Sweat and Serenity: Shamanic Sweat Lodge and Ayurvedic Yoga Cleanse

Sweat and Serenity is a rejuvenating and reviving spring retreat held on the banks of the river Thames. Returning for its fourth year, one of our most popular retreats opens its heart again for 2025.

Using a spectrum of carefully and thoughtfully curated ancient and modern cleansing techniques, this intimate gathering will enable you to shed outer layers of stress and strife, revealing your pure nature within.

This retreat is for those who want to remove all barriers to lasting serenity. Release what is not serving you through the cleansing power of the fire and the supportive ceremonial strength of the sweat lodge.

Over the weekend you will have the unique opportunity to participate in a traditional sweat lodge ceremony, hosted in a specially designed sacred hazel pole dome and led by experienced masters with chanting and shamanic drumming.

This ancient practice will be supported through tailored ayurvedic food, yoga and breathwork, individually designed for each participant around your own unique balance of elemental energies.

This is a rare opportunity to experience this transformative practice in the rolling nature of the Thames Valley and gain a deeper understanding of your body’s own journey to wellness.

Discover the obstacles facing your unique ayurvedic constitution when you sit to meditate and how to best combat them for lasting inner peace. Move forward into summer with a fresh perspective and new grounding in your whole self.

There will be reviving yoga practices and wild swimming in the glistening river waters. Guided meditations with ancient trees and mindful journeying through the intuitive artistry of words will show you the way to reconnect with your divine nature.

The resonance of the spirit mantra will restore and replenish you, and storytelling and singing by the campfire will give you the heartwarming gift of community connection.

Sweat Lodge Ceremony

The lodge during the retreat will be hosted by Buzzard Medicine.

It is an honour to be able to share this sacred ceremony with you in such beautiful organic surroundings. The lodge calls you to gather in circle to honour our ancestors, our grandmother the earth, the sacred fire, grandfather rocks, water and air – bringing them together to create a powerful cleansing medicine.

This traditional lodge is made from bent hazel poles, smudged and blessed and covered with blankets and insulated to make a dome. Special stones that have been heated in a wood fire are brought inside and herbs and water are applied to release an aromatic cleansing vapour. Participants engage in several cycles of sweating and chanting with the opportunity to rest and cool down in between each cycle.

The lodge has a strong purification and transformative power for many people; so do give yourself time after the lodge to integrate. The lodge is a powerful place for prayers and healing.

We advise drinking lots of water on the day before the lodge so that you are well hydrated. Water will be available during the day. We ask that you refrain from any recreational drugs or alcohol for at least 72 hours before and after the ceremony.

The sweat lodge is a powerful ceremony and can help in healing processes but it is good to check with your health professional if you are concerned about any medical conditions – in particular heart conditions, high blood pressure, migraines, pregnancy, panic attacks, claustrophobia, strong back pain, diabetes, asthma or breathing difficulties, mental health issues or drug addiction.