The Sacred Shedding
A 7-Day Wachuma & Shadow Work Retreat for People of Color
Sacred Valley, Peru
What would it feel like to release the guilt, shame, anger, and grief you’ve been carrying?
The Sacred Shedding is a 7-day journey in the Sacred Valley of Peru guided by shadow work facilitators and held within ancient Andean traditions. Through Wachuma ceremony, yoga, temazcal, and workshops, you will be supported to shed old stories, meet your shadows, and remember your wholeness.
This retreat is designed for People of Color who are ready to engage their healing in community, supported by both ancestral wisdom and modern shadow work practices.
Application are now open.
This is an intimate and intentional gathering.
Dates + Location
📍 Sacred Valley, Peru
📆 November 2–9, 2026
Why Wachuma And Shadow Work?
Wachuma, also known as San Pedro, is a sacred cactus medicine used in the Andes for over 3,000 years. Known as the Grandfather medicine, Wachuma is gentle, heart-opening, and grounding.
When paired with shadow work, Wachuma reveals the hidden roots of guilt, shame, anger, and grief, allowing them to be felt, processed, and transformed. Together, the medicine and the practices create a container for release, clarity, and deep self-trust.
Why Peru?
There is no better place to engage this work than the Sacred Valley. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, and ancient traditions, you will be immersed in an environment that naturally supports shedding and renewal. Peru is the birthplace of Wachuma, where this sacred medicine has been tended and protected by Indigenous healers for thousands of years. The land itself is alive with memory; each mountain a protector, each river a teacher, each stone carrying stories of resilience and reverence. To walk here is to walk with the ancestors, to sit in ceremony here is to return to a lineage that has always known how to live in right relationship with the earth. The Sacred Valley is not only breathtaking in its beauty, it is also a mirror for transformation: expansive, humbling, and deeply rooted. Here, you are invited to remember that healing is not just personal, but also communal and ancestral; a homecoming to yourself and to the land that holds you.
What's Included?
→ Opening Andean Ceremony to anchor intentions and connect with the land
→ Two Wachuma ceremonies including a traditional Wachuma hike in the Andes
→ Temazcal Ceremony (sweat lodge) for purification
→ Yoga & Movement practices to regulate body and breath
→ Shadow Work Workshops focusing on guilt, shame, anger, and grief
→ Integration Circles guided by experienced facilitators
→ Accommodations in the Sacred Valley (single & double rooms available)
→ Farm-to-table meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients
→ Pre-retreat preparation packet + dieta guidelines
→ Ongoing support from facilitators before and after the retreat
The Journey: Day by Day
Over 7 days, we’ll move through a carefully held arc of ceremonies, practices, and integration. Beginning with an Andean opening to root us in the land, the journey unfolds through purification, shadow work, Wachuma ceremonies, and guided integration. Each day builds upon the last, guiding you into deeper release and remembrance, until we close together in blessing; returning home renewed and more fully yourself.
Day 1: Arrival + Opening Andean Ceremony
We begin by arriving and rooting into the Sacred Valley. After settling in, we gather in a welcome circle and honor the land with an opening Andean ceremony led by a local healer. Through gentle yoga and altar building, we create a sacred container of safety and belonging to guide us through the week ahead.
Day 2: Shadow Foundations + Temazcal Ceremony
This day is devoted to purification and preparation. We start with yoga and breathwork before entering our first shadow work workshop, exploring the language of the shadow and how it lives within us. In the afternoon, we move into a traditional Temazcal (sweat lodge), allowing heat, prayer, and song to cleanse the body and open the heart. We end with an evening circle to integrate the teachings.
Day 3: Wachuma Hike (Microdose)
With the medicine as our guide, we walk with the ancestors and the land. Beginning at sunrise with yoga and meditation, we microdose Wachuma and embark on a guided hike to a sacred mountain site. In silence and prayer, we listen deeply to the earth, making offerings to the land before closing the day in journaling and quiet reflection.
Day 4: Wachuma Ceremony (Full Dose)
This is a day of surrender into the heart. At sunrise, we gather for intention setting before entering an all-day Wachuma ceremony with a traditional curandero. The medicine is held in song, prayer, and silence as nature becomes our teacher. In the evening, we share a gentle communal meal and move into sacred silence until morning.
Day 6: Grief + Sovereignty
This day invites us into grief as a portal to love. Through yoga and breathwork, we soften the body and release stored sorrow. In our workshop, we explore grief as both shedding and becoming, followed by a water ritual at the river, offering our tears back to the flow of life. Together, we integrate creatively and close with a fire ceremony to honor what has been released.
