Sweat Lodges
Behind every self-made person are blood, sweat and tears - Edmond Mbiaka
image by: Kootenayvolcano
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Could You Endure a Sweat Lodge Ceremony?
"Sweat lodge ceremonies have been a First Nations/Aboriginal tradition since time immemorial. Today, they serve all open-minded people — not just indigenous.
Sweat ceremonies clean and heal, both physically and mentally. They purge the mind, bring clarity, and test participant’s endurance, strength and courage. They’re holy places where people renew their inherent deep and natural connection to the universe. Though usually associated with healing, each sweat holds different purposes and each leader conducts their affairs a bit differently.
One session might work out family or community problems. Another might handle addiction or other health issues. Some pass…
Resources
My Experience in an Inipi Native American Sweat Lodge Ceremony
For the Lakota people, the Inipi is sacred. It’s a ceremony of intentional discomfort to vicariously experience the suffering of others in the world and send them prayer with true intent. Most non-natives are more familiar with the term sweat lodge; a short, wigwam-shaped hut covered in buckskins or blankets, filled with blazing rocks that create a sauna-like atmosphere.
Native American Sweat Lodges
A traditional Native American sweat lodge is dome-shaped and circular and built low to the ground. Rocks are heated up in a fire outside the lodge, then brought into the center of the lodge with a shovel and placed in a dug pit. More rocks are brought in, traditionally in four rounds, and the Indian sweat lodge gets progressively hotter. The person in charge of the ceremony "pours the water" and is responsible for the health and well-being of participants. Typically there are 8 to 12 participants, but there can be as many as a few dozen.
Are Sweat Lodges Risky?
Sweat lodges and similar ceremonies are found all over the world and have been used to promote health and spiritual growth for thousands of years. It persists as a tradition because it is safe, it is healing and it works - when done according to clear tradition and protocol.
Sweat Lodges Can Be Deadly But Not Cleansing
The idea that the human body can sweat out toxins is widely believed, and is in fact the basis for some businesses. Hot springs, sweat lodges, and pricey spas around the world offer "sweat wraps" and other techniques claimed to detoxify and purify the body. Things don't always go as planned.
The Native American Sweatlodge
The Sweat Lodge Ceremony, now central to most Native American cultures and spiritual life, is an adaptation of the sweat bath common to many ethnic cultures found in North and South America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, and Africa.
Could You Endure a Sweat Lodge Ceremony?
Sweat ceremonies clean and heal, both physically and mentally. They purge the mind, bring clarity, and test participant’s endurance, strength and courage. They’re holy places where people renew their inherent deep and natural connection to the universe.
Sweat Lodge
In all cases, the sweat is intended as a religious ceremony - it is for prayer and healing, and the ceremony is only to be led by elders who know the language, songs, traditions and safety protocols. Otherwise, the ceremony can be dangerous if done improperly - both physically and spiritually.
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