Sweat Lodge

So Saturday afternoon I met my fellow yogi's out in town for our sweat lodge session...I didn't really know exactly what we were getting into, but I was excited and curious about this adventure. We had our Sweat Lodge Leader Susan come talk to us the day before to prep us and of course I googled it for myself...this is what I learned before partaking in this journey.

So we all sit in this round t-p looking hut with hot stones in the middle, like a sauna..ok - cool. I've been in plenty of saunas...just not with 17 girls lol. Then Susan tells us what to wear - something comfortable, flowing, cotton, no metal, and make sure we hydrate all day prior. ok, check. Then she says we have to be there at 3pm to build the fire. AWESOME! I LOVE FIRE!

So, of course I was the first one there...damn my ocd-ness. I hate being late. So I chat with the owner of the sweat lodge and his ole lady - very cool down to earth people :) what else do you expect though right? then Susan and her husband were there...so I unload my organic muffins and veggie juice and chill. Help a little with the fire wood until more and more people start showing up. No one from my class could make it, so I was with the other yogi class - the men really built the fire, we sat around and watched..they built the most awesomeness fire ever! and they put the 20 stones inside it. The stones remain in the fire until they are ready (about an hour or so). Once everyone got there, and the fire was ready we had to get smudged with sage and sweet grass. Sage is wrapped up like a giant joint and the sweat lodge leader waves it around our entire body with feathers to pull all the negativity out of our bodies. Fun! and smelled Sooooo Good! So the structure itself is all natural made of trees and sticks with blankets covering over...

Susan put us in the order she wanted us in then we entered into the lodge. The way it works is 4 rounds. After each round the door is opened to get some air then closed and you start again. Round 1 is for yourself, Round 2 is for women and children, Round 3 for our ancestors, and 4 for mother earth. We pray and thank the spirits, and chant and sing, laugh, and cry. At times I was sweating sooo much I couldn't tell the difference from sweat and crying. It was very cramped and it was hard for me to get comfortable so I kept moving and switching positions knocking into my fellow yogis. Once we got into the 4th and final round I was hot, sweaty and ready to get out. half way through this round I thought I wouldn't be able to make it...I kept breathing deep and touching the cool cool ground. We finally finish it's probably 8pm now...stand around the fire drink water, then go in and eat our feast. It was strange because there was no smell...none! at all! weird...


All and All, it was an amazing experience - very spiritual, very in tuned with ourselves and a bonding experience like no other.

Not only was it an all female sweat, but it was a full moon! whoa. Oh and you can't just show up to one of these things...you have to be invited! I would love love love to do this again...maybe take Matty, HB, KB, and BJ too....hmmmm...wonder what they would think of this?

I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to be apart of this all women sweat. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Ahoe.

*these are all pics I found online...no cameras were allowed near the lodge*