Sweat Lodge Ceremony (with Tulsi - Divine Presence)

Welcome to the Sweat Lodge Ceremony

Join us for a unique and rejuvenating experience in the beautiful setting of Hickling. This ritual has the potential to cleanse on the deepest of levels. Leaving you feeling refreshed and renewed.

Come and connect with like-minded people in a safe and supportive environment. Embrace this opportunity for self-care and spiritual growth.

Arrive before 11am

Please be seated 10 minutes early for 11am start.

Although the first meeting of the day is at 11am, you are invited (or even encouraged) to come earlier. Any time after 10am is good. And please just message me to say you are coming earlier.

The most common thing that those who come early say is, “I am pleased I came early.” This, I believe, is because it helps them settle in and contribute in a really meaningful way to the preparation of the ceremony. It also helps us, as facilitators, feel supported.

End time 7pm

This is an approximate time.

At its simplest, a sweat lodge is a healing prayer ceremony.

But it’s also much more than that.

It’s a place of quiet transformation — a space to sit in the darkness, in the warmth and the steam, and to reimagine what our lives could be. The sweat lodge is rich with symbols and meaning. One of the most powerful is the sense of returning to the womb — to that original place of darkness and warmth — with an invitation to be reborn. It is a return to the heart of creation.

Rocks are heated in a fire. When they are hot enough, we enter and sit inside an igloo-shaped structure, which is covered with a giant canvas and tarps to make it as dark as possible. We sit in a circle. Then the glowing hot rocks — sometimes radiant orange from the fire — are brought in and placed into a pit at the centre. Each time the door closes, we begin a new round. There are usually four rounds, and between each one, the door is opened, allowing fresh air to circulate and more rocks to be brought in.

With each round, someone offers a prayer, and water is poured over the hot stones, releasing thick waves of steam. This steam cleanses us on many levels — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It can get hot, much like a sauna, but this is not an endurance event. If at any point you need to leave, you simply say so. Once outside, you would typically remain nearby, resting with the fire and the earth, still held in the circle’s energy.

We offer prayers — for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for anything that is asking for attention. It is a time to speak from the heart. And within this sacred space, how we treat one another is just as important as the ceremony itself. We uphold a field of kindness, respect, and shared humanity.

This is a ceremony with deep and ancient roots. Cultures across the world have gathered in sweat: from the Native American Inipi, to the South African Sangoma, the Siberian and Scandinavian shamans, and many old European traditions. We also find echoes of this practice in the Finnish sauna, the Russian banya, the Turkish hammam, and the Japanese mushi-buro. In the Amazon, herbal steam is used alongside plant medicines for healing, and in Bali and other parts of Southeast Asia, steam bathing is an important part of postpartum and spiritual care. Even among the ancient Celts and Druids, heat and womb-like spaces were part of their earth-honouring rituals.

In the lodges I offer, we also bring in the presence of plant spirits. Each ceremony invites the consciousness of a specific plant to sit with us — to guide, to inspire, and to share its essence as we walk the path of our lives.

In the sweat lodge, we connect with the spirit of the land, the ancient memory of ceremony, and the many unseen ones — our ancestors and all those who have ever gathered in the sacred steam.

Tulsi - Holy Basil - Divine Presence

Tulsi, or Holy Basil, is cherished as a plant that carries the essence of Divine presence. Its spirit is both gentle and powerful, inviting us to remember the sacredness woven through everyday life. To sit with Tulsi, to breathe in its fragrance, or to drink its tea, is to be drawn into deeper communion with the living spirit of creation.

Spiritually, Tulsi is a cleanser and harmoniser, clearing heaviness and restoring balance to the heart and mind. It encourages stillness, helps quiet inner restlessness, and awakens a sense of clarity and devotion. More than a remedy for stress, Tulsi acts as a guide back to our centre—reminding us of the eternal spark within and our connection to the greater flow of life.

Why engage with the Spirit of Tulsi?

• To experience the presence of the divine in daily life.
• To clear and protect one’s energy field.
• To awaken clarity, peace, and compassion.
• To reconnect with one’s eternal, spiritual nature.

Address / Getting there

Heath Priory

Staithe Road

Hickling Broad

Norfolk

NR12 0YJ

Web: www.breathingspacenorfolk.com

Google Maps (The turning from Staithe Road): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bo83VWmLHCVrVdRX7

What three words (The turning from Staithe Road): https://w3w.co/enabling.wharfs.lunching

If it is your first time at Breathing Space be sure to check the directions and leave plenty of time for getting here.

Breathing Space is down a narrow track. There is no sign that says “Breathing Space”. The circular sign simply says “Heath Priory”. Follow the track until the open gate at the end. Please avoid parking on the grass.

