Temazcal - I found a Zen place while in Mexico

On my recent trip to Mexico something totally unexpected happened. 

I have carried around different burdens on my shoulders for the last forty years and while on vacation had the opportunity to release those burdens in a most unexpected and unusual way.  The area I was visiting was in the Rivera Maya in Mexico.  This area is approximately an hour and half south of Cancun and about twenty miles south of Playa del Carmen.  There is a rich Mayan culture here with many temples and ruins within a short drive.  The Mayan influence is everywhere, in the food, the art work, and most importantly the people who are proud of their heritage. 

I was staying at the Hard Rock Rivera Maya a large sprawling resort with two sides to accommodate everyone.  Hacienda is the family (kids) side of the resort and Heaven is the adult only part of what I jokingly called “the compound”.  When you turn off the main highway there is a large guitar lighted in red and yellow lights in the evening.  You turn into a large gated archway where security checks everyone in and out.

Many days while I was there I tried to take walks around the compound starting from my room to the beach where I could meander my way across the large Hacienda complex and the many connecting swimming pools.  There were sidewalks along the frontage of the ocean which turned inland along the south perimeter across the convention center and then split into several trails which wandered through the jungle.  There were many monkeys playing in the trees in several different areas.  They climbed and were swinging from limb to limb among the trees and you could hear quiet snapping sounds that alerted you to look up and find them playfully going about their day.  There were walks early in the morning just after sunrise and also late afternoon which seemed a more active time for them.

There was a horse stable with three horses which loved the apples I fed them.  One was so excited when he saw the apples that drool was flowing like someone turned on a faucet.  It was funny and he could hardly wait to eat the apple slices out of my hand.  I was covered before I finished and luckily the stable workers took me to a sink to wash off before continuing my walk.  The stables were on the northern edge of the Heaven complex and the trail beside led back to the beach. 

Walking back along the beach from the northernmost part of the resort there is a between two building where there was a large wooded area which had two different parts.  One was a Zen temple with gardens and a small stream.  The other was a beautiful quiet sanctuary in the trees that has pools and small waterfalls which surrounded the Temazcal.  The word Temazcal originates from the Aztec, “calli” meaning house, and “temas” meaning vapor or steam.  One of the weekly activities or spa treatments is Temazcal which is a ceremony inside a small adobe igloo looking structure which uses steam and healing herbs to purify the body and spirit.  Many people would call it a “sweat lodge” where once inside it is sealed in total darkness.

Before the start of the ceremony our Shaman, Raphael sat down with the five of us and gave a history of Temazcal and what to expect during the ritual. We drank herbal tea as Raphael explained the small adobe Temazcal igloo was symbolic of Mother Nature’s womb. Through the use of steam and healing herbs the ceremony purifies the body and the spirit. 

The natural elements and stages brought together in the Temazcal are: 

·    Water – symbolizing blood, fluids and emotions.

·         Earth – the body and physical matter represented by the Temazcal itself. 

·         Air – aromatic steam as our life’s energy and breath. 

·         Fire – the embodiment of the spirit through the volcanic stones.

As we began our individual journeys in this new experience Shaman Raphael took us one at a time, spoke quietly to us then he began the purifying ritual of burning Copal, a sacred Mayan tree resin to cleanse and harmonize the body, mind, and spirit.  We stood arms outstretched as he went around our bodies fanning the smoke on our body, front and back, on our legs and then circling our heads. It has an oddly fresh smell similar to incense but not overpowering.  If we had a specific ailment, then a mixture of herbs would be added to help an individual’s ailment.

We entered the darkness of the hut and sat on mats around the circular inside of the Temazcal.  In the middle of the floor was a pit where shortly the red hot volcanic rocks were placed. Shaman Raphael then took the herbed water and poured it over the glowing rocks creating intense fragrant steam inside the darkness which begins to relax and detoxify the body.  The heat rose to the roof and then rolled back down towards the floor. As in a sauna the sweat started to pour from my body.  My mind wished for a headband to keep the salty perspiration out of my eyes.

Four guided meditations are used focusing on a different cardinal point in life.  During each stage of the ceremony you have the opportunity to reflect on the different phases of your life from childhood, teenage or young adulthood, adulthood, and finally your current and future life as you would like to walk along your path into old age.  The ritual is an opportunity to free ourselves from that which we no longer need in our lives and allows each of us to live wholly in the present an ideal I have tried to live by over the years. As we each said what we wanted and at each stage more glowing red hot rocks were added along with more steam keeping the inside hot and toasty.  We breathed in through our nose and exhaled through our mouths to keep from burning our lungs.      

After the fourth addition of red hot, glowing volcanic rocks along with the water creating steam we spoke of our present or future goals and expectations of our future.  This last time was the hottest time in the Temazcal as Raphael splashed water on everyone in the darkness as he added more water onto the red hot glowing stones. These meditations were accompanied by chanting repeating the Shaman’s words, both in Spanish and in English which loosely meant, “Water is my blood, Earth is my body, Air is my breath, and Fire is my spirit.”  Soaked in perspiration and feeling spent but wonderful in our “womb of Mother Earth” it was time to exit and walk a few steps to a refreshing cenote pool of water to cool ourselves and hydrate our bodies. 

Entering the coolness of the water releasing the heat was an exhilarating feeling.  All of my senses were heightened as I could hear the sounds of birds in the trees overhead and the soft sound of the waterfall a few feet away. I felt like a heavy weight had been removed from my being.  It left me with a sense of inner harmony, enlightenment and rejuvenation and was energized to whatever comes to my life in the future.

I did not expect to find such a Zen feeling or being during this trip so I want to thank one of my friends who invited me on this vacation and knew of this unique and wonderful experience.  If you ever have an opportunity to be in a place to where this is offered I would highly recommend it to anyone.  We all have issues or things that happen in our lives and few opportunities to release those hurts or pains from our consciousness.  Several things I have known and tried to live by but was highlighted during this experience were these:

·         You are responsible for yourself and your actions in this life

·         It is unhealthy to carry the issues of your past around your neck, let them go!

·         You cannot change the past and only needlessly beat yourself up trying to ponder the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” from our past life experiences.

·         The only time that is real in your life is right this minute, the past is gone and the future is not here yet and both do not matter!

·         Life is about choices, those who choose to have a positive day will have more positive life experiences than negative ones.

·         Time is our opportunity clock, do not waste it and let those around you know how much you care and love them.

·         We will all have problems or issues but it is how we choose to deal with them that allows us to have an enjoyable and productive life.

Ice