Sweating it Out
Grandmother Robin Tekwelus Youngblood sheds some light on the Native American tradition of Sweat Lodge
Robin, tell us a bit about Sweat Lodge: What is its purpose and how long has this tradition existed?
Sweat Lodge is a very ancient purification ceremony. This kind of ceremony can be found all over the world - for example Finnish Sauna used to be prayed in, so sauna has been used just as in Sweat Lodge. Roman’s had sweat baths. There are records of Sweat Lodges throughout the world from ancient times, thousands of years ago.
Within the Native American Traditions why exactly is it done and how often?
Sometimes in ceremonies like Sundance and so forth, people can do Sweat Lodge every day. Usually they’re done once or twice a month, or even once a season like on solstices and equinoxes, or full moon; sometimes the dark of the moon (when there is no moon). Sweat Lodges are done to purify body, mind and spirit. The heat and the steam in the Lodge release the toxins from the body. We pray and sing in the Lodge, so we clarify our mental and emotional aspects. There are times when in certain healing Lodges the person who’s facilitating the Lodge will take people into a special ceremony within the Lodge to release emotional trauma and so forth. So it’s truly one of the few ways we can cleanse all aspects of our self at the same time.
How long have you been involved with Sweat Lodge for?
I’ve been attending Sweat Lodge for 30 years, and I’ve been Water Pourer for about 20 years.
And what can people expect from joining Sweat Lodge lead by you?
They can expect some direct teaching about the Lodge before we go in. They can expect that it will be hot! And there’s no danger to anyone; if someone cannot handle the heat I’ll always open the door and let people out. Sweat Lodge is about facing our fears, so people who maybe have a little bit of fear of the dark, or a little claustrophobia or something like that may experience a little bit of that when they first go in, but if they’re willing to work with it a bit, it often heals those kinds of things.
So what kind of impact is the experience of Sweat Lodge likely to have on someone afterwards?
They feel refreshed, cleansed, reborn. Very often Sweat Lodge becomes a life-changing experience and people want to do it again and again.
Can you remember your first experience of attending Sweat Lodge?
Yeah! I was a little bit scared, I didn’t really know exactly what to expect. I listened to the Leader of the Lodge and followed instructions. Once I got in the Lodge, I had a profound feeling of being back in the womb and being very nurtured and cared for in a way I don’t think I’ve ever experienced outside of the womb. It was very powerful. That particular Lodge was run by an Elder Man who was himself very powerful. We had orbs dancing in the Lodge, many different colours. And it’s dark, so who knows where they came from!
How did that change you afterwards?
I think it was probably one of my first experiences of deep connection with Spirit and an understanding that there’s a personal relationship I can have with all Beings. Even the stones in the Sweat Lodge offer themselves to their work. So it was kinda my first experience of understanding on a deep Soul-level that everything has life, everything has spirit. I came away feeling calmer and healthier in body, mind and spirit than I probably ever felt. And I wanted to do it again! For Native Americans, we live ceremonial lives. For us, we see ourselves in direct relationship to everything that is, whether it’s the trees, the stones, the grass that’s growing, the animal nations etc., and our responsibility is to live in balance and harmony with all Beings. Ceremonies like Sweat Lodge, Vision Quest - all of those things - instil a deep sense of that connectedness. There are no words for ‘art’ or ‘religion’ in most Native American languages, and the reason for that is because we are living art, and we are livingspirit.
Are there any other experiences in particular that you’ve had since you started leading Sweat Lodge that you would like to share?
Gosh, there are so many! We did a women’s Sweat Lodge one time and we had this beautiful soft green light blowing around the Lodge. It was very magical; it felt like the fairies were there, and maybe the wood nymphs and so forth. The green light looked like Mother Earth. We had a truly fantastic Lodge and all the women were so happy when we came out, and we told the men about this beautiful green light that was in the Lodge, and they were eager to get in the Lodge. Then it didn’t happen for them! Who knows what the difference was!
Anything further you’d like to add?
For people who want to know more about Sweat Lodge there’s an excellent book on Sweat Lodge by Joseph Bruchac called ‘The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends’. I’ll be leading Sweat Lodge in Thailand at the end of the year during my visit for the Wisdom Gathering and I’m really looking forward to this in Thailand - I think it will be an incredible experience for all of us!
Robin will be in Southeast Asia for the Wisdom Gathering, Thailand, this coming December. In addition to leading Sweat Lodge on December 17th, during her visit she will also be leading Vision Quest and teaching IAHHS course Shamanism Modern World, as well as offering personal healings (view her calendar via the link at Shamanism Teacher). Keep an eye on the STDA webpage in the coming months for further updates about Robin’s involvement in Wisdom Gathering activities.
