Luca on the Temazcal: Inside the Sacred Sweat Lodge
Updated: Nov 6
On Episode 3 of the Quantum Collective Podcast, Jonah Bolt sat down with Luca, a temazcalero from Pereira, Colombia, who has walked the path of the Temazcal, the sacred sweat lodge, for 25 years. With his wife he runs BARAI EcoEscuela, which you can follow on Instagram at @barai.ecoescuela. Jonah first sat in lodge with Luca in Pereira last year, and this conversation goes deep into what that ceremony really is, why it is so much more than heat, and how to find a lodge held with integrity.
A note before we begin: this post shares a ceremonial tradition as Luca describes it. It is not medical advice. Sweat lodges involve intense heat, so speak with your doctor first if you have any health concerns.
A First Lodge and Four Days on the Mountain
Twenty five years ago, Luca had stepped away from city life and was living beside a river in the Colombian countryside. A Mexica grandfather named Mario arrived looking for land where he could begin holding vision quests in Colombia. Luca and his friends agreed to go up the mountain with him without knowing what that meant.
His very first sweat lodge was the preparation for that vision quest, and he calls it the hardest thing he has ever done. Then came four days and four nights alone on the mountain with no food, no water and no speaking, searching for his vision and his purpose. After many years of working on himself, he began sharing the lodge with others. For the last eight years he and his wife have opened a Temazcal to the public on the last Sunday of every month.
The Womb of Mother Earth
Luca describes the Temazcal as a very ancient ceremony, passed from grandfather to son to grandson for thousands of years, long before Columbus. Its purpose is to reconnect us with what we truly depend on: water, food, fire, sun and air.
The dome shaped lodge represents the womb of Mother Earth. Outside, the sacred fire represents Father Sun, and it heats the stones, which are called grandmothers because they are among the oldest things on Earth and hold an ancient memory. When the glowing stones are brought inside and water is poured over them, that memory rises in the steam.
“When you breathe that vapor, you breathe ancient memory.” Luca
Inside, he says, participants are reborn as sons and daughters of Mother Earth and Father Sun. The fire keeper outside, who carries the stones from the fire to the lodge, holds a sacred role as the channel between the two. Copal is often placed on the stones to cleanse the mind and heart and bring people back to the here and now, though what is used changes with the purpose of each lodge.
The Four Doors
Everything begins with purpose. Before the fire is lit, Luca asks permission of the Great Spirit, the guardians of the land and the seven directions, and prayers are carried on tobacco, blown like an arrow straight to spirit rather than smoked. He and his wife enter first, because the balance of masculine and feminine matters, and the purpose of the lodge is spoken aloud before the others come in.
The ceremony moves through four doors, each honoring an element. Hot stones are brought in, the door closes, and the lodge becomes dark, humid and hot like the womb. People pray around the purpose and sing medicine songs that help them go inward and quiet the mind.
In the first door, each person presents themselves by saying the names of their father and mother, their own name, and the names of their children. In this way past, present and future sit together in the circle, and the whole line of ancestors is honored. With every door the heat rises, and with it the chance to go deeper.
“All of our hearts are facing the same point.” Luca
The Lodge Is Not Supposed to Hurt You
Luca was clear that the intensity of a Temazcal changes with who is inside. If a pregnant woman, an elder or young children join, they become his thermometers. The lodge is meant to help, not to harm. He also shares that the heat is not fully in his hands. Sometimes he wants a stronger lodge and the temperature will not rise. Sometimes the stones seem cool and the lodge becomes intensely hot.
When fear or claustrophobia comes up, he asks people to tell him before leaving, to close their eyes, return to their heart and look honestly at whether it is their purpose or their mind asking them to go. Almost always they stay, and that is often the breaking point where real change happens. He has watched many people walk out of the lodge free of claustrophobia.
Luca shared one lodge of his own where he truly believed he was going to die. Instead of running, he surrendered, remembered his purpose and called on his ancestors. He felt their strength fill him and understood that he was never alone.
A Traditional Lodge Versus a Sauna
The biggest difference, Luca says, is the path inward. Before anyone pours a Temazcal for others, they walk years of vision quests and need permission from the elders, who judge readiness by actions, not words. The lodge carries a great deal of energy, and he has seen people harmed by lodges run without lineage or for ego or money.
To find a true lodge, he suggests looking for the established families of this tradition in your country, trusting that you will be guided when your purpose is clear, and looking the leader in the eye. Ask where they come from and where they received their tradition, and before entering, ask to be protected and held in the highest energy.
Free Horses and Remembering We Do Not Own Life
Beyond the Temazcal, Luca and his wife share other ceremonies and therapies, including work with a small herd of horses that live free in the mountains. Through them, he hopes to help people remember that we are not owners of life, and that relating to all beings with respect opens a whole new understanding.
Watch the Full Interview
This post only touches the surface of a heartfelt conversation. Watch the full interview with Luca on Rumble, find more episodes on the Quantum Collective Podcast page, and follow Luca and his wife at @barai.ecoescuela.
Supporting the podcast keeps these conversations going. Browse the Quantum Collective online store for products that help fund our work.
Wondering how a Temazcal compares with a spa sauna? Read Temazcal vs Sauna: What Makes a Sweat Lodge Sacred.
Comments