Atmosphere

Features

Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Ayafes submits its own information.

Ayafes: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca and IFS Retreats in Puerto Morelos, Mexico

Ayafes is a seven-day retreat that pairs ayahuasca with Internal Family Systems (IFS) parts work, run by founder Blanca Dasi Espuig with facilitator Pamela Dharani at One Breath of Yoga Ashram, a rented jungle venue in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, for up to 12 guests from $2,879, per its Retreat Guru page. It screens every guest by call and intake form, excludes SSRIs, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, and adds four weeks of online preparation and integration. Against that, no medical professional is named, two team members use “Dr.” titles with no doctorate given, the retreat is sold as “IFS therapy” with no clinical license stated, it has no website or company, and all 12 of its reviews sit on one platform, none since August 2025.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: One Breath of Yoga Ashram, a yoga ashram at the jungle edge of Puerto Morelos, about 20 minutes from Cancún airport, Quintana Roo, Mexico, per its BookRetreats listing. The venue belongs to a separate operator that also runs its own retreats.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies (the number is not published), rapé and cacao combined with IFS sessions, daily yoga, breathwork, sound healing and somatic practice, plus four weeks of online preparation before and four weeks of online integration after.
• Suitable For: Adults who want ayahuasca paired with structured IFS work in a small group near Cancún. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: From $2,879 on Retreat Guru and $3,879 for a private room with bathroom on BookRetreats for its February and May 2027 dates. BookRetreats asks an $892 deposit by bank transfer, fully refundable 60 or more days before arrival and half refundable at 30 to 59 days, with the balance due 30 days out. Meals and Cancún airport transfers are included.
• Overall Assessment: Clear exclusion rules, small groups and long integration support, offset by no named medical staff, unexplained titles, almost no footprint beyond one booking platform and the legal risk of importing brew into Mexico. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

BookRetreats shows 5.00 from 12 reviews, all five stars, dated October 2024 to August 2025, praising how IFS made ceremonies deeper and more manageable, the organization and the hosts’ care, per its BookRetreats listing; four of the visible reviews date from October 2024, consistent with a single group. Retreat Guru shows no reviews, and no other reviews of Ayafes were found. None of 3 stars or lower were found. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Ayafes, Blanca Dasi Espuig, Pamela Dharani, the facilitator Iván Acuña Rodríguez de San Miguel and the One Breath of Yoga Ashram venue.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Blanca Dasi Espuig is named as founder and lead facilitator; she lists a Harvard master’s in design studies, Level 3 IFS certification under Dr. Richard Schwartz and Somatic Experiencing training, per her Retreat Guru profile (unverified), and co-hosts a podcast on IFS and psychedelics, per Buzzsprout. Pamela Dharani, shown as “Dr. Pamela” with no doctorate named, describes Santo Daime, Red Path and Shipibo training, per her BookRetreats profile (unverified); that bio is nearly identical to one used by another facilitator, Ivan Jagdish de San Miguel, who also appears under Ayafes on Retreat Guru. The chef is also styled “Dr.” without explanation. The medicine is attributed to “Maestra Juanita”, a Shipibo curandera with no surname who is not said to be present. No website, company or tax number is published.

Screening and medical support. Guests have a one-to-one consultation call and complete an intake form on medical and psychological history; SSRIs, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers are excluded, as are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with recent mania, per its BookRetreats listing. No doctor or nurse is named: the listing describes first-aid-trained facilitators, a 24-hour support team and a vehicle for emergencies, and says a hospital is 10 minutes away (unverified). The retreat is marketed as “IFS therapy”, but no clinical license is stated for anyone on the team.

Listings. Prices differ by $1,000 between Retreat Guru and BookRetreats, the two platforms list different teams, and the ceremony count is not published. Three Retreat Guru gallery files carry another retreat brand’s name. The venue’s owner, One Breath of Yoga Ashram, runs its own ayahuasca retreats, also with Pamela Dharani.

Status. Taking bookings for February and May 2027; the most recent review is from August 2025.

Legal context. DMT is illegal in Mexico, and at least nine people, mainly Indigenous healers, were arrested with ayahuasca from 2022 before being released, per AFP via the Tico Times. Ayafes says its brew is prepared in the Peruvian Amazon, which implies carrying it into Mexico, the conduct behind those airport arrests, per DoubleBlind.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ayafes’ exclusion of SSRIs matches the main drug-interaction risk. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Caapi vine and chacruna only, “prepared traditionally in the Peruvian Amazon” under Maestra Juanita, per its BookRetreats listing. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Coastal jungle at the edge of Puerto Morelos town on the Caribbean coast.
• Rooms: Private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, double beds and terraces, per its BookRetreats listing; earlier venue guests note that rooms vary, so confirm air conditioning.
• Style: IFS-informed ceremonies led by non-Indigenous facilitators, with a Shipibo-sourced brew.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cancún (CUN); round-trip transfers are included.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want IFS built into ceremony work and accept that no medical staff are named. Ask in writing how many ceremonies are held, who serves the medicine and their training, what the “Dr.” titles refer to, for proof of the founder’s IFS certification, which hospital is nearest and how the brew reaches Mexico. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Blanca Dasi Espuig founded Ayafes and says she has more than five years in the ceremony space; its Retreat Guru gallery dates from March 2024 and its first reviewed retreat from October 2024. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: Use the four-week online integration program and arrange help from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Dates are listed on BookRetreats and Retreat Guru. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.