Day 5: Integration + Shame
After ceremony, we return to ground and begin to integrate. Yoga opens the body as we gather in circle to reflect on the lessons from Wachuma. Our focus turns to shame; one of the heaviest and most hidden emotions. Through compassionate exploration, we learn to name our shame stories, release the silence they hold, and begin transforming shame into sovereignty.
Day 7: Closure + Departure
On our final morning, we gather in gentle movement before a closing circle and blessing ritual. Here we seal the week’s journey, honoring the medicine, the land, and the community that has held us. After a farewell brunch, we prepare for departures, carrying home the seeds of transformation rooted in the Sacred Valley.
Meet your Guide
Dr. Sanaa Jaman is a yoga teacher, writer, and shadow worker devoted to helping others remember their wholeness through sacred practice, embodied healing, and deep inner work. She has spent years guiding people through grief, heartbreak, shame, and ancestral wounds, offering tools to turn pain into power and shadow into sovereignty.
Sanaa’s journey with plant medicine began in 2019, when a dream called her to Peru. What she thought would be a simple healing retreat revealed itself as a plant medicine journey with Wachuma; one that profoundly shifted her understanding of love, protection, and shadow work.
Since then, she has continued to walk with the medicine and integrate its wisdom into her work, blending ancient traditions with her own lived experience.
Her teaching is grounded in both spiritual reverence and practical tools: yoga, breathwork, ritual, journaling, and shadow work practices that make transformation accessible and embodied. With a gift for creating safe and courageous spaces, Sanaa holds participants with tenderness and strength, inviting them to explore the hidden corners of self where grief, shame, and guilt can alchemize into truth, freedom, and deeper belonging.
She believes that healing is not linear and that we are never meant to walk it alone. In this retreat, she walks beside you, not above you, as a witness, a guide, and a fellow traveler on the sacred path of shedding and remembering.
Not sure if you’re ready to join?
Start with this free Wachuma Reading; your preview into the medicine, history, and healing practices you’ll experience in the Sacred Shedding Retreat.
This guide will help you understand:
→ What Wachuma (San Pedro) is and why it has been used for over 3,000 years
→ How Wachuma opens the heart and supports the release of guilt, shame, anger, and grief
→ The role of the dieta (preparation diet) and why it is essential
→ How ceremony, shadow work, and community support weave together for deep transformation
→ My personal story of how Wachuma first called me to Peru in 2019 and why it continues to be a medicine of remembrance
Sacred Shares
Reclaiming My Voice
"Working with Dr. Sanaa Jaman has been truly transformational. I found a safe space to be fully myself; vulnerable, honest, and seen without judgment. Through our sessions, I’ve learned to trust my intuition, process fear and anxiety with compassion, and show up more confidently in every area of my life from my doctoral journey to my relationships. Sanaa’s guidance helped me reclaim my voice, honor my sensitivity, and believe in my path. 10/10 recommend."
— Khadijah J.
Multiple 1:1 guidance containers
Grateful for the Shift
“How do you describe someone who has removed the restrictions from your thinking? How do you describe that process to people, in a way that allows them to expect similar results? I am here to offer testimony to the value Sanàa’s mentorship has brought into my life. That’s the other challenge, how do you quantify a paradigm shift? Sanàa challenged me to look inward. The impact of her pouring into herself is immeasurable. That practice speaks to softness in the way she deals with you, patience with your growth; I am grateful to The Most High for her. “
— Jamil A.
Multiple 1:1 guidance containers & mutliple retreats
Deeper Than I Ever Expected
“Since connecting with Sanaa, I’ve been challenged to go deeper than I ever imagined. Through her retreats and 1:1 mentoring, I’ve unlearned limiting beliefs, faced my shadows, and grown in confidence. Her support has helped me release attachments, navigate spiritual confusion, and embrace my journey with more clarity and compassion. Mentoring with Sanaa feels like tough love wrapped in divine light and I’m so grateful for the transformation it’s brought into my life."
— Kenisha B.
1:1 Guidance container & multiple retreats
A Retreat Like No Other
Coming into the retreat, she carried high anxiety and the fear of stepping into an unfamiliar community. From the very first day, that fear began to dissolve. The openness, honesty, and safety of the space gave her permission to be open too; something she shared is rare for women of color, who are not always given safe spaces to unfold.
Here, she found herself part of a community where every story was honored, every mirror was sacred, and every woman was held with care.
For her, this retreat was not just restorative, it was transformational. It became a sanctuary where women of color and all women were safe, supported, and celebrated. She left knowing her heart had changed in ways she didn’t even realize it needed, and that what she experienced here could not be replicated anywhere else. As she said, “This is not just a retreat, it’s an absolute must."
