9 TO 14 OCTOBER
The Awakening of the Voice
YAWA-MADHA
Immersive Retreat
THE PURPOSE OF THE RETREAT
The Opening of the Voice
The Kulina Madhá are a recently contacted people, known for preserving very ancient spiritual practices.
In the Madhá tradition, the Opening of the Voice is a practice of spiritual transmission conducted individually by Shaman Maná. In this process, the “Spirit of the Voice” is planted within each participant,
Facilitators:
Voices and Guardians of the Forest
Pajé Maná Madhá
Pajé Maná Madhá was given the name “Saint” by his own people. He is a great spiritual leader, recognized for his dedicated mission to healing. As explained by Putanny and Biraci Nixiwaká, leaders of the Yawanawá people, Maná and his wife Ratsuhá are considered “people from 500 years ago” and “kings” of spirituality.
He received traditional training that today only a few shamans still possess, with profound knowledge of medicinal plants and a powerful technique of spiritual healing, capable of materializing the disease to remove it from the patient’s body. Recognized for healing serious illnesses, Maná works in both the physical and spiritual dimensions.
Ratsuhá
(Female Spiritual Leader & Midwife)
Ratsuhá is a female spiritual leader with rare traditional training, specializing in childbirth—a knowledge that today only a few healers possess—and has already overseen more than 2,800 births. Together with her husband, she participates in healing sessions according to the Madhá tradition and is involved in the transmission of knowledge through the spiritual practice called Opening of the Voice, a rigorous process that involves body techniques, ritual use of tobacco, specific diets, and marks the learning of chants in the apprentice’s body.
Vesku Yawanawá
(Female Leadership, Guardian of Seeds & Plants)
Vesku is a Yawanawá female leader, residing in the Apurinã people’s village, dedicated to strengthening indigenous culture, with a special focus on women and the use of medicinal plants. She has devoted her life to the indigenous people’s resistance movement and, in recent years, has particularly concentrated on preserving the healing knowledge of indigenous medicine. Sister of the spiritual leader Putanny, she carries the legacy of her grandfather, a great healer who knew many medicinal plants. Vesku is a member of the Sitoakore Women’s Organisation and served for many years on its board, being an active force in the movement for indigenous women’s rights. She is the head of the Runyn Pupykary Yawanawá Institute, where she developed a healing center, executes various projects, and organized knowledge exchange meetings among various indigenous peoples. An apprentice of healers and midwives, she is also a guardian of Yawanawá songs, stories, and ancestral knowledge, learned since her childhood.
In her home, she is building a medicinal plant pharmacy as well as a seed bank.
Runuiná
(Musician, Composer & Young Leader)
Runuiná is a musician, composer, and young Yawanawá-Pupykary leader, son of Vesku Yawanawá and Antônio Apurinã, guardian of the ancestry of his peoples. He develops projects at the Runyn Center and has been dedicated to indigenous musicality from an early age, being a student of the Pajé Santo Maná Madhá for more than ten years, learning prayers, songs, and traditional healing arts from him. Runu shares the knowledge acquired throughout his spiritual and musical journey, from his deepening studies and creative process, developing new melodies and arrangements that integrate instruments such as the guitar with chants traditionally sung only with the voice. He composes his own songs by transferring the traditional Pajé Maná Saitis — originally recited solely with the voice — to the guitar.
program
09/10
Opening circle and chants
10/10
Body painting + wisdom circle + Uni ceremony
11/10
Kapum + singing class + wisdom circle with rapé
12/10
Herbal bath + singing class
wisdom circle with rapé and sananga
13/10
Daytime Uni ceremony in the forest
14/10
Singing class + wisdom circle + final sharing
where the retreat takes place
YARY is a Holistic Center located on the Cocoa Coast, southern coast of Bahia, Brazil.
A space of fulfillment with regenerative energy, on the banks of the Tijuípe River, amidst the Atlantic Forest.
Inviting you to be present and in harmony with nature, providing moments of renewal.
Secure Your Spot
What’s included in the experience
⪢ All experiences
Group singing lessons, spiritual ceremonies in the forest and around the fire, body painting, plant baths, and healing circles.
⪢ Individual Voice Opening Session
A sacred personal rite conducted directly by Pajé Maná for spiritual transmission and planting the Spirit of the Voice in each participant’s body.
⪢ Complete Diet-Based Nutrition
Balanced and healthy local-based meals, carefully cooked following strictly the traditional ritual restrictions.
⪢ Transportation
Transportation pick up and drop off from the airport of Ilheus to the Oca Yary.
⪢ Where to Sleep
Enjoy a restful night in comfortable accommodations tailored to your selected experience package. Our options range from cozy tent setups with sleeping pads for an immersive nature experience, to luxurious eco-friendly cabins equipped with plush bedding and serene furnishings to ensure a nurturing and peaceful rest. Your choice of accommodation is designed to enhance your overall journey, providing the utmost comfort and relaxation.
COLIBRI
Bed in shared bungalow in the middle of the forest, with a private bathroom, just a short walk from the Central Oca.
A cozy experience surrounded by the Atlantic Forest, perfect for those who want comfort while staying immersed in nature.
NATURE
Bed in a shared room at Casa Natureza, a bit farther from the Central Oca, fully embraced by the forest with direct access to the river in the backyard.
Ideal for those who enjoy tranquility, water, and a deeper connection with the surrounding landscape.
solo nature
Private room at Casa Natureza, farther from the Central Oca, also merged into the forest with direct access to the river in the backyard.
A more intimate and quiet space for solo travelers seeking privacy, rest, and a deep nature retreat.
ANCESTRAL
Experience a unique, communal way of living by staying in a large, Xingu-style Oca, where well-being is a shared journey.
Safe and comfortable, your stay includes sleeping in a traditional hammock with a personal shelf nearby for your belongings.
Star
You bring your own tent and sleep under the thousand‑star skies of Oca Yary.
We offer a camping area with access to a changing/bathroom area, for a simple and grounded experience close to the earth.