MAROMA RESORT, MEXICO, WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

My experience at Maroma Spa made me to ask myself this question: What am I afraid of? Typically, I feel a sense of gratitude with any new experience; appreciative to learn and grow. However, my questioning is what pressed me into trying out this new encounter.
I was excited that my city businessman husband (a man who normally takes little curiosity in these sorts of events) had asked me if I had any interest in signing up for the Temescal experience. The Temescal is something similar to a Native American Sweat Lodge. The word Temescal is derived from the Mayan translation teme, which means “to bathe,” and calli, translating “to house.” Ruins from Mayan sweathouses have origins some 1,200 years old. These steaming hot bathhouses are still commonly used throughout Mexico today.

How the experience began
Our leader, Nancy, greeted us on the beach at the small, wooden-door entrance to the Temescal, a stone pyramid shaped-building on one of the most beautiful, powder-white beaches I had ever seen. Nancy had a very confident “matter of fact” way about her (her 110-year-old grandfather had been a Shaman medicine man). As we joined hands with two other couples, Nancy began with a prayer of gratitude asking for us to be cleansed and healed. Then she led us, crouching one-by-one, into the small dark space. It felt womb-like in its peaceful darkness. The dry, warm, earthy smelling space was much smaller than I had envisioned. I wondered how we would all fit in. Each of us sat down on a sea-grass mat behind our individual three-foot-tall, round clay urn filled with water. Inside the urn was a half of a coconut shell bowl floating in the water. We were instructed to scoop the cool water and pour it over our heads if the heat became too intense. Next came the hot lava rocks. A young Mayan boy shoveled them into a fire pit in the center of the hut. It created a glow of powerful intense heat. I wondered if I would be able to tolerate the intensity of each new spade-full. When the final pile of rocks was in place, we were instructed that the door was closing and anyone who didn’t want to continue should now leave. One person left, which made the experience seem even more adventurous. I knew I wanted to stay and take in this experience. I securely held my husband’s hand and closed my eyes. When I re-opened my eyes I sat surrounded completely in utter darkness. It felt like my eyes were still shut.

Purifying and healing vapor 
As we sat in this tranquil dark space, I heard a hissing steamy sound being created from the water. It was the sound we heard from Nancy ladling water onto the hot coals. The scent of juniper and sage filled the air, creating a purifying, cleansing herbal aroma. This steamy fresh infusion made me feel really clean. At first I thought this vapor was going to be too strong, but as I relaxed into the experience, the sound of each new scoop of water over the coals created a hot soothing scent I really enjoyed.

Facing your fears
Nancy began to explain how the Temescal experience teaches us to face our fears. She told us that merely showing up and sitting in this protected healing space, sometimes brings us to a place that allows our fears to rise to the surface. I love this kind of experience. It’s right up my alley in my personal ongoing journey of self-discovery. I wasn’t actually experiencing any fear at this time, but it made me reflect on the question: What was I afraid of? Perhaps this new experience-darkness and heat. Even though my husband was sitting right next to me the words that translated my feelings at this moment in this sweat lodge were: unknown, alone and intense.

Then came fruit
Papaya and watermelon were passed around on a long rectangular wooden tray. It felt almost like a rite of passage. We had made it this far in the experience and we were being rewarded. Nancy told us to eat the fruit and then rub it all over the parts of our bodies that weren’t covered by our swimsuits. The melon tasted deliciously fresh – sweeter and more alive than normal. Then, using our coconut shell cups, we poured the water from our clay vessels over us, washing away the fruit and perhaps more impurities. I felt completely relaxed and rejuvenated.

Chanting and singing
Nancy now began signing Mayan chants, which she asked us to repeat back to her. The heat and the darkness had grown steadily more intense. And so these sounds brought me much comfort. The music we created as a group in unison provided me with a great way to occupy my thoughts of discomfort from the increasing temperature and obscurity. I knew that if the heat became too much the remedy was to cool myself with the water from the clay pot. I reached for my coconut bowl and let the fresh water pour over my head.

A Vision
At this point I remember silence. This is when in my minds eye I saw tail feathers and the shape of something I later understood as a drawing representing an eagle. This made perfect sense to me. The eagle symbolizes our connection to the divine. According to Mary Dean Atwood, author of Spirit Healing (Sterling Publishing), the Eagle represents our highest power. It also signifies remaining connected and balanced within the realm of Earth. I live in both of these worlds. This is a re-occurring message for me as my work continually parallels this meaning. My current occupation as an author and speaker provides me with the opportunity to present information through text and lectures about the mind body connection. When we begin to unite our mind and body we allow our soul to reflect as a spark of the divine.

Floating feeling
We finished the ceremony with permission to scream out as loudly and as thunderously as we could. My recollection was that everyone joined in. Given permission to do something one isn’t normally allowed to do actually felt fantastic. And then the doors opened. I squinted as the light poured in. I was relieved to see the light but also somehow missed the darkness. The time passed was approximately ninety minutes; however, it felt much longer. The evening light was beginning to fade, drawing in the quiet stillness that dusk brings. One by one the whole group slowly and silently filed out of the Temescal. We left without a sound, walking out towards the crystal-clear, turquoise ocean. Entering the water felt like cool silk against my skin. It was a completely refreshing and cleansing bath. Even though my husband was next to me throughout the whole Temescal experience, I felt as though I was also somehow alone. We swam alone. My swim felt longer that it was. The swim felt incredible, and I relished this weightless, floating feeling that perhaps only the combination of saltwater and a Temescal experience can bring.
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