Sacred Living Sweat Lodge

Sacred Living Sweat Lodge

Monthly New and Full Moon Sweat Lodge Ceremonies with Christina Alexa
Questionnaire & Information
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Health Form
How would you describe your current state of health?
Are you currently taking any medications or supplements? Please list.
Do you wear contact lenses? (Yes or No) Please note contact lenses must be removed prior to attending the lodge, and cannot be worn inside the lodge under any circumstances. Be sure to bring eyeglasses as needed to see clearly outside of the lodge.
Please list any and all medical conditions, recent illnesses and surgeries.
Do you have any health-related questions in reference to the sweat lodge? (Please note there will be an opportunity to ask non-health related questions later in this form.)
A Note about Alcohol and Drug Use

Alcohol and drug use is not permitted prior to or during a sweat lodge, both for safety reasons and for spiritual / energetic reasons. The sweat lodge ceremony is deeply purifying on a physical level. A great amount of sweat is produced in the body. Alcohol is dehydrating and consumption prior to a lodge, including the evening before, is compromising and unsafe. Additionally, toxins stored in the body will be released through the sweat, therefore excess recreational drug use or use of pharmaceutical prescriptions can have physical impact. Please list all pharmaceutical drugs required for maintenance of your physical and mental health, above. If you have questions, please do not hold back. Utilize the space below to reach out and express your concerns.

About the Sweat Lodge
The sweat lodge is the altar of the earth mother; it is the womb of the earth, built of saplings gathered with care and prayer and draped with wool blankets, filled with hot stones whose wisdom are awakened and opened by the heat of the fire. We are one with the cool air, the hard earth, the water, the sky, the smoke of the fire that heats the rocks. Leave technology behind, leave for a moment creature comforts we enjoy, to reconnect with what is primal, original and real.

We enter the lodge on our hands and knees, humble and willing. Inside it is pitch black, hot. As we engage in rounds of prayer, connecting to the four directions, we embrace new beginnings, let go of what is no longer needed, invite what we choose to receive and integrate our deepest wisdom with trust and understanding. We pray.

The sweat lodge is a ceremony of purification; every lodge fire connects to all lodge fires that have come before. We remember who we are in right perspective, in harmonious relationship to all things. We leave the lodge like newborn beings, lighter, altered and free.
What is a Sweat Lodge

The sweat lodge ceremony is an elemental tradition. The details of the ceremony differ depending on the native custom from which the lodge is derived, however many elements remain the same. Each lodge ceremony provides an opportunity for deep connection and purification.

The lodge itself is a domed hut, traditionally built from saplings and twine and draped with blankets and sometimes tarps as well. The blankets and tarps help to provide a pitch-black environment inside, even during the daytime, and also hold in the heat. Small lodges will hold 8 - 10 people, while large lodges can hold twenty or more.

In the center of the lodge a shallow pit is dug to contain hot rocks which are heated on an external fire in a fire pit. When the rocks are hot they are transported into the lodge. Water is poured onto the rocks to create steam. The heat and the steam encourage the body to sweat and purify.

Each lodge ceremony generally consists of three to four rounds of intentional prayer. Each round has a different theme or meaning, often corresponding to the four directions and what they represent. At the beginning of each round several hot rocks are placed in the center pit. The door of the lodge is closed and water is poured on the rocks. The lodge keeper, sometimes called a "Pourer", leads the lodge and guides the participants in deep reflection. In between rounds the door is opened, allowing fresh air into the internal space as well as a new round of additional hot rocks.

At the beginning of the lodge participants crawl in on hands and knees, in a clockwise direction. At the end of the lodge individuals exit in a clockwise direction as well. If someone needs to exit the lodge because they are feeling claustrophobic or too hot, they are encouraged to exit in between rounds and are assisted in doing so safely. No one is held in the lodge against their will. Exiting out the sides of the lodge is not permitted as it can compromise the physical and energetic structure. Instead, exiting through the enterance doorway is encouraged.

