Healing Heat

It was my second week in Mexico, a hot day on the Mayan coastline. After hanging around for a few hours, enjoying a delicious smoothie from Raw Love Cafe and sharing the best talks, tacos and coconuts I ever had at La Eufemia. A female friend, Sanaz from Sweden, proposed I join in for a Temazcal (*1).

At first, I was reluctant. I wasn't looking forward to sitting in a hot, dark clay igloo-looking thing, squeezed together with a bunch of unknown people. While outside, the sun was shining, the sky was crystal clear, and there was a gentle salty breeze. I felt like hanging around on the beach and enjoying swimming in the warm Caribbean sea.

At the last moment, I decided to join in. I got my stuff together, and we started walking towards Delek Tulum, the hotel holding the ceremony. It took us a few times to step up and down the beach, but eventually, we found it. I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely atmosphere, a little open sacred space behind the tropical tree line decorated with numerous bright and colorful little flags.

We met with another friend Simona - a joyful young artist, medicine woman, and musician - whom I met at Tierra restaurant from the hotel Holistika, where I stayed. She was actually the one who initially invited us the night before since she was going to co-guide the ceremony with Yolo, our Shaman.

Yolo - a short and sturdy man who initially seemed very serious, but once you engaged in conversation with him, his face, heart, and smile opened up with empowering energy - was already there when we arrived, sustaining the fire and preparing the hot stones for the ceremony.

Once everybody arrived, we gathered around the fire in front of the Temazcal, the woman first and then the men. There were about 15 of us, equally divided between sexes. After the introduction, we each got a handful of tobacco we had to bless with our intention and then offer into the fire. The woman stepped into the Temazcal first, followed by the men.

It was dark and claustrophobic for 15 people, but we squeezed our sweaty bodies together. We were sitting tight on the sand, arms wrapped around our bent legs, not to be too close to the pit in the middle. Back leaning against the uncomfortable pointy clay wall, trying to find a somewhat endurable position. When everybody got in, Yolo asked the man closest to the door opening to assist with putting the volcanic stones in the pit. They were robustly thrown in, with an accompanying strong voicing of "Ahau" for every stone(*2). They were glowing in redness and felt blisteringly hot on the shins. This is where I started to get a bit nervous.

"Ahau."

Once the stones were in place, Yolo grabbed a bucket of water filled with healing herbs and a piece of Copal resin which he set aside to take his drum. Then he started the ritual by marking the earth at the entrance of the Temazcal with a small deer skull while speaking native words of wisdom. He then closed the opening with a heavy blanket.

The rules were simple. 4 rounds of 10 to 15 minutes, each with a different subject. No talking unless the shaman asks. No standing up unless you want to faint from the rising hot air and be barbecued. Not allowed to leave the circle during a round. Only leave when you can no longer hold on and when a single round is done. Yolo closed the Temazcal.

Our first round began. Yolo asked us to share our names and our intention for the ceremony. After this, it went still. Pitch black, except for the red stones, started building up the heat very quickly. The rocks were pressed with the copal resin producing a strong smell and smoke, which enhanced the ritual. Loud drums and chanting started to fill the space. We were asked to join in with the singing, which supported handling the heat. It felt way hotter than any sauna I had ever experienced. Yolo also insisted on going deeper, making it extra hot since we had the special occasion of having Simona amongst us, so no soft tourist treatment.

After a first tough fifteen minutes, Yolo flipped the blanket to open the doorway. I barely felt fresh air coming in a while, craving it. The night sky had started to close in already. Yolo and his helper filled the pit again with more big and hot stones. He adjusted the scorching rocks in the proper position with his bare hands. I was not expecting that. They retook their places, and the door closed. The second round began.

This time Simona guided us with her beautiful singing voice and guitar. The round felt extremely hot and moist. Yolo kept throwing water from his bucket on the stones while splashing some cups on us. The water first feels cool for a second, and then it feels like it boils on you. I felt like I was on fire, so hot that the waves of shivering skin gave a spark of cold sensation onto my body. My brain started counting the songs, trying to find a rhythm to create a perception of time. To hopefully give me an idea of when the round would be done. Funny how our survival brain starts playing out and tries to do everything to get us out of an uncomfortable situation and tries to give us perspective. An authentic reference to how we handle life, trying to control everything we encounter. Next to me, a Mexican was struggling to hold on. He couldn't keep still and started to push. He was coughing and making vomiting noises while his mate was laughing. The shaman strictly silenced them.

