sweat lodge.

preparing the lodge. can you believe 20 of us were in here sweating together?

dropping off what no longer serves us.

about to enter the lodge...little did I know
how difficult this was going to be.

day 9. yesterday was a day packed with many experiences. I started the day with a vigorous vinyasa yoga class. It was the perfect way to begin the day...I felt focused and grounded. The morning was spent learning about breast health and the role of thermal imaging. Before yesterday, I had only vaguely heard of thermal imaging. I will say it has tweaked an interest and may be a great tool in the line of prevention though I do still want to read a few articles before I solidfy my opionion. Stay tuned all my lady friends :)

The afternoon was spent at the home of a retired Gastroenterologist who practices energy medicine. His home was absolutely beautiful, called 'the land of dreams'. He had a labyrinth meditation and a view like no other. We experienced and practiced energy medicine ourselves. It was very neat, I'm still processing.

In the evening, we went to a sweat lodge, which is a purification ceremony celebrated by many Native Americans. The purpose is to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit through the use of hot stones, water, and sacred space. The ceremony takes place in a hut with an infrastructure made from sticks covered with fabric. Stones are heated in an external fire and then placed in a central pit in the ground of the lodge. Everyone who participates helps with the preparation of the lodge and altar. We made prayer ties symbolizing our inner prayers in physical form by placing a pinch of tobacco in the center of a colored cloth representing our prayer and tied it to a string. White = Compassion. Black = Courage. Red = Strength. Yellow = Intuition/Guidance. The ceremony lasted until 1 am! I have never experienced anything like this before. The ceremony was intense. I was drenched with sweat and could hardly breathe from the steam that was created from the water. It was the most uncomfortable feeling. I was fighting with my claustrophobia, but somehow I made it through the experience and it felt incredible...I felt free.