Sweat Lodge Ceremonies
The Sweat Lodge is an ancient purification ceremony from the indigenous native peoples of North America and Mexico in which we symbolically move into the womb of Mother Earth to be born again strengthened and renewed. Each element of the ceremony follows a design that fortunately, after being perfected over thousands of years in the North, came to Colombia. Gonzalo Aguila Garcia has been offering his community sweat lodges since 1992 in and around Medellin, Colombia.
Physically, the sweat lodge is an igloo-shaped structure made of wood (or mud in Mexico) into which fire heated stones are placed and then bathed in rainwater. As the water vapor rises the healer’s songs begin, accompanied by the tambor (drum) and sonaja (rattle) When entering this temple of transformation we can utter the phrase ‘’Ahó Metakuye Oyasin’’ which is a mantra meaning ”All our relationships and we are all brothers and sisters”. By saying these words we are decreeing the intention to heal, strengthen and clarify our relationships with all that we are, and all that surrounds us.
The Sweat Lodge is an invitation to journey inward, but also a holistic therapy that carries physical, psychological, mental, and energetic benefits.
Spiritual Benefits:
In its origin the Sweat Lodge is a spiritual ceremony where we connect with our essence through the four elements of nature (fire, water, air, earth), meditation, singing and prayer. It is a moment of power in our lives, an opportunity to reconcile ourselves with all our relationships, our health and our spiritual path. It is an opportunity to stop and find ourselves.
Emotional Benefits:
Sweat Lodge is a symbolic regression to the mother’s womb and reconnection with our inner child. With prayer and the opportunity to express deep feelings in a sacred and supportive environment we purify “the emotional waters”. An outpouring of stagnant emotions occurs, thus opening a step toward deeper healing. Moreover, Sweat Lodge ceremonies cure and decrease fears and phobias.
Mental Benefits:
The Sweat Lodge is, like many other spiritual practices, an opportunity to learn how to tame the mind and connect to our non-egoic sense of self. When this eternal self is contacted and revived, we achieve greater control of our minds and learn to purge negative thoughts, adjust habits and thought patterns, and generate positive life changes.
Etheric Benefits:
Skin contact with the earth through the feet and the base of the spine produces a grounding effect for the lower chakras and creates a connection with Mother Earth. It also facilitates a release of blocked energies and promotes the free flow of energy in the body. The upper chakras are also encouraged by the spiritual character of the ceremony, creating a balance of energies. The high concentration of negative ions within the Sweat Lodge generates an aura renewal and purification. Energy revitalizes the body through interaction with nature.
Physical Benefits:
The physical benefits of the vapor which rises from the stones in the Sweat Lodge are innumerable. Virtually every organ of the body is stimulated and purged of toxins. The following is a list of some of the specific physical benefits:
Cleanses the lungs
Purifies the digestive system
Tones the nervous system
Stimulates the circulatory system
Tones and softens the skin
Relaxes the musculatory system
Eliminates internal toxins
Stimulates the immune system
Helps regulate female reproductive cycles
Regulates metabolism
Purifies the blood
Relieves fatigue by producing abundant negatively charged ions
Renews and expands the aura
Helps weight loss
Relieves fluid retention
The Sweat Lodge was and still is used to deliver babies thanks to its obvious symbolism, high temperature similar to the womb and its ceremonial nature. Families receive new members in the temple of Mother Earth.
Today we know that induced perspiration has benefits in the treatment of: skin diseases, liver diseases, circulatory system problems, rheumatism, arthritis, gout and other chronic diseases. Thanks to its unique methods, the Sweat Lodge is perhaps the most effective healing technique of this type. Surely the list of conditions for which it has been used throughout the centuries would be much longer than this one.
The therapeutic use of Sweat Lodge is also associated with thermotherapy, hydrotherapy, music therapy, neurolinguistics, aromatherapy etc. It helps in the treatment of many physical and mental illnesses and is of course an excellent practice of preventive medicine when used regularly as a purification ritual.
SWEAT LODGE TESTIMONIALS