For a deeper connection with Nature and its elements: earth, water, fire and air?
For a deeper connection with the sacred and creating forces?
An ancient purification ritual helps you to set off on your journey: the sweat lodge.

All is connected. It's the Earth's breath which animates the ritual of the sweat lodge. This ritual shows us a glimpse of something we haven't been able to see before. We can choose to enter this vibration, to become aware of all that surrounds us, to be filled with admiration and respect for Nature and all things alive.

The purification rituals are ceremonies which, in different forms, have been present in various civilisations since their origins. One of them comes from Native American cultures: the inipi or the sweat lodge.

By respecting the essence of this Indian tradition, we nurture our own need to purify our body, heart and mind by listening to our own spiritual roots.

In a low hut of willow branches covered with blankets, we make contact with the elements of earth, water, fire and air, and with our core, our soul. We experience the power of the glowing stones and the dark, the all-pervading steam as the water is poured over the stones, the earth that carries us, the sounds and energy of 'praying'.

The great power of the sweat lodge lies in the re-experiencing of connection with all that is, the opening of your heart.

Letting go, meeting, healing and thoroughly purifying can take place in the hut from within.

By consciously taking the time to feel, to listen and to connect, we surrender to what wants to arise. We leave room for the mystery and let it carry us.

Registering for a sweat lodge is a gift to yourself. It means choosing for a day of time, attention and care for oneself. It means creating the space to reconnect to Nature and to experience and deepen this contact in the here and now.

It is also a wonderful way to take care of your body, to make contact with your inner being and to cleanse from confusions, injuries and disillusions. The sweat lodge helps you to prepare for what lies ahead of you and for something greater than yourself.

It is a wonderful experience which is each time different and renewing.


Preparation
You can deepen your sweat lodge experience by tuning in to the ritual a week beforehand.
More specifically, this can mean:

• getting sufficient sleep
• taking time for yourself
• moving/ sporting more
• avoiding alcohol and eating moderately

It is best not to eat (or eat less) at least 12 hours before the ceremony.


Practical: what to bring to a sweat lodge:

• old, easy fitting clothes adapted to the season, watertight shoes
• 2 towels
• if possible, 2 old blankets for the lodge
• food to share around the fire after the ritual
• a bottle of water and, in case of rainy weather, a big plastic bag to keep your things dry

Health
If in doubt whether you can enter a sweat lodge, please consult your doctor. If he judges you fit to enter a sauna, then you can also enter a sweat lodge.
Pregnant women, people with a heart condition, skin condition or carrying a contageous infection are advised not to enter the sweat lodge.