What to bring

• Food to share. There will probably be somewhere where items can be heated if necessary. (There is a tendency towards food being gluten free / vegetarian / vegan. But this is not strict.)
• A sarong / skirt to wear during the ceremony. This is for both men and women.
• Light clothing for inside the lodge. Eg. Light t-shirt or top.
• An open heart.
• Clothing for different weather conditions. For before or after the lodge.
• A towel to sit on in the lodge if you wish.
• A water bottle if you need one.

About Brett Almond (Leader)

Brett Almond first encountered shamanism when he was strongly pulled to attend a "Corn Dance" ceremony led by Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow) in 1993. He didn't know what he was getting into at the time. But this event set him on a course of personal shamanic discovery that continues right through to this day.

His teachers include Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow - Southern Ute / Picuris Pueblo), Jeanne White Eagle & John Pehrson (USA), Sammye-Jo Harvey (Chippewa), Pam Montgomery (USA), Chris Lüttichau (Denmark) and others. But it is also worth saying that much of what he has learnt is through doing ceremony he has taken part in for over 30 year. It teaches us.

He took part in his first sweat lodge ceremony in 1993, and ten years later started to lead them. Much of his experience also comes from dance ceremony. From 1993-2004, each year, he danced Drum Dances and Sun Moon Dances from the visions of Joseph Rael, 3-4 day powerful, fasting, shamanic dances with fire, drums, sage, strong intention and complete reverence.

In 2004 he met Jeanne White Eagle, who was a student of Josephs, and she had a vision of a 3 day singing dance that carried the remembrance that we are all one. For the entire dance dancers sing spontaneously, taking them deeper and deeper. He danced his first "For the One" Dance in 2004 in South Africa. And from 2006-2016 he led "For the One" Dances around the world in locations such as Israel, South Africa, Germany, USA, Ireland and Norway.

From 2016 until present he has been dancing, crewing and leading Fire Dances (from the vision of Robbie Warren). From 2018-2021 he was Chief of the Fire Dance in Iceland.

From 2017 until 2023 he pursued a further 6 years of training with "Northern Drum", a school run by Chris Lüttichau. The courses covered many different areas of shamanic pursuit including shamanic healing, psychopomp work, dream work, vision quests and more. One of the key teachings here was to always try to have a "beginner's mind" and approach everything as if you had never encountered it before. Brett has also trained to lead Vision Quests.

Also in 2017 his shamanic work took an unexpected turn when he attended a weekend plant consciousness event in London. Over the two days he watched world renowned shamanic leaders talking about the consciousness of plants and how they can change lives. From here he was hooked, and along with teachings from Northern Drum, began a series of 40 day shamanic journeys with the plants, that he still does. Following further study with Pam Montgomery from 2020 onwards, he now often includes the plants in the events he runs.

He uses spontaneous sound within his shamanic work, as “Life at its most simple sings”.

His passion is facilitating ceremony that allows people to connect with the Vast and the Magical - and with each other. In this way, we may come to feel less isolated and lonely. Because maybe there is only one of us here?

If you would like to be taught by Brett, the best way is to keep turning up and saying "yes". Turn up early and ask what you can do to help.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Beforehand

In the first meeting at 12 midday the nature of the sweat lodge will be explained. No prior experience is needed. The atmosphere is focussed, friendly and relaxed.

Afterwards

After we have finished the sweat lodge, we meet and share food.

Please bring some food to share for afterwards.

After the food we sit down to have a sharing. Everyone needs to stay for the sharing.

What to wear

Both men and women need to wear a wrap around / sarong / skirt in the lodge. Something light in weight. I can explain more about this teaching but it is mainly to do with creating a circle around you. It does not matter what the material is.

Wear loose comfortable clothing for inside the sweat lodge. There is no nakedness in the lodge.

What to eat before hand

Sometimes people do not eat on the day of a sweat lodge. Or you may decide to have breakfast then not eat anything for lunch. This is up to you. The reason we sometimes don’t eat, is so that we become less grounded.

If you want to have a snack of some sort around lunch time, then that is up to you. Go with what feels right for you on the day. I have done it all three ways at various times. If not sure, I would recommend having some breakfast and skip lunch, then catch up with the feast afterwards!

Guidelines

• Please come on time and stay until after the sharing.
• Confidentiality is required. This means, what anyone shares is confidential to them and not for sharing, unless you have permission from them. It also means you cannot share who was here.
• Treat each other with utmost respect.
• Do not teach any key parts of this ceremony, unless permission is given by Brett.

Accomodation

If you would like to book a room to stay the night before or after the sweat lodge, or even both nights there are local options.

I would suggest looking for properties in Hickling if you want to be within walking distance.If you would like to be book a room at Breathing Space, where the sweat lodge is located you can see some of the options here:

https://www.breathingspacenorfolk.com/rates-and-availability

Normally there is a two night minimum, but if you email mags@breathingspacenorfolk.com she can sometimes make an exception.

Other places within walking distance are

https://www.dairybarns.co.uk

For small groups Wallflower Cottage, Hickling

There are of course, many more options. Just search using "Hickling, Norfolk".