Eventually, the door opened up after the round was done. 4 couldn't bear the heat and left the circle. Moving the rest of us deeper to the back. Yolo started talking and gifted several beautiful, intuitive insights of love and realness, genuinely resonating with my being. He got emotional about his medicine guiding us as a shaman and shared his tears. I felt the lump in my throat and was deeply touched. The group was silent.

"We are born on this earth with nothing. We leave this earth with nothing. Share all it is that you have, that you are...everything. Your emotions, your medicine, your gift...your life. Live. Let it out. We have all. Right here. Feel. Laugh. We are human."

Before the 3rd round began, Yolo offered us water from a glass jug. At first, I refused by saying that I was ok. But he insisted and said, "Never refuse water when somebody offers it. Just drink it. Water is life. You don't want Coca-Cola, too, do you?" He asked to share our intentions with it as it was passed down to the group. You could definitely see the toll the heat had taken on the people. The blanket went down again.

This round was ruthless, with again extra stones on top. I felt very uncomfortable, and my mind and stomach started spinning. My back was hurting from the pointy wall, my arm was getting numb, and my lips were burning while trying to hide my head between my legs, staying as low as possible. There was no air inside. I focused intensely on my breath, deep and slow, keeping myself calm. I was on the edge of fainting or drifting away from my body. I had a tough time holding on, trying everything not to panic. Just when I was about to scream it all out, the door opened up to a now dark night.

Some group members had bent forward, trying to keep it together on hands and knees. They were almost begging for just a little of the outdoor air. But without much success. I felt a combination of fear for not having enough air in my system and not being able to breathe correctly, with a slight feeling of joy for surviving the round. But I was not sure if I could survive the last round. That choice quickly resided when Yolo immediately closed the opening straight into the previous round.

"Never refuse water when somebody offers it. Just drink it. Water is life. You don't want Coca-Cola, too, do you?"

Even though I still felt weak, I managed to awaken a boost of empowered energy. I collected all my strength, zoned in, kept my head down, rubbed sand on my face, and put my hands in front of my burning lips. My body fluids kept pouring out, even my snot I could no longer hold. But I didn't care. I blew it out my nose. I was not very sexy, but it had to be done. I felt my body was clearing the unnecessary, physically and spiritually. Finally, the blanket went up for the last time.

I felt significant relief. The woman was allowed to go out first. I was on the other side, who got in and second to last. This was an actual test of patience since everybody had to wait by the opening to receive Yolo's blessing and show gratitude for the ceremony. Thankful and very desperate to get out, I awaited my turn. My eyes closed, keeping focused on the calmness of my breath. Eventually, I got on my hands and knees and dragged myself towards the exit. Crawling through little pools of water left from the last round where the shaman had thrown water on us. I prayed and touched the earth with my hand and head. Thanked the shaman. He also thanked me by laying his hand on my back. I tried to stand up by holding a palm tree when I came out. I still felt unstable and dizzy, so I decided to sit. Eventually, I just rolled over to lie down and opened my arms and legs. I rubbed myself with the cold earth on every inch of my body, looking up to the pieces of dark heaven showing through the palm tree leaves. It was one of the best feelings I ever had. The coldness of the sand and the sensation of the wind on my body. Fresh air reentered my lungs all the way down to my belly. I felt as if I had come out of a woman's womb. Reborn senses. I felt everything anew.

Then Yolo called us to get into the ocean. I can stand up now and slowly readjust myself again to the outer world. I still feel amazed and mesmerized by my ability to properly breathe and sense my skin's coolness. On the way to the water, I open my arms and feel the fantastic sea wind. I feel in heaven. I feel truly alive at the moment. I stand still and admire the few stars and moon starting to show themselves. I jump into the blissful ocean water and meet up with the rest. I am grateful for their supporting energy words. The water feels perfect, not too cold and not too warm. I got to Yolo, and we firmly hugged each other while he repeated, "This is life, we have everything, everything is right here."

"This is the life. We have everything. Everything is right here."

After enjoying the ocean water, he calls us back for fresh fruit. I take a lukewarm shower on the beach, am given a nice towel, and enjoy delicious watermelon, papaya, and freshwater with grapefruit around the fire. Everybody joins in, and we talk about our experience while our swimming wear dries. Some started singing and playing the guitar. The atmosphere is magical. I go over to Simona and Sanaz and thank them sincerely for bringing and giving me such a fantastic experience, which I will never forget. Before leaving, I catch up with Yolo, we hug firmly, and he says, "We are family carnal." (*3). I am filled with joy, love, and happiness.

"We are family carnal."