Grandmother Robin Tekwelus Youngblood sheds some light on the Native American tradition of Sweat Lodge
Robin, tell us a bit about Sweat Lodge: What is its purpose and how long has this tradition existed?
Sweat Lodge is a very ancient purification ceremony. This kind of ceremony can be found all over the world - for example Finnish Sauna used to be prayed in, so sauna has been used just as in Sweat Lodge. Roman’s had sweat baths. There are records of Sweat Lodges throughout the world from ancient times, thousands of years ago.
Within the Native American Traditions why exactly is it done and how often?
Sometimes in ceremonies like Sundance and so forth, people can do Sweat Lodge every day. Usually they’re done once or twice a month, or even once a season like on solstices and equinoxes, or full moon; sometimes the dark of the moon (when there is no moon). Sweat Lodges are done to purify body, mind and spirit. The heat and the steam in the Lodge release the toxins from the body. We pray and sing in the Lodge, so we clarify our mental and emotional aspects. There are times when in certain healing Lodges the person who’s facilitating the Lodge will take people into a special ceremony within the Lodge to release emotional trauma and so forth. So it’s truly one of the few ways we can cleanse all aspects of our self at the same time.
How long have you been involved with Sweat Lodge for?
I’ve been attending Sweat Lodge for 30 years, and I’ve been Water Pourer for about 20 years.
And what can people expect from joining Sweat Lodge lead by you?
They can expect some direct teaching about the Lodge before we go in. They can expect that it will be hot! And there’s no danger to anyone; if someone cannot handle the heat I’ll always open the door and let people out. Sweat Lodge is about facing our fears, so people who maybe have a little bit of fear of the dark, or a little claustrophobia or something like that may experience a little bit of that when they first go in, but if they’re willing to work with it a bit, it often heals those kinds of things.
So what kind of impact is the experience of Sweat Lodge likely to have on someone afterwards?
They feel refreshed, cleansed, reborn. Very often Sweat Lodge becomes a life-changing experience and people want to do it again and again.
Can you remember your first experience of attending Sweat Lodge?
Yeah! I was a little bit scared, I didn’t really know exactly what to expect. I listened to the Leader of the Lodge and followed instructions. Once I got in the Lodge, I had a profound feeling of being back in the womb and being very nurtured and cared for in a way I don’t think I’ve ever experienced outside of the womb. It was very powerful. That particular Lodge was run by an Elder Man who was himself very powerful. We had orbs dancing in the Lodge, many different colours. And it’s dark, so who knows where they came from!
How did that change you afterwards?
I think it was probably one of my first experiences of deep connection with Spirit and an understanding that there’s a personal relationship I can have with all Beings. Even the stones in the Sweat Lodge offer themselves to their work. So it was kinda my first experience of understanding on a deep Soul-level that everything has life, everything has spirit. I came away feeling calmer and healthier in body, mind and spirit than I probably ever felt. And I wanted to do it again! For Native Americans, we live ceremonial lives. For us, we see ourselves in direct relationship to everything that is, whether it’s the trees, the stones, the grass that’s growing, the animal nations etc., and our responsibility is to live in balance and harmony with all Beings. Ceremonies like Sweat Lodge, Vision Quest - all of those things - instil a deep sense of that connectedness. There are no words for ‘art’ or ‘religion’ in most Native American languages, and the reason for that is because we are living art, and we are livingspirit.
Are there any other experiences in particular that you’ve had since you started leading Sweat Lodge that you would like to share?
Gosh, there are so many! We did a women’s Sweat Lodge one time and we had this beautiful soft green light blowing around the Lodge. It was very magical; it felt like the fairies were there, and maybe the wood nymphs and so forth. The green light looked like Mother Earth. We had a truly fantastic Lodge and all the women were so happy when we came out, and we told the men about this beautiful green light that was in the Lodge, and they were eager to get in the Lodge. Then it didn’t happen for them! Who knows what the difference was!
Anything further you’d like to add?
For people who want to know more about Sweat Lodge there’s an excellent book on Sweat Lodge by Joseph Bruchac called ‘The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends’. I’ll be leading Sweat Lodge in Thailand at the end of the year during my visit for the Wisdom Gathering and I’m really looking forward to this in Thailand - I think it will be an incredible experience for all of us!
Robin will be in Southeast Asia for the Wisdom Gathering, Thailand, this coming December. In addition to leading Sweat Lodge on December 17th, during her visit she will also be leading Vision Quest and teaching IAHHS course Shamanism Modern World, as well as offering personal healings (view her calendar via the link at Shamanism Teacher). Keep an eye on the STDA webpage in the coming months for further updates about Robin’s involvement in Wisdom Gathering activities.
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