlifting, breathwork, meditation, and making more room to slow down. He considers the ongoing work of daily life an essential part of integrating what he learned.