Sanaz and I walk through the small path along the palm trees back to the beach. We still had to get our bikes to go back to our hotel. But when we arrive at the beach, we freeze. A fantastic star-lit sky has shown up from under the trees and completely blows us away. The view is unreal. It looked like space was bending over our heads, and we could grab the thousands of stars with our bare hands. Unbelievably magical. We lay down and thoroughly enjoyed the stunning and silent night. I had never seen so many stars in my life.

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Lessons from ceremony

A ceremony is a mirror of life. The experience starts before and continues after the ceremony itself. It is unconsciously and energetically already doing its work. It is not easy retelling the event because I feel it changes the experience and perception of it. But nonetheless, I felt the urge to share since it might help you along your journey. I have experienced a few ceremonies, and each one of them brings its individual lessons with it. Here are a few of my learnings;

• You don't know yourself until you go out there and test yourself. You have to be willing to run into obstacles. They say everything is within, which is true…but you are only going to get it out of yourself if you test yourself against what is out there. You can meditate all day in awareness, but unless you are willing to actively involve with life and see the reflection of your own being, you will never experience true aliveness. You need to do some real-world mirroring. The fact that we have been given a body is a gift to be explored. We are not a body looking for spirituality. We are a spirit enjoying a body. Embrace your vessel.
• There is a whole new world out of your comfort zone. Embrace new experiences. Get out of your comfort zone! The universe rewards courage.
• An unprepared unknowing mind can be beautiful. It holds the busy monkey brain at bay from coming up with unnecessary preconditioned stories. Be curious. Step into the dark.
• What you seek is seeking you. What you need in life, any lesson, learning, experience, event, or person, will always find you. What is meant for you will find you? Learn to feel, see and understand this. Embrace and experience the present gifts.
• You come to this world with nothing and leave with nothing. The only thing that matters is the experience of life itself. Your being, here and now, is the purpose, with attention and intention.
• The ultimate self-control is self-surrender.
• Reflect and write about your feelings and thoughts before and after the ceremony. Put them aside. Let them work on their own, inside you. After a few weeks or months, revisit them. Revelations might come up.
• You will see and feel new things as your daily life returns. Enjoy it. Drift away with your body.
• Human interaction is one of the most potent ways for proper healing. We need to be able to express our deepest selves and share our ideas, thoughts, feelings, and desires. Love, listen, and learn from each other. See and feel each other. Show genuine understanding for each other.
• The skin is our largest organ and a crucial element in our healing. Working with it gets you straight out of mind into the body. Some practices to consider;
• Thermogenesis: use cold and hot exposure in nature, at home, in a gym or wellness center (e.g., cold shower or hot sauna) for healthy benefits
• Use healthy natural skincare for the body, hair, and oral treatment. The skin absorbs that we expose it to, which will also enter our bloodstream. Feed your skin correctly.
• Eat healthy foods. Treat the organs and internal system well; your skin and external system will thank you.

*1 Temazcal = is a type of low-heat sweat lodge, which originated with pre-Hispanic Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica. The term Temazcal comes from the Nahuatl word temāzcalli, meaning; "house of heat," or possibly from the Nahua words teme (to bathe) and calli (house).

In ancient Mesoamerica, it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion, such as after a battle or a ceremonial ball game. It was also used for healing the sick, improving health, and for women giving birth. It continues to be used today in Indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America that were part of the ancient Mesoamerican region for spiritual healing and health enrichment. It is currently being recovered by all sectors of society in Mexico, Central America, and the world as a cleansing and restorative balancing of mind, body, and spirit. The Temazcal is usually a permanent structure, unlike sweat lodges of other regions. It has various construction styles differing by region; from volcanic rock and cement to adobe mud bricks, even wood mud and cloth can be utilized. It may be a circular dome made to represent the uterus, although rectangular ones have been found at specific archeological sites, and this shape is also used. To produce the heat, volcanic stones are heated. Volcanic rocks are safe because they do not explode from the temperature. They may be heated with fire from an outside port. Or placed in a pit located in the center or near a wall of the Temazcal.

*2 "Aho" means "yes, I agree," "I understand," or "I acknowledge." It is used in prayers in somewhat the same way that "amen" is used ("amen" means "I agree"), but it is not used exclusively in prayers. It is used in any situation where a discussion is being conducted

*3 Carnal is Mexican slang for a friend, some you'll call your Brother (Hermano). This word looks awfully like the English word "carnal," meaning "of the flesh." That's because it is. Both come from the Latin word "Carne" or meat, but they can also mean the same blood, family, or relative.

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