— Monica, Retreat Attendee
Retreat Tuition
We believe in sacred reciprocity, honoring the balance of giving and receiving in all that we do. Your contribution not only makes your own healing possible, it also directly supports the Indigenous Andean healers and ceremonial staff who share their wisdom, sustains the land and eco-lodge that graciously hosts us, and ensures fair compensation for the facilitators holding space throughout the retreat. With only 12 spaces available, this retreat is designed to stay intimate and deeply supported.
Single Occupancy: $3,150 USD (limited to 6 rooms)
Double Occupancy: $2,850 USD
Deposit: $350 USD (non-refundable, applied toward total)
Payment Plan: Up to 6 months available for all participants
Tuition includes lodging, meals, ceremonies, and transport. Airfare not included.
Your Home in the Sacred Valley
During The Sacred Shedding, you’ll be staying at Nidra Wasi, a serene retreat hotel nestled in the heart of the Sacred Valley of Peru. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, and vibrant gardens, Nidra Wasi offers the perfect balance of comfort and connection to nature.
Designed as a sanctuary for rest and renewal, Nidra Wasi is more than a place to sleep, it is an environment that supports your healing journey. The space is infused with Andean tradition and natural beauty, creating a peaceful container for ceremony, integration, and community.
What you can expect:
- Comfortable single and double occupancy rooms with cozy bedding and mountain views
- Peaceful gardens and meditation spaces to rest between sessions
- Nourishing plant-based meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients
- Sacred ceremony spaces designed for Wachuma, yoga, and integration circles
- Warm hospitality from staff who understand the rhythms of retreat and healing work
Whether journaling by the gardens, sharing meals in community, or resting in your private room, Nidra Wasi is designed to hold you gently as you shed, release, and return to yourself.
Shedding is not the end of you.
It is the becoming of who you’ve always been.
Come sit in this sacred valley, where your shadows will be welcomed, your stories honored, and your heart reminded: you are safe to let go.
Welcome to The Sacred Shedding.
FAQs
Q: Why is this retreat invite-only?
A: This retreat is intentionally intimate and curated for safety, depth, and trust. Because we will be engaging plant medicine and shadow work, we require an application process to ensure participants are emotionally, mentally, and physically prepared for the journey. This allows us to create a safe, supportive circle for all.
Q: What is Wachuma (San Pedro)?
A: Wachuma, also known as San Pedro, is a sacred cactus medicine native to the Andes. It has been used for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples for healing, prayer, and connection to the heart. Wachuma opens the heart, deepens awareness, and helps us see ourselves and the world with more clarity and compassion.
Q: Why combine Wachuma with shadow work?
A: Plant medicine can open the door to hidden truths within us, while shadow work provides tools to understand, process, and integrate what arises. Together, they help bring awareness to emotions like shame, grief, and guilt not as enemies, but as teachers that guide us into wholeness.
Q: Do I have to take the medicine to participate?
A: No. Participation in Wachuma ceremonies is always a choice. If you decide not to drink, you will still benefit from being in the ceremonial space, participating in yoga, shadow work workshops, and integration practices.
Q: Is Wachuma safe?
A: Wachuma is generally gentle and heart-opening. However, there are certain medical conditions and medications that are not compatible with it (such as heart conditions, severe psychiatric disorders, or antidepressants like SSRIs). This is why our application process includes a thorough screening, and we consult with each participant before confirming acceptance.
Q: What if difficult emotions come up?
A: This retreat is designed to support you through the full range of emotions. Our team of facilitators will be there to guide you, and you will have access to integration circles, journaling prompts, and somatic practices to help move through what arises. You will never be left alone in your process.
Q: What is included in the retreat tuition?
A: Your tuition covers accommodations, meals, two Wachuma ceremonies (including one mountain hike), Andean opening and closing ceremonies, a Temazcal (sweat lodge), yoga sessions, shadow work workshops, integration circles, and facilitator support throughout your stay. Travel to and from Peru is not included.
Q: What should I pack?
A: You’ll receive a detailed packing list in your preparation packet, but essentials include comfortable clothing for yoga and ceremony, layers for the mountain weather, a journal, sturdy walking shoes, and an open heart.
Q: How do payment plans work?
A: We offer both single and double occupancy options with a $350 deposit. From there, you can set up a 9-month payment plan. Details are provided in your acceptance letter.
Q: Do I need prior experience with plant medicine or shadow work?
A: Not at all. What matters most is your openness and readiness to step into the process. Whether this is your first time with either practice or you are returning for deeper layers of healing, you will be supported at every stage.
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