My Dieta with Noya Rao: Connecting the Roots and Bones

This winter, I had the opportunity to diet the sacred plant Noya Rao with an online community. For 11 days, I committed to limited social interaction and a restricted diet, creating a sacred space to commune with the spirit of this towering, majestic tree—also known as the Tree of Light in Amazonian traditions.

What is a Plant Dieta?

A plant dieta is a spiritual and shamanic practice rooted in Indigenous Amazonian healing traditions, where plants are seen as sentient beings and teachers.

Dedicating oneself to a dieta is an act of devotion—a reciprocal exchange between human and plant spirit. It’s a journey of deep listening, where one offers prayers, songs, movement, poetry, and presence in return for the plant’s wisdom. In this sacred relationship, the plant clears, heals, teaches, and aligns us with our true essence.

I am still integrating my experience with Noya Rao, but I’d like to share the bare bones of what she revealed to me.

Who is Noya Rao?

Noya Rao is known as the Tree of Light—a rare and revered master plant of the Amazon. She is said to tower above the jungle canopy, her most remarkable trait being that her leaves glow in the dark. This bioluminescence is a perfect reflection of her essence—pure wisdom, clarity, and illumination.

Considered one of the highest-vibrational plant spirits, Noya Rao is a teacher of truth, alignment, and deep energetic healing.

Why Did I Choose to Diet Noya Rao?

To be honest, I think she chose me.

I wasn’t seeking a dieta, but when a dear friend told me she was about to embark on one led by a trusted teacher, something inside me said yes.

This winter had been a difficult one. My energy body felt locked up, as if something was trying to move but couldn’t. I felt the need to surrender—to winter itself, to the stillness, to the unknown.

I was already in the process of deepening my healing:

• Reconnecting with a trusted therapist.

• Studying applied vagal theory for trauma-informed yoga.

• Beginning sessions with a local somatic practitioner.

Noya Rao was the pause before the unfolding.

The Journey Begins

I started with a three-day water fast leading up to the dieta. The night before the opening ceremony, my body knew. I felt a deep tightness in my abdomen—and then, I purged.

The next morning, our dieta began. Don Miguel, a master curandero of the Shipibo lineage, opened the ceremony with songs and prayers to Noya Rao. From there, my journey unfolded alongside 18 other souls, gathering daily for connection, teachings, somatic movement, breathwork, and integration.

To put it simply: It was not an easy journey.

There was no mysticism or grand revelations. It was raw. It was uncomfortable. It was humbling.

Noya Rao held up a mirror and showed me something I had spent a lifetime avoiding: how terrified I was to be fully in my body.

Lessons from the Tree of Light

Throughout the dieta, I could not escape my patterns of distraction.

I saw how much I relied on food for comfort, not just physically, but emotionally—to stuff down what felt unbearable. I had already done deep healing work with more obvious forms of addiction—substances, exercise, shopping, numbing through endless Netflix and podcasts—but now, the root wound was surfacing.

This was an ancestral wound. A trauma of disconnection from my body, carried through my lineage, showing up in the most socially acceptable form: food as self-soothing, food as survival, food as the thing that kept me from fully feeling.

But Noya Rao didn’t just reveal my wounds—she illuminated my path forward.

On the second day, during a breathwork meditation, I felt something shift.

She lit me up from the inside.

I could feel my entire energetic body coming online—an undeniable sensation of being plugged back into myself.

From that moment on, my journey became one of embodiment. I began honoring my energy, recognizing patterns that drained me, setting boundaries, and making space to grow in alignment with my true self.

The Power of Community & Connection

One of the most profound parts of this journey was the group integration.

There is something incredibly powerful about witnessing others’ stories and seeing yourself reflected in them.

This was another teaching from Noya Rao:

She illuminated not just my energetic body, but also the power of heart-centered connection.

In Polyvagal Theory, this is known as ventral vagal connection—the place of safety, trust, and belonging. She showed me that I have the discernment to open up and trust the right people.

Because of this, I’ve been able to:

• Receive more deeply in my somatic therapy sessions.

• Unravel energetic constrictions that kept me small.

• Hold a deeper, more compassionate space for my clients.

A Deep Reverence for Noya Rao

I hold deep reverence for the spirit of Noya Rao.

She reminded me that I am on the right path, fulfilling my purpose as a space-holder and bridge for healing.

Love makes the world go round.

And Noya Rao?

She connected me to that energy—in my bones, in my roots, in my connection to Pachamama—so that I can extend it out to my community.

Final Reflection

If you’ve ever felt a call to the plants, trust that it is for a reason.

They come when we are ready, when we need them most.

Maybe you’ve already heard them whispering.

Maybe, like me, you aren’t choosing them—they are choosing you.

Listen.

They have so much to teach.