17/5/2020
The history of Yoni (this is a sanskrit word meaning source, womb or vagina) Steaming is complex and obscure, as the tradition, process and recipes are mostly passed down orally, the western researchers on the topic are dismissive about its origins and validity, as unfortunately so often happens with traditional or ancient healing practices. I am continually saddened by how little validation we give to these types of medicine practices that are passed from medicine woman to medicine woman over centuries of accumulated knowledge, but we are happy to believe and put our lives in the hands of profiteering pharmaceutical companies and their products. Anyway that’s a rant for another day… Today we talk yoni steam.
This practice goes back many millennia and has been used by ancients cultures spanning the globe, also known as Bajos in South America, Chai yok in Korea and Peri-Steam Hydrotherapy in the west.
The practice of yoni steaming is revered by midwives, herbalists, healers, shamans and medicine women from all walks of life to connect with our bodies, and Pachamama (Mother Earth) and invite balance into our energetic field and lives.
The process is fairly simple, by using warm water and healing herbs and flowers a gentle steam for the vaginal area is created. By heating the herbs contained in the steam their medicinal properties are released and can be absorbed by the yoni. You then simply sit over the steam and allow the natural healing oils of the herbs to be absorbed, it’s basically a steam room for your vagina.
Before I continue please note that a yoni steam is NOT the same as douching. The purpose of this practice is NOT to clean your vagina, by design your vagina cleans itself and isn’t dirty. It is also NOT to tighten it up or to increase sexual pleasure for a man (insert eyeroll here) Nor do you sit over a boiling pot of water and cook your lady parts (insert second eye roll here) This practice is for self-care, connecting to your body and your feminine energy and stepping into an energetic state for healing.
Right so if this concept is totally new to you, here is a quick explanation of what, why and how to yoni steam.
What: Yoni steams are made up of selected herbs and flowers that are beneficial for the body. The mixture is placed in water and heated up until it steams, it is really important to make sure that the water is not too hot so that the steam is gentle and mild and does not scold or is simply too hot making it uncomfortable and obviously dangerous if the steam is scolding hot. Also you want to make sure that the water isn’t boiling as this can damage the healing properties of the herbs never-mind the unpleasant effects it could have on your vagina… Ouch. Think of making a nice cup of herbal tea for your yoni. That is what your aiming for, steaming but not boiling. Why: This is my personal why, I am sharing my personal why because I am not a medical practitioner and have no need to make claims as to the medical benefits so I will share with you my personal experience and the benefits I have actually experienced first hand from this practice. After I had my son, I began to suffer from vaginal dryness, this got worse after I had cervical/uterine cancer and lost my cervix and uterus in 2018. The discomfort from this was often really awful and nothing I tried helped until I started playing around with steaming. I tried a few different steams from other people which worked well, but as I work with herbs myself I was guided to create my own - this was how the Alchemy Ascention Steams were born. These steams changed my yoni and made her happy again. The dryness and discomfort is now a thing of the past and I am truly grateful to this practice for that.
Although personally I do this practice more for the energetic and spiritual healing it provides. I use it to clear my energy field and reconnect me deeply to Pacha Mama my feminine energy and guides. It is a powerful meditative experience and an incredible practice to shift old heavy hucha energy from the body and especially form the root and sacral centres with the Flowstate steam and to connect the Hara (sacral centre) to the Heart with the Hara to Heart steam, opening up our feminine creativity and intuition and connecting in to the knowledge, trust and guidance of the heart centre.
As well as clearing the energetic field and opening the channels of the Earth star and Soul star centres.
But besides all that, it is simply a really pleasant and nurturing time to spend with yourself and your yoni, a simple act of self care and love, so why the hell not.
How: I’m going to explain to you how to do a home steam as that is my practice and I am sharing from personal experience here. You start by purchasing your Yoni steam herbs such as the Ascention Yoni steams, or any that resonate with you. You then place the herbs into water and heat it up until it steams but doesn’t boil. Use a smallish pot that you can place in either the bowl of your loo or in a bidet or if you prefer you can squat over the pot. You can purchase a yoni steaming stool but I haven’t done so and haven’t tried one so can’t speak to that. Basically you want to be as comfortable as possible. I place the pot into the bidet or loo and then make a little pillow around it with towels to make it nice and comfy to sit on making sure my butt isn’t gonna touch the pot…. because…ouch. Then you simply sit over the steam carefully at first making sure it is not too hot, I made it too hot the first time I tried and it was not the magical healing experience I had hoped for. Believe me you will know very quickly if it's too hot. You then either wrap a blanket around your body or simply wear a big robe so that you can keep the steam in and stay seated there for as long as feels good to you. I generally sit in meditation with the steam for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. This is a sacred practice so honour yourself and the process by making the space conducive, light some candles clearing smoke, incense or palo santo before you begin and make sure you won’t be disturbed. Personally I like to run a bath before hand and move straight from my steam into the bath, I also strain the water from my steam into my bath creating a beautiful medicinal ritual bath, I find it is wonderful for my spiritual wellbeing adding a little extra healing to the whole experience. So that’s my experience with this beautiful healing practice, there is a lot of contradicting information on the interwebs regarding yoni steaming, as there is with any so called "alternative" healing practices not owned and endorsed by big pharma, so I suggest you try it for yourself and make up your own mind. I want to thank my dear friend and fellow medicine woman Ashleigh Tennier (you can check out her work here https://ashleighjayne.co.za/) for pushing me to create these beautiful steams and for being my ever willing guinea pig. If you would like some more information or would like to either book a session with me to create a personalised steam for your needs or purchase one of the Ascention Steams please connect and let's chat. In Alchemy Isa