Ayni, a word from the Andes, is a concept that all things are connected. If we live in generosity and abundance, the Universe will reciprocate that abundance. It's a way of life that teaches balance with the Earth and respect for all living things. Join Erin Lucero as she weaves together the teachings of Yoga and Shamanism to find love,
connection and harmony in our own lives, with each other, and with the Earth.
The ancient sages and shamans understood our connection with all life, and we can look to their wisdom to uncover these secrets. Erin shares her journey of self-discovery and transformation using the shamanic medicine wheel and tantric yoga philosophy as guides. She offers practical exercises and techniques to help you on your journey. Learn to listen to your intuition, to find self-love and balance, and turn fears into powerful gifts. Find your superpowers as you learn to act from the heart, not just the head. The world of love, abundance, and generosity is already there, waiting to be rediscovered.
Ayni, a word from the Andes, is a concept that all things are connected. If we live in generosity and abundance, the Universe will reciprocate that abundance. It's a way of life that teaches balance with the Earth and respect for all living things. Join Erin Lucero as she weaves together the teachings of Yoga and Shamanism to find love,
connection and harmony in our own lives, with each other, and with the Earth.
The ancient sages and shamans understood our connection with all life, and we can look to their wisdom to uncover these secrets. Erin shares her journey of self-discovery and transformation using the shamanic medicine wheel and tantric yoga philosophy as guides. She offers practical exercises and techniques to help you on your journey. Learn to listen to your intuition, to find self-love and balance, and turn fears into powerful gifts. Find your superpowers as you learn to act from the heart, not just the head. The world of love, abundance, and generosity is already there, waiting to be rediscovered.
I recently traveled to Peru as the culmination of a yearlong or should I say a lifelong journey of my search for love, balance, and harmony. I didn’t know what to expect from this adventure—maybe a condor would fly out of the heavens and land on my shoulder or Machu Picchu’s stones would whisper to me the great ancient wisdoms. Neither of those things happened, but what I did find was Ayni.
Ayni is an ancient Quechua word from the Andes based on the ideas of giving and reciprocity. It basically means, “Today for you, tomorrow for me.” Ayni teaches us that all things are interconnected. If we act today from a place of giving and love for the mutual benefit of all things, then tomorrow the Universe will take care of us. The Universe will always provide what we need, as we are not separate from it. It’s a belief that the world is full of abundance and love, not scarcity and fear.
I found Ayni in the Sacred Valley between Cusco and Machu Picchu. Though we were at 10,000 feet above sea level, it was a fertile valley full of life. The mornings hovered just above freezing, but tropical flowers abounded and hummingbirds zipped around sipping the sweet nectar. The Sacred Valley was full of color, in the flowers, the textiles, and the rainbow flags of the Inca. Everything felt connected and in balance. The forests, the river, and the agricultural terraces seamlessly flowed from one to the next. While I was there, I too came into balance and harmony. I remember sitting on a rock in our hotel’s flower garden, closing my eyes, and feeling the warm sun on my face. For the first time in a long time, I felt that everything was exactly as it should be. I felt a deep, heart-exploding kind of love both within myself and for all of the things around me. I felt a calling deep in my soul to begin to live in Ayni. To live in harmony and balance with other people and with nature. It called me to live in a way that is for the mutual benefit of all living things.
While I was in the Sacred Valley, I had several profound dreams. Dreams can be windows into our psyche, and mine had been just itching to come out and talk to me for many months. I want to share one dream with you in particular. This dream is my guiding light, the one that I keep coming back to. It’s an invitation to all of humanity, to whoever is also looking for love and balance, and harmony in their own lives.
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At first, I dreamed of violence. All around me, there was cruel and senseless violence. I called out for people to stop. “Please do something! Please Stop!” I asked myself, “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?” But the violence and cruelty only got worse. It was beyond awful. All of the senseless violence in our world in dream form. And I thought to myself in my dream, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I am done with this nightmare.” And in that exact moment, I realized I was in control of my dreams. So, I said in my dream, “I am done dreaming this!” And the dream ended, and there was darkness. And in the darkness, the question came to me, “Then what do you want to dream?”
And I responded, “I want to dream of a world in Ayni.”
And in the dream, a city began to materialize, a beautiful city with clean streets and buildings of stone with trees and flowers all around. As I walked down the street of this city, others began to join me. They were from all over the world and all walks of life. There were mathematicians and doctors and artists and farmers. And we asked ourselves, how can we all be here? In a shared dream? These were not people I was dreaming up, they were real people, dreaming the same dream as me. Dreaming of a world of beauty and harmony, coming together in community. We asked, “How can this be so?” A little confused and in awe, but so it was. And we knew that we were all meant to be there.
Together, we walked down this street, in this beautiful city, in Ayni. I stood out on a balcony, looked around, and saw a beautiful place, a place of peace and harmony, with fields and cities and nature, all connected. I was filled with love and hope and possibility.
