During a ceremony, participants will enter a sweat lodge (typically an igloo-shaped hut) constructed from volcanic stone, wood or cement. Once inside, hot volcanic rocks are placed in the center, and water is poured over the rocks to produce steam. Herbs, typically sage or copal, are added to aid the cleansing process.
While every ritual is different, ceremonies can last around two hours which might include a shaman-led series of thanksgiving or chanting.
At Imanta, for example, the ceremony begins outside the sweat lodge, next to where the stones are being heated.
We start around the fire… being thankful [for] this forest and the earth. When you come inside the temazcal you [kneel] on your knees, kiss the earth and ask to be on the belly button of the earth — the temazcal represents the belly button and the rebirth of the participants.
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