What is River Medicine?

River Medicine is a natural healing modality where we use breathwork, dreamwork and qi gong to enhance the natural healing power of communing with wild rivers and being fully immersed in deep wilderness. Through using these tools, we optimize our innate capacity to experience restoration, integration and healing in mind, body and spirit.

How Outdoorsy do I need to be to go on this trip?

You don’t need to be super outdoorsy, as this trip is not particularly physically strenuous. You do need to be willing to camp in a tent on a rather comfy 2” Paco Pad, to ride on a raft piloted by a seasoned river guide, and be ready for a potential rain storm here and there. There will likely be some discomfort along the way, but that is one of the necessary conditions for personal growth. Breathwork and cold plunges can both be challenging in this regard, but people tend to find both very rewarding, if we are just willing to expand our comfort zones a bit.

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork, in this case the River Respiration Technique, is a combination of rhythmic breathing and breath holds to tone the cardiovascular system as well as expand our awareness. The River Respiration Technique is divided into two modes; underbreathing and overbreathing. Underbreathing is often calming, relaxing and helps tonify our cardiovascular system so that it may operate more efficiently. Overbreathing is the more intense mode of the River Respiration Technique, and it aims at cleansing the mental/emotional palate so that we can live from a more present and energized state. Relating can become more fluid, creating can be more inspired, and inner calm can become closer at hand.

What is Dreamwork?

Dreamwork is an intentional practice using our experience of dreaming to connect more deeply with nature and the greater-than-human world, and to access the subconscious in a meaningful and productive way. By working with dreams, we can reconnect with our childlike sense of wonder about the world, solicit synchronicity into our lives, and heal from grief, stuck emotions and other expressions of dissonance.

What is Qi Gong?

Qi (Chi) Gong is a Taoist movement medicine designed to cultivate life force. The movements are very gentle and offer the opportunity to hone mental stillness, optimize circulation which is conducive for tissue repair, and become energized for the day. Qi Gong takes many lessons from moving water, and there is no better place to practice Qi Gong than on the bank of a wild river.

How many people are on a River Medicine Trip?

River Medicine Trips are capped at 22 people, and there are typically 7 river guides and one River Medicine facilitator. A waitlist will be established as needed.

Can I bring my support pet?

As much as we would like to have your support pet along, we are not currently set up to safely transport support pets on the water at this time.

Can I bring my partner?

You are certainly welcome to bring your partner! It is important that they take the initiative to sign up on their own, so that they feel committed to the offered practices and have the best opportunity to benefit from this trip.

How old do I need to be to participate?

Participants need to be 18 years old at the time of booking. On a case by case basis, a younger teenager might be able to come along with their parent/guardian.

Are there contraindications for breathwork?

There are indeed contraindications for breathwork which have to do with a healthy and robust cardiovascular system. We will go over all of the contraindications during the booking process, but a short list of contraindications includes heart disease, high blood pressure, aneurysms, eye disease, epilepsy, psychiatric diagnoses. Anyone with contraindications will be consulted on a case by case basis.

Are the rapids dangerous?

Wild rivers do contain hazards, as moving water is a powerful force. Rafting is not without its risks, but our guides are highly trained in river safety, thereby minimizing the risks to our clients. The rapids on the Main Salmon are mostly Class II, which are considered low risk.

Can you accommodate specific dietary needs?

Due to the large size of groups, it is difficult to meet every dietary request, but we will do our best to accommodate your dietary needs, and will be addressed on a case by case basis.

What are the sleeping arrangements?

Our guides will set up and take down your tent and sleeping cot so that you can focus on the offered practices and immersing yourself in the natural surroundings.

Where do River Medicine Trips take place?

We primarily offer River Medicine Trips on the Main Salmon and Middle Fork of the Salmon Rivers.

Is Alcohol/Marijuana/Etc allowed?

Alcohol, marijuana and other substances are not allowed on River Medicine Trips so that you may take full advantage of the offered practices, and experience them with the utmost clarity of a clean palette.