Please note that we are working with the physical and spiritual essence of Grandfather Fire, a master teacher and healer. Fire hunts duress, in order to heal duress. By its nature, the fire transmutes that which no longer serves us, so that we experience freedom of the heart. Discomfort results as the fire does its work, but this transforms to a superficial experience in time, as fear subsides and acceptance is integrated. Great healing magic resides in the mystery. Therefore we enter the lodge with trust and openness, while at the same time honoring our edges. There is no shame in needing to exit the lodge between rounds if needed, to sit in resonance with the fire.
What to Expect
- A beautiful community gathering around the fire as the rocks are heated. Sometimes we sit in silence, and sometimes we do some preparatory work around the fire prior to entering the sweat lodge.
- When it is time to enter the lodge you will be guided accordingly by the lodge keeper. All participants wear clothing insdie the lodge. Men are permitted to wear only shorts; t-shirt is optional. Women are permitted to wear shorts and a crop top or t-shirt, or a shift / extra-long t-shirt.
- A towel can be brought into the lodge to sit on if needed.
- We enter the lodge prayerfully, on hands and knees. The inside of the lodge will be pitch black, except for the red glow of the hot rocks until they cool.
- Participants sit side by side, close together. There is typically room to sit upright in the lodge, however it is not unlike a sacred womb. The space is small and with the addition of heat and sweat we are compressed inward, in order to find the infinite expanse of the internal universe.
- As the rocks enter the lodge and the water is poured on them to create steam, the interior of the lodge will become very warm. Some people become claustrophobic at first until they relax into trust and the fire element dissolves fear. The fear that arises inside the lodge is fear that already exists, prior to entering the ceremony. As it comes up and out it is released.
- Rounds of intentional reflection and prayer commence, guided by the lodge keeper. Prayers can be made out loud as directed, or internally. Sometimes songs / chants are sung.
- At the end of the last round participants exit and lay upon the cool earth.
- Variations on this description can be expected.
- The night prior to the lodge and certainly post-lodge dreaming can be strong. Pay attention to dreams, emotional release, physical shifts etc. This is all part of the purification process physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
How to Prepare
- Remain open. Welcome feelings of vulnerability.
- Be respectful of self, others and the ceremony itself.
- Understand that the Fire is a presence, an elemental master teacher who transmutes limitations to create freedom of the heart.
- Expect the unexpectd. Release the ego when it arises. Witness, let go, stay present.
- Drink plenty of water one-two days prior to the sweat lodge.
- Hydrate abundantly (with water) after the sweat lodge.
- Trust yourself.
What to Bring
- Towel
- Water bottle
- Flash light
- Wear appropriate clothing for the lodge ceremony itself (for inside the lodge). Men are permitted to wear only shorts; t-shirt is optional. Women are permitted to wear shorts and a crop top or t-shirt, or a shift / extra-long t-shirt.
- Also bring extra clothing layers to wear when not in the lodge, around the fire. You will want warm, dry clothing to wear after the lodge.
- Jewlery is not permitted to be worn inside the lodge. Jewlery can be left on the altar if needed and then retreived after the lodge.
- Bring an offering of some kind for the sweat lodge altar. Offerings might consist of a flower, a special stone, a feather or the like.
Bring a Rock!

Rock people are the record holders, the keepers of our history. They exist for eons and see all things. In the lodge, the rock people unlock the mysteries of our individual and collective history, so that we remember who we are and how we are connected.
- If you are able, prior to this Retreat you are invited to search for and bring a cantaloupe-sized rock (slightly smaller or larger is permitted) to dedicate to the lodge fire.
- When searching for the rock, please understand you are listening to the rock people. When you find the rock, "ask" the rock if it would like to be a part of this sweatlodge ceremony. You will feel a distinct yes or no. Trust the answer.
- If you receive a NO, move on. If you receive a YES, make an offering in gratitude to the rock person. Offerings can consist of organic tobacco or cornmeal.
- Thank the rock person and bring it with you to the sweat lodge ceremony.
Questions? Please don't hesitate to ask any and all questions you have related to the sweat lodge.
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Sacred Living Sweat Lodge

Questionnaire & Information

Health Form

About the Sweat Lodge