Associació Intercultural d'Estudis Etnobotànics
Community, care and responsibility
AYNI is a non-profit association in Barcelona and Catalonia devoted to ethnobotanical study, intercultural dialogue and responsible community practice in the shared use of entheogens, above all ayahuasca. On this website we explain how we are organised, how we accompany people and which commitments guide our activity.
Member organisation of the Federación Red Micelio (FERM)
We are a community of people who share a path of care, personal growth and inner knowledge, in relationship with nature and with the peoples who safeguard the teacher plants. Each person takes part freely.
The association → What do we do?In an increasingly fast-paced society, where we often live disconnected from ourselves and from nature, we create spaces for reconnection, personal growth, well-being and self-care. We do so through a range of techniques and tools, ancestral methods adapted to our times, including work with teacher plants, especially ayahuasca, which helps people adapt better to change.
Community → How do we accompany people?Ceremonies are internal activities, open to members. Beforehand, each person goes through a preparation process with us —a prior interview, information and consent— in which we check together that there are no contraindications. During the ceremony we look after the space and those taking part, and afterwards we support the integration of the experience.
How we accompany → What principles do we follow?The Code of Ethics of the Federación Red Micelio (FERM) as a shared framework: care, confidentiality, clear boundaries, responsible communication and reciprocity with the peoples who safeguard the plants.
Good practice →
Ayni
An Andean word for reciprocity
Ayni names the giving and receiving that sustains life in common. We chose it as our name because those of us who founded this association have received a great deal from the teacher plants, above all ayahuasca. They have helped us become more aware of ourselves and of what surrounds us, in relation to others and to all living beings, and to live life as something sacred: a school in which we keep learning and growing. And as we continue on the path, we want to give back what we have received by accompanying others in their own process, in a rigorous, respectful and conscious community setting.
And we live ayni with the Indigenous peoples who have safeguarded this knowledge: we acknowledge where it comes from, respect their autonomy and work together with their communities.
Amazon rainforest. Photo: AYNI
Research
Information with sources
We bring together scientific studies on ayahuasca from ICEERS, MAPS, Brazilian universities and international research groups, with a summary of each one that includes its limitations. We also collect resources on risk reduction and on the legal framework.
Blog