Dates For 2012

Sunday 22nd January - Sweat Lodge at Bestwood Country Park, Nottingham

Sunday 19th February - Sweat Lodge at Bestwood Country Park, Nottingham

Sunday 25th March - Sweat Lodge at Bestwood Country Park, Nottingham

Sunday 22nd April - Sweat Lodge at Black Rocks Country Park, Derbyshire

Sweat Lodges At Bestwood Country Park

Turtle Lodge have been running sweat lodges at Bestwood Country Park since May 2003. We had been regularly attending sweat lodges and workshops run by Roland Torikian in Surrey since January 2000. Roland trained for 5 years in Chiapas Mexico and used sweat lodges, or “temescals” as the Maya call them, in his work as a ‘curandero’ (healer). When Roland returned to Mexico in 2002, myself and a few others that had worked with Roland in Godalming, began running a sweat lodge in Worthing and then in Hastings.

In 2003 having a young daughter and a baby on the way we decided the time had come to try and establish a more local sweat lodge. We approached Bestwood Country Park and they kindly agreed to let us hold sweat lodges in the park. As well as the sweat lodges we have also held a number of weekend workshops. Over the years the Rangers at the park have been incredibly supportive and welcoming.

The sweat lodge has a strong connection to creation, the lodge itself representing the womb of mother earth and the rocks representing our ancestors. Within the sweat lodge we feel very protected and nurtured making it easy for us to get in touch with our inner self. We are able to look very deep within and are shown parts of ourselves that may have been forgotten or parts that may be out of balance. At the same time we feel a strong connection to our ancestors, to the whole of humanity, to nature and to the elements - a connection which is always there, but which is all too often forgotten. This means that as well as a physical cleanse from the heat, steam and medicinal herbs, we also get a mental and spiritual cleanse. We are able to let go of old patterns of behaviour through achieving a state of mental clarity enabling us to see who we really are and understand our true path in life.

What to expect:

The sweat lodge is a covered dome created out of bent willow saplings. During the sweat lodge hot volcanic stones are placed in a central pit in the dome and dowsed with water and herbs creating therapeutic steam. It is a safe and sacred space to cleanse body and mind. Through the sweat lodge we are able to bring ourselves closer to our ancestors and strengthen our connection with nature, thus helping us to bring balance and harmony into our lives. We draw our inspiration from many sources, but have our roots in the Mayan tradition of ‘temescals’. Sweat lodges have been used in many different areas of the world for thousands of years and they continue to be used today for their cleansing and healing properties.
The number of people in a sweat lodge varies from month to month – anywhere between 6 and 20. The sweat lodge consists of several ‘rounds’ each lasting approximately twenty minutes and which may involve self-massage, singing, guided meditation, story-telling, or simply silence. Because the sweat lodge is an organic event each lodge will be a different experience and therefore all timings are approximate. Most people wear swimming costumes inside the sweat lodge and because the lodge is held in a public park, we ask that all participants respect other park users and wear either a swimsuit/shorts or sarong etc when outside of the lodge.
During the lodge drinking water is available between rounds and after the lodge we provide baked potatoes and a vegetable curry which is shared around the fire.

What to bring to the sweat lodge – click here (Turtlelodge11.doc) for more information

Directions from Nottingham or the M1 J26 – click here

If you require directions from elsewhere please contact us.