I share this dream with you because I know that it can come true. I know we all have this capacity, no matter where we came from or what our story is. We can all come to a place of love, of balance, of Ayni. We can discover this world of harmony, reciprocity, and mutualism where our actions are for the benefit of all living things.
This book is my journey to finding this within myself, accepting myself heart and soul, and then moving into a place of action for the betterment of all living things. I offer this journey as a roadmap and an invitation for you to also go on your own journey of self-discovery, self-love, and self-actualization. Though our journeys may have many bumps and turns in them, it is truly worth every step. It is the journey out of fear and hopelessness into a place of being in the flow of love and harmony.
For so many years I felt stuck, out of balance, and yearning to find love and light in my life. I heard the call of Mother Nature, saw the beauty in her forests and oceans, but didn’t know how to bring that beauty into my own life. I knew the world was out of balance. I knew that I was out of balance. Through the practices of yoga and shamanism, and going on my own great inner journey, I have started to find balance again.
As I came into balance and harmony within myself, I could see how my inner world affected my relationship with others and with the planet. I could see myself mirrored in others’ pain and suffering. As I found compassion and love for myself, I could find compassion and love for others, even those I didn’t agree with. I could see how our relationship with nature was broken and needed to be fixed. I could hear the whispers of the trees and the wind, encouraging us to come back into right relationship with them. I realized that it wasn’t the Earth that was out of balance, it was humanity. It was time for us to examine ourselves, our world, and how we fit into everything.
Feeling stuck and out of balance was a gift for me, because it was my wake-up call to really examine myself, to find love and harmony in my life. If you can relate, I invite you to also go on this journey. When we are in balance, everything flows just as it should. We become unstuck and can find joy and love and happiness in our daily lives, no matter what other people are doing or what comes our way.
It is my sincere hope that as I share my own journey you can see the power of loving ourselves and discovering how we are all interconnected. And in that discovery, you will find love for each other and for the planet. The entire universe is conspiring to help us find unconditional love. I will explore how coming into balance and harmony with ourselves, each other, and the planet will make this world a beautiful and magical place worth living in. I also hope you will feel empowered and inspired to make changes in your own life. Each of us has the power to change the trajectory of the world. We don’t need a degree or lots of money, just an earnest desire for change and hearts full of love.
AYNI (Pronounced AY-nee): A Quechua word, which is the native language of many of the peoples of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina. It can best be translated as “Today for you, Tomorrow for me.”It is also very close to the English words reciprocity and mutualism.
RECIPROCITY: The idea of exchanging things or ideas for the mutual benefit of both parties. Reciprocity is different from a transactional relationship because the fundamental goal is to provide mutual benefit, rather than just an exchange of goods or services.
MUTUALISM: This is a term used in biology where two organisms have a relationship and both benefit from the interaction. This would be in contrast to a parasitic relationship.
AYNI: Finding Love, Balance & Harmony, For Ourselves, For the World
By Ms. Erin Lucero
Publisher: BOGHA Press
Published Date: February 28, 2023
188 Pages
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Thoughtful Journey to Balance (With a Side of “Okay, Universe, I Get It”)
AYNI isn’t your typical self-help book that tells you to manifest your dream life by drinking more green juice. Ms. Erin Lucero gives you something real—rooted in ancient wisdom and delivered with the calm clarity of someone who’s actually done the inner work (not just bought the crystals and called it a day).
Drawing from Tantric Yoga and Peruvian Shamanism, Erin walks you through the concept of Ayni—a beautiful Andean principle of reciprocity and balance. But don’t worry, you won’t need a translator or a guru. She makes big ideas feel practical, bite-sized, and incredibly human. Think less “woo-woo floaty” and more “here’s how to stop spiraling at 2 a.m.”
What I Loved:
Ms. Lucero’s voice is exactly what you want in your head when life feels like a mess: grounded, compassionate, and just a little fed up with the nonsense. She tackles ego vs. intuition (turns out the loud voice panicking in your head isn’t the wise one—who knew?), addresses fear without sugarcoating, and gently reminds you that you’re allowed to question the whole “chase success, die tired” lifestyle.
Her approach to healing is refreshingly doable. She isn’t here to sell you a five-day silent retreat or a Himalayan salt cave membership. Instead, she offers journaling prompts, grounding exercises, and real talk that makes you feel like you’ve been seen, not judged.
What Could’ve Been Better:
Honestly? This book should come with a warning: May cause sudden clarity and the urge to delete half your calendar. It’s the reset button we all need, disguised as a self-help guide.
📖 Perfect for Readers Who Love:
📖 Ancient wisdom with a modern, no-BS twist
📖 Reflective reads that don’t talk down to you
📖 Books that gently call you out (but with love)
📖 Self-help that doesn’t require enlightenment or a trust fund
📖 Practical tools for being a little more sane and a lot more connected
This is more than a book—it’s a soul stretch and a reality check. Ayni isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about remembering you weren’t broken in the first place.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review