"The entire experience has been incredible —from the first time, I met Chaski in the process, all the way to the session on the island. Her team members are incredibly talented in the art of listening, intuiting, and healing as well. They are your cheerleaders on the ground on the Isla, helping spiritually and physically.

I was looking for someone with spiritual wisdom from the Andean perspective since I am a first generation American with Ecuadorian parents. I wanted to deepen my knowledge of Andean spirituality/philosophy. Chaski’s kind spirit encourages deep conversations of what we are searching for and provides guidance from various resources. I found her advice to complement western psychotherapy advice I had received —the spiritual and Andean spin made the Western psychotherapy advice more personable and culturally relevant to me. With Chaski, I could have discussions that involved the spirit, the psyche, from a decolonized lens when needed without having to be careful of bringing such topics up with American raised psychologists or “yoga” folks. It filled the missing puzzle piece to understanding myself.

However, there is also a physical part to this experience. Traveling to the Isla and doing the pilgrimage is not an easy task. It’s not a tourist vacation. It’s somewhat uncomfortable. I really did not know what I was getting myself into. But I also am glad in the end, that I did push my physical limits (and spiritual limits) with the hike. At the Chinkana Ruins, I found answers. The full arch really pushed my spiritual and personal growth. It really pushed me out of the stagnant waters of DIY self-help and western psychotherapy. I now have new tools to support my personal growth moving forward."