Aaron Rodgers’ ayahuasca experience is well-publicized, but the Jets quarterback Interview with Auto Time magazine He also performed a hape (a ritual using a sacred tobacco blend and ashes from a sacred fire) once a week, the media reported.
“I first discovered yoga many years ago when I was in Peru,” Rogers told the outlet, “but since then it’s become a weekly ritual for me when I need to ground myself. It’s a great tool to get back in my body when I’m feeling a little tired. It’s a good way to calm myself down.”
According to Haute Time, hape has “cleansing, grounding and spiritual benefits.”
According to former Washington Post columnist Ian O’Connor’s new book, “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” Rodgers’ journey with hallucinogenic teas included a trip to Peru in 2020.
Following the trip, Rodgers won his second consecutive MVP award and “had probably the best season of my career,” he said during a talk at Psychedelic Science 2023.
“I would say that taking ayahuasca in particular has changed my life for the better,” Rogers told Auto-Time. “I’ve participated in a lot of ayahuasca ceremonies. They’re like a microcosm of life.”
Even as news broke earlier this year that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was considering Rodgers, 40, as a running mate for the 2024 presidential election, Rodgers was attending an ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica with a group that included Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer, according to a photo posted to Poyer’s Instagram at the time.
Rodgers said at Psychedelic Science 2023 that “hundreds of NFL players” have contacted him about ayahuasca.
“The week-long ritual has many joyful and difficult moments, but the goal is to find a deeper connection with yourself, nature, and the people around you,” Rogers told Haute-Time when discussing ayahuasca and other healing methods. “Ayahuasca has given me a lot of self-love, forgiveness, and kindness, which have had a huge impact on my life.”
The interview appears to have taken place before Rodgers and the Jets began training camp late last month, with Rodgers explaining that returning to camp and seeing how everything “reacts” is the “final step” in his recovery from his ruptured Achilles.
The injury ended his first season with the Jets after just four offensive snaps to start the regular season and increased pressure on Rodgers, coach Robert Saleh, the front office and everyone involved with the Jets to win in 2024.
Rodgers and the offense have generally looked good throughout training camp, including Wednesday’s joint Jets-Giants practice.
He will enter the regular season without playing a game since suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1 of last year, but Rodgers reiterated that he has no preference on whether he will take preseason snaps.
