When Mila and Ria of Sacred Motion invited me to attend their Sage Retreat and take part in a Cabana (also known as a Sweat Lodge) I jumped at the chance. I’d experienced one in Mexico back in January and it was incredible (and very intense!), so I was curious to see how it would be second time around.
A sweat lodge is a ritual that has been passed down through generations, connecting you to the elemental forces and ancestors - a cleanse and purifcation helping us release any fears and tension stored in the body.
A small group of us came together for the communal retreat at the incredible Howell Holistic Centre near Barnstaple in Devon. The retreat was all about us co-creating the experience together and weathering the storm (quite literally!), keeping the fire alight to heat the stones as the heavens opened.
We enjoyed restorative Pilates on arrival, then Saturday was spent creating a herbal bath with flowers and herbs, before setting up the lodge - covering it with blankets, heating the rocks, fanning the fire to keep it alive - then spending around 3 hours inside the dark womb-like cabana for a beautiful ceremony with singing, sharing, many sounds and much sweating. Crawling out into the darkness afterwards and laying on the cold grass honestly never felt better!
Following the Cabana we enjoyed a herbal bath, where we poured the water over our bodies for a full purifcation. It was such a beautiful weekend of connections, community, hearty food and medicine. Thank you Ria and Mila, you’re incredible teachers and an absolute joy to be around.
If you’d like to find out more about Sacred Motion and their regular sweat lodges in London, you can find them here:
www.sacredmotion.org
www.instagram.com/sacredmotion
DO YOU NEED SOME PHOTOS OF YOUR EVENT OR RETREAT DAY?
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