Came across this today and thought it was interesting:

"Shamans always begin healing ceremonies by opening sacred space. In this space we leave behind the affairs of ordinary life, the bustling world of meetings and schedules, and prepare to meet the divine. Sacred space allows us to enter our quiet inner world where healing takes place. Within sacred space our burdens become lighter, and we can be touched by the hand of Spirit. After we finish our healing work, sacred space must be closed by again acknowledging the four directions, Heaven, and Earth" --(from "Stepping into Freedom".

Click here to access a web page which features 2 videos that show the opening of the directions. In fact, there is a lot of great info on shamanism in general on the site: