It may seem strange that a sweat lodge should teach a Finn about saunas, but it is true!

As a native of Finland raised in Canada, I have been privileged to become familiar with traditional North American native spiritual practices. These customs have given me the benefit of seeing aspects of my own culture in a new light. Over ten years ago, when I moved from Thunder Bay to Thompson, I began to regularly attend "sweats." In the process, I discovered a whole new way to appreciate the sauna.

The sweat lodge is a sanctuary. So is our sauna. The sauna can be a place of quiet contemplation or even meditation - or just a place to rejuvenate or escape everyday pressures. It is a place of cleansing, and forgetting the bad. The sauna has so many benefits emotionally and physically, it is bound to affect the mind and soul too.

Finns are taught that our behaviour on the sauna bench should be the same as on the church bench. Of course we don't put our feet up while in church as we do in the sauna, but that is not the point. It has more to do with an attitude of respect, than posture. No goofing around!

Sometimes when I encounter someone with lewd ideas of what the sauna is about, I feel like saying: "Is that what you would do in your church?" The person might use the defence, "well we don't take our clothes off in church either." But my answer is that without clothes, our temple, our body, is at its most vulnerable, and this is all the more reason for having a sombre attitude in the sauna.

Of course the sauna is much less formal than the sweat lodge, but I dare say the benefits could be much the same. Without this outlet, I would feel at a loss, out of sorts—unbalanced.

Just as the sweat lodge is a significant part of the spiritual practice of the traditional North American native, for this Finn, so too is the sauna.

---

All contents copyright © 2000 The Aquarian.
16 Victoria Row, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R2M 1Y2
ph: (204) 255-4884 | fax: (204) 255-5057
We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.
www.aquarianonline.com | info@aquarianonline.com