Atmosphere

Features

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

Ayawakening: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Ceremonies on the São Paulo Coast, Brazil

Ayawakening, earlier branded AyaMastermind and Ayahuasca Retreats Mastermind, was a small ayahuasca service for foreign visitors run from Santos, on the São Paulo coast, by founder Daniel Greiner. It sold group and private ceremonies in Bertioga and Peruíbe led by a Yawanawá pajé called Xinã, a luxury package of private ceremonies at an unnamed five-star hotel and spa in Guarujá, and “afterglow” workshops it said offer “heightened brain plasticity,” for $359 to $6,000. Its website, ayawakening.com, has expired and now redirects to a domain-sale page, no dated events appear after 2023, and it has no reviews on any platform, yet a $670 “Guided Ceremony in Brazil” is still bookable through Expedia’s sites. No refund policy, contraindication list or credentialed medical staff is published, and selling ceremonies to tourists with health claims falls outside the religious framework Brazil allows. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Headquarters in the José Menino area of Santos, São Paulo state, with ceremonies “conducted in Bertioga and Peruibe” and a partner hotel in Guarujá, according to its Retreat Guru page. No ceremony address is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies around a bonfire with Yawanawá chants, with kambo, sananga and rapé listed on one directory, an online questionnaire and consultation call, preparation workshops and post-ceremony “afterglow” workshops.
• Suitable For: Anyone considering it should first confirm that it still operates, who leads ceremonies and what medical cover exists; it is not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $359 to $6,000 across its packages, according to the Third Wave directory, and about $670 per adult for a guided ceremony in Peruíbe on Travelocity, with the platform’s free cancellation. The $900 on our earlier listing has no source. No operator refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: Private and small-group options with a named Yawanawá ceremony leader, offset by commercial ayahuasca tourism with cognitive and therapeutic claims outside Brazil’s religious framework, kambo with no published screening, an uncredentialed “medical staff” listing, no refund terms or company, no reviews, and an expired website alongside a still-bookable travel listing. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. There are no independent reviews. Our earlier profile said Quora users valued its focus on mindfulness and the afterglow workshops for brain plasticity and changing habits, and that a retreat-platform review praised a safe, loving space in Santos; every platform checked shows no reviews, so those comments remain unverified.

The negative feedback. None found. Our earlier profile reported a review saying logistics coordination was lacking; that remains unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. No one, independently. Its website published search-optimized articles machine-translated into many languages, including one titled “All You Need To Know About Buying Ayahuasca.” If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Portuguese-language news for reports involving Ayawakening, AyaMastermind, Daniel Greiner and Xinã Yawanawá.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action or lawsuits found, and no ayahuasca raids on the São Paulo coast.

Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime. With no reviews, the absence of reports says little.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Brazil’s rules. CONAD Resolution 1/2010 recognizes religious use of ayahuasca, bans selling the drink and treats commercial, tourist and therapeutic use as unacceptable, according to ICEERS; Brazil’s federal prosecutors in Acre noted in 2024 that recreational or therapeutic use or sale outside a religious context may be sanctioned, and in September 2026 recommended clearer rules, as the MPF reported. Paid ceremonies for tourists sold with claims about brain plasticity fall outside that framework. We found no enforcement against this operator.

Still bookable, probably closed. The website has expired and nothing is dated after 2023, but a “Guided Ceremony in Brazil” by “ayawakening” in Peruíbe still shows prices and a booking form on Travelocity and Orbitz. Anyone booking through those sites should confirm directly that the ceremony will take place.

Who leads the ceremonies. The ceremony leader is named only as Xinã, a Yawanawá pajé. A Yawanawá musician and artist named Xinã Yura, from the Rio Gregório Indigenous Territory in Acre, appears in independent press, but nothing confirms that he is the same person.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Guarujá hosts only the partner-hotel package; the operator is based in Santos and holds ceremonies in Bertioga and Peruíbe. Its priced packages and Expedia sales contradict our earlier description of a “non-commercial” experience. The ceremony leader is Xinã; the “Txiva” label in our earlier profile has no source. We found no source for biofeedback technology to track brain activity, eco-accommodation, flexible durations or medicine in its “true, unadulterated form”; those details remain unverified. It had a website, now expired.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Screening consists of a questionnaire, a one-on-one consultation call “to assess suitability” and a preparation workshop, according to the Third Wave listing. No medication, psychiatric or heart policy is published beyond the travel platform’s warning against pregnant travelers and those with poor cardiovascular health. One person is listed as “medical staff” with no role or credentials. No emergency protocol or hospital is named. 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

The operator says its medicine is “sourced directly from the Yawanawá tribe.” Yawanawá ayahuasca (uni) combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. Kambo, sananga and rapé are listed on one directory but not on Retreat Guru.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Coastal Atlantic Forest towns south and north of Santos; the Guarujá package uses a partner hotel and spa.
• Rooms: Private or garden cottages in Bertioga and a five-star hotel in Guarujá, according to the operator’s listings.
• Style: A Western-run, science-flavored program around Yawanawá ceremony, offering private ceremonies and groups of 2 to 25.

Practical guidance: The operator listed pickup and drop-off in São Paulo and private transport; only a light breakfast after the ceremony is documented.

Should You Book?

Not without confirming that it still operates. Ask who will lead the ceremony, how medications and health conditions are screened, who the medical staff are and what their qualifications are, and what the refund terms are, and understand the limits of Brazil’s legal framework. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Daniel Greiner is listed as founder and CEO and as a practitioner; no biography or credentials are published. The operator has been listed in directories since 2021. Ceremonies were led by Xinã, described as a pajé of the Yawanawá people of Acre. 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: Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any operator.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

No dated events are published, and the operator’s website has expired; a guided ceremony is still listed on Travelocity and Orbitz. Before paying, confirm that the ceremony will run, who leads it and the emergency arrangements. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed October 2026.

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