SWEATLODGE
In connection with the Earth
The Sweatlodge is a purification ceremony, a place to connect with oneself, each other and nature. You can book a space in the COMMUNITY SWEATLODGE, the SWEATLODGE WEEKEND or inquiry about individual PRIVATE OFFERINGS for team building and rites of passage such as pre-wedding cleanses & birthdays.
My vision is to unite everyone in the Sweatlodge,
from CEO & housewife, gardener, priest to elders & children
- back to the roots - to FEEL the earth.
My first Sweatlodge I experienced at the eco-village Pachamama in Costa Rica during the River Festival in January 2011. I don't remember much, except the feeling of being held within the womb of my mother.
It was hot, wet, dark and super tight. Drum beats. Singing. I was wrapping my arms over my legs, focussing on my breath and then surrendering to the heat, until I found myself crying, weeping like a baby. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. Just there. Connected to the earth and one with all.
Door opens, more stones come in. Door closes. 4 rounds. And then we crawled out. New-born.
This has been over 13 years ago. Since then I have been in nearly 200 Sweatlodges and each experience has been different. After 4 years Moondance Ritual I received the permission from my elder and teacher, Ana Carmona Itzpapalotl to start leading Sweatlodges and I am honoring and loving this purification ceremony since the first time.
The Sweatlodge is an ancient way of cleansing body, mind and soul - connecting to oneself, the others and Mother Earth.
​The space of the Sweatlodge is also called the "womb of Mother Earth".
Depending on tradition and intention, it serves to purify, give thanks, connect, give farewell, heal and finally leads back to the recognition of one's own essence. Ultimately we remember and FEEL the connection and unity of everyone and everything.
As an experienced Sweatlodgeleader or also called Water pourer, I carry out the ceremony with all my respect, love and care. I feel what is currently needed for every person and support the respective process gently and intuitively.
Together we go into the womb of Mother Earth and we will connect with all elements and especially with ourselves. The circular space, the darkness, the glowing stones - seeds of the earth, the steaming water and the fragrant herbs form the space for the journey inwards, on which you have the opportunity to not only physically but also mentally and spiritually cleanse.
All the topics such as stress, disorientation, fear, anger, frustration, reconciliation, deep gratitude, lovesickness, loss, pain have room to be recognized and healed.
The heartbeat of the drum, the vibration of the rattle, the power of the songs, the spoken words, the silence and all those present, support you in your process.
You have space to recognize, what exactly it is in you, that blocks you from living your deepest soul callings.
"Listen to your heart prayer, connect it with your breath, utilize your voice, say it out load and trust that Mother Earth will carry and the Great Mystery will guide you."
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With Love & Care,
Melinda
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What are the benefits?
Physical
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detoxification
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improval of cardiovascular health
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increase of blood flow
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increase of circulation and sweat
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relieve of chronic pain conditions
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strengthening of the immune system
Mental
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stress release
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clarification
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introspection
Spiritual
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enhances the connection to oneself, the elements, the spirits and earth
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opportunity to experience ancient healing ways
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offers a space for envisioning, dreaming & praying
Please Bring
Sweatlodge dress / Sarong / Cloth / Towel - no nudity in respect to the traditions
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Tobacco, herbs - as a gift for the fire
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Songs, rattle, drum and altar items for charging
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Water bottle, food to share and something cozy to wear afterwards
Private Sweatlodge
As a supportive cleansing & reconnection ritual, I offer private sweatlodge ceremonies for groups.
This process is a unique way to honor the rites of passage, such as marriage ceremonies, BIRTHDAYS, honoring a loved one's death and more.
It is a great and very connecting experience for TEAM BUILDINGS, which I lead professionally and with a lot of mindfulness according to the clientele.
DAY EVENT
4 - 8 hours
from 10 - 20 people *
YOUR INVESTMENT
10 people - CHF 1300
every extra Person CHF 90
* includes a full consultation before the event to prepare and connect about the specific ritual intentions, wood & tobacco for sweatlodge, smudging, integration
DURATION: 4-8 hours depending on event
COMMUNITY SWEATLODGE EXCHANGE: donation-based (recommended CHF 90)
Children are wholeheartedly welcome
NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO SWEAT
I am taking a break of leading Sweatlodges and am only available for
1:1 Guidance or Fire Rituals
C. Millucci
I would like to thank you very much for the beautiful ceremony. Ludo was very touched by the whole process and he kept talking about it. I felt a lot of energy when you were in the sweat lodge. I am currently experiencing a Kundalini awakening and having my children participate in ceremonies that connect them to Mother Earth is a blessing to me.
O. Marié
Melinda's sweatlodge ceremonies are gifts from the universe to me. I am deeply grateful for this work, which helps me to feel the contact to Mother Earth again and to maintain and deepen the contact with myself and other people. I appreciate Melinda's nature very much, I always felt that I as in good hands and carefully accompanied. I experience Melinda as authentic, powerful, sensitive, intuitive and very connected to Mother Earth. I really like that these sweat lodge ceremonies are not dogmatic and allow a lot of space for healing and growth. I am very touched that I was allowed to take my 14-year-old daughter with me last time. This strengthened and healed our mother-daughter bond.
R. White
I would like to thank you again for the incredibly intensive and powerful ceremony. It's hard to put into words what's happening right now, it seems I don't have the vocabulary for it. It feels like the surface has been stripped of crusted dirt, like an exfoliation, revealing something bright, luminous, pure underneath. But this dirt was also a protective layer without which I was very vulnerable and open and unprotected until now. But you designed the room in such a way that I still feel very wellcared for and protected. Newborn, exposed to the harsh reality, but safe in the arms of father and mother (I have 4 children and was present at all births). Although I had done a similar ceremony before, I was overwhelmed by the intensity.
Temazcal Lineage
For over 13 years I've been in a deep study with the Mexican Sweatlodge tradition known as Temazcal. I have been passed the teachings of holding Temazcal ceremonies and received the blessing to open the ceremony of the Moondance in Switzerland, by Grandmother Ana Carmona Itzpapalotl of Metzliyoliliztli Moondance Circle in Costa Rica. This ritual includes a four-day fasting offering, eight purification Sweatlodges, four full nights of circle dancing, and working with the sacred obsidian pipe. Purification, spiritual connection, teachings, inner work, sisterhood and joy take place in the Moondance ritual.
Temazcal, in Nahuatl language, goes back to pre-Hispanic times in central Mexico and means “house of bath”. It refers originally to a structure made of mud brick, used for therapy and healing. As the tradition of the Moondance derives from Mexico and takes place in nature, the circle and Sweatlodges are built up and down after the ritual. In this way the traditional Temazcal made out of clay has been adapted to the Inipi, a structure made out of branches, connected to the indigenous cultures of North America.
My elders have taught me, that when entering the Temazcal one is crawling into the belly of Mother Earth, (Nahuatl: Tonantzin). This is a space to purify on a body, mind and spiritual level and be in introspection and reflection of our individual and collective walk on this earth.
