Sweat Lodge
A unique and powerful healing ritual to detox the body mind and soul
For guests or by invitation.
"The fire has been crackling for about two hours now and the stones are beginning to glow red. The sun is low on the horizon, and participants begin to arrive and mingle around the fire. A fire tender is busy bringing the glowing stones into the lodge from the firepit, scooping them out with a pitch fork, brushing off the embers, then carefully walking them into the center of the lodge. Inside the lodge it's pitch black, and the group of 6 or 7 sit in a tightly packed circle as the facilitator pours water onto the stones to create steam. For the next several hours he/she leads the group depending upon the goals and purpose of the sweat lodge for that evening.
Three times during the ceremony, the entrance is uncovered to let in the cool night air. Participants head to the nearby stream to either do a quick push up, or sit in the stream or throw some water over their head. It's the break between the heat."
BODY: A physical cleansing process - Improves circulation, detoxes and purifies, accelerates healing
MIND: Helps free distractions offers clarity of thought
SOUL: Allows for introspection, deeply connect to the earth, and nature (Plants, Fire, Water, Sky) and self.
The intense heat and steam symbolizes the challenges and fires we face in our relationships, work and lives.
A unique healing ritual
Our sweat lodge experience has a few similarities to the Lakota/Sioux Sweat Lodge, but we do our own thing and each experience is different depending upon the nature and goals of the group. We are careful not to expropriate native wisdom, and are fairly non-dogmatic in our approach. We set the stage and offer up the lodge for you to delve into your own journey. Open to guests / participants staying with us, or by invitation.
We enter the sweat lodge at dusk. The rocks have been heating up for a few hours in the fire. We normally do four rounds of steam heat, with each round followed by a cool off at the stream. The rounds can be called "endurances" to allow the body to cleanse and clarify the senses.
The dipping spot, just near the sweat lodge is lit by lanterns to show the way to the stream
Rocks are cooked for a few hours, tended by the fire tender. It's an honour to be a fire tender, serving others as they do their rounds through the evening. The fire tender also delicately places the red hot stones in the pit, in the centre of the sweat lodge.
Randall plays drum and flute during one or two of the rounds. It brings in a bit of harmony to an already wonderful experience.
The dipping spot is a small clear stream running near our property. It dries up during the warm summer months, so the sweat lodge season is during the late fall, winter and spring.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Sweats can be a powerful experience. The heat can be regulated depending on what the group can handle and wants to get out of it.
The idea is go through a bit of endurance and be with the uncomfortableness of the heat, but we also do sweats for children and social sweats as well as ones dedicated with a theme, such as gratefulness or the autumn harvest.
Normally - four rounds of steam heat, in a darkened tent, after each round your guided to the stream by the fire tender, where you can throw some water over your head, do a push-up in the stream or just sit by the river and cool down . Doing all four rounds is optional, and we can cut it to two or three rounds as well.
WHAT TO BRING:
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Closed toed shoes
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Water Bottle
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Towel
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Swimmers
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Dry clothes
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headlamp or torch
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Some memento to put on the alter outside the lodge.