Sweat Lodge/ Temazcal
A Temazcal is a healing ceremony which balances the elements within your being.
It is based on Native American traditions.
The ceremony
The main structure of the Temazcal is a dome made of natural materials (such as bamboo), covered with mats and blankets. It represents the Womb of Mother Earth, cosmically aligned with the directions to connect you to the Universe and beyond. Alongside the dome, a large fire heats many stones, ideally volcanic, which are then brought to the centre of the dome in 4 stages. Water or tea is then ceremoniously sprinkled and poured onto the stones to create steam.
As you sit on the earth, breathing in the steam (water/air/fire), we sing, meditate, talk and are in silence, creating a warm space for these elements to balance within our physical body. As you sweat, the body begins to release toxins, the muscles soften and you can relax, settling the nervous system. With your physical body finding balance, your energy body can then have space to flow. This creates room for you to release that which you are holding onto emotionally. We often hold onto our sadness, anger, frustrations and fears which weigh us down, so limiting how we flow through life. A Temazcal creates an atmosphere to support us through the letting go of this weight.
When the ceremony is over and we come out of the Temazcal, the womb of Mother Earth, we are reborn, beginning a new cycle in our lives. Leaving behind that which we no longer need or want allows us to embrace a new path of balance and harmony.
Temazcals with me
Much of my experience with Temazcals has come from my father, a shaman who has followed many native traditions from around the world, but particularly the Huichol people of Mexico (with peyote ceremonies) and the Lakota people (as a Sundancer of over 20 years of dancing).
I was 15 years old the first time I took a Temazcal in Mexico and experienced a peyote ceremony. It was a time when I had a lot to heal and process within, and when I was just beginning to understand the world.
In later years, as healing took me deeper, I was able to perceive my energy flowing and expanding. About then I met Chief Fallen Feather, an Eskimo Medicine Man. He encouraged me to begin leading Temazcals and to work in the joining of the female and male energies. He honoured me with the name Morning Star. Later ‘in ceremony’, my father named me Bufala Blanca (White Buffalo Woman).
My Temazcals are not in the typical traditional style (mainly singing). I guide everyone through stages shifting between expression, meditation, reflection, release and repose.
My approach has been influenced by my personal life experiences and many years of working in healing. I often guide Temazcals for people who have never experienced them, are of any age and from all walks of life.
Temazcals give you the chance to re-centre yourself when life gets intense. It's a moment to breathe and be still, be at one with Nature, the Universe and the Great Expanse. It is a place for personal prayer, where intentions from the heart can resound.
