Sweat Lodge
Peace.
Last week I took my 1st sweat at a sweat lodge. I wanted to wait to articulate my feelings.
A visit to a sweat lodge was on my hippie bucket list. I was VERY excited when the opportunity fell into my lap. And the timing was perfect. I was coming off my annual fast… Right before the Asiatic New year (solar holiday)…. During a full moon (lunar holiday). And all the elements were represented. The Fire, the Steam, the Wood and me… The Earth! All at the perfect concentric-ness. It was sublime.
The sweat lodge was a dedicated lodge with a wood stove inside. The keeper kept it going and fed the stove and a fire directly outside the lodge. He also had herb infused water that he threw on the wood stove that gave off steam and threw on us. The location of the lodge was on a land trust in the middle of the city. That in itself was amazing to me. You just don’t expect that in an urban environment.
Original people were the organizers of the sweat. I appreciated that. I don’t trust him in that type of environment. Plus the neighborhood was his. That made me concerned about my car. And since the sweat ran from 8-midnight, I felt some kind of way about being in his neighborhood late like that. This is still the south and folks see me in their hoods will assume that I am up to no good. It is how it is.
Another of the things that truly amazed me was the weather was cold (in the 30’s) and drizzling the entire time. That didn’t stop the sweat. And once you were in the lodge, you got hot and sweaty. You could go in and out as you wanted or could stand. When I’d go outside for breaks my body (and everyone else’s) was giving of an inordinate amount of heat. Mats had been placed on the floor so we could lie down. After an hour, I was no longer freezing cold and wet. I felt great.
Mentally, it was moderately transformative in that I KNEW all the elements that were represented; which made me mentally feel engaged. I have always been an enlightened individual with my own thoughts. I released my name early in my life and I have a clean lifestyle. I already vibrate on a high frequency and don’t necessarily need help to ascend. I will say that I relished the vibration all the other participants brought to the lodge. I tapped into that communal energy. That was enough for me at that time. There may be a time when I need more…. Or less. But then… at that moment… it was enough. That being said… I probably came off conceited. I didn’t mean to, but this happens a lot to me.
Since it was my 1st sweat experience I had no clue what to expect. So I googled it. I got basic information of what to expect. But not exactly what I needed to know. That’s cool. It worked out. But you know what pisses me off??? I have friends who are experienced sweaters and they had useful information that wasn’t communicated until afterward. From now on those people can take a running leap.
In case you were ever planning to go to a sweat lodge…..
1. Take a particular outfit to sweat in… unless you plan to sweat in the nude. Said outfit needs to be preferably cotton or some natural fiber so it can breathe. Otherwise it will get hot and burn you
2. Expect nudity. It’s hot in there and people who sweat tend to be free spirits. But you don’t have to be nude if you don’t want. I was VERY not nude.
3. Bring a towel, your own water and flip flops
4. Don’t wear jewelry. I lost an earring. And if your hair has metal in it, get it off your face
5. If you pay under $10 then bring food to share. If you pay more, expect food and don’t be shy to eat it
6. Don’t let folks push you into something that you aren’t into… like nudity and lesbianism…. Ijs
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience; even with all the things I lacked. I connected with like minded people. That’s always good when most folks you interact with consider you a weirdo. I will definitely do another. I liked the vibe of the people in attendance. And where I’m not prudish about nudity (and have participated in nude rituals in the past). I’m all about nudity on my own terms.
Peace
Last week I took my 1st sweat at a sweat lodge. I wanted to wait to articulate my feelings.
A visit to a sweat lodge was on my hippie bucket list. I was VERY excited when the opportunity fell into my lap. And the timing was perfect. I was coming off my annual fast… Right before the Asiatic New year (solar holiday)…. During a full moon (lunar holiday). And all the elements were represented. The Fire, the Steam, the Wood and me… The Earth! All at the perfect concentric-ness. It was sublime.
The sweat lodge was a dedicated lodge with a wood stove inside. The keeper kept it going and fed the stove and a fire directly outside the lodge. He also had herb infused water that he threw on the wood stove that gave off steam and threw on us. The location of the lodge was on a land trust in the middle of the city. That in itself was amazing to me. You just don’t expect that in an urban environment.
Original people were the organizers of the sweat. I appreciated that. I don’t trust him in that type of environment. Plus the neighborhood was his. That made me concerned about my car. And since the sweat ran from 8-midnight, I felt some kind of way about being in his neighborhood late like that. This is still the south and folks see me in their hoods will assume that I am up to no good. It is how it is.
Another of the things that truly amazed me was the weather was cold (in the 30’s) and drizzling the entire time. That didn’t stop the sweat. And once you were in the lodge, you got hot and sweaty. You could go in and out as you wanted or could stand. When I’d go outside for breaks my body (and everyone else’s) was giving of an inordinate amount of heat. Mats had been placed on the floor so we could lie down. After an hour, I was no longer freezing cold and wet. I felt great.
Mentally, it was moderately transformative in that I KNEW all the elements that were represented; which made me mentally feel engaged. I have always been an enlightened individual with my own thoughts. I released my name early in my life and I have a clean lifestyle. I already vibrate on a high frequency and don’t necessarily need help to ascend. I will say that I relished the vibration all the other participants brought to the lodge. I tapped into that communal energy. That was enough for me at that time. There may be a time when I need more…. Or less. But then… at that moment… it was enough. That being said… I probably came off conceited. I didn’t mean to, but this happens a lot to me.
Since it was my 1st sweat experience I had no clue what to expect. So I googled it. I got basic information of what to expect. But not exactly what I needed to know. That’s cool. It worked out. But you know what pisses me off??? I have friends who are experienced sweaters and they had useful information that wasn’t communicated until afterward. From now on those people can take a running leap.
In case you were ever planning to go to a sweat lodge…..
1. Take a particular outfit to sweat in… unless you plan to sweat in the nude. Said outfit needs to be preferably cotton or some natural fiber so it can breathe. Otherwise it will get hot and burn you
2. Expect nudity. It’s hot in there and people who sweat tend to be free spirits. But you don’t have to be nude if you don’t want. I was VERY not nude.
3. Bring a towel, your own water and flip flops
4. Don’t wear jewelry. I lost an earring. And if your hair has metal in it, get it off your face
5. If you pay under $10 then bring food to share. If you pay more, expect food and don’t be shy to eat it
6. Don’t let folks push you into something that you aren’t into… like nudity and lesbianism…. Ijs
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience; even with all the things I lacked. I connected with like minded people. That’s always good when most folks you interact with consider you a weirdo. I will definitely do another. I liked the vibe of the people in attendance. And where I’m not prudish about nudity (and have participated in nude rituals in the past). I’m all about nudity on my own terms.
Peace
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