Yoni steaming is a practice that women have included in their healing practices for centuries. It’s been a way for women to both honor their body temple as well as to heal many different discomforts in their bodies, from menstrual cramps to endometriosis. Today we’ll share some of the beautiful benefits of this practice, as well as how you can start yoni steaming at home.
Yoni steaming, also known as vaginal steaming, is a practice in which a woman allows the warmth of herbal steam to permeate the exterior of her vulva. By doing so, the steam from the herbs can penetrate into the skin to help alleviate or balance different symptoms that can be present during different phases of the cycle.
This is such a sacred practice for getting to know your body as it connects and relates to the earth and herbal allies. Each herb holds its own properties and each person will also react differently to each herb. It becomes a journey of discovery to notice which herbs help and which are not energetically connecting to you at a certain time. Whether you decide to buy your herbs already mixed or grow and harvest your own, this is a time to reconnect to the plants and the earth, learning how each plant takes time to grow and blossom in its own way.
There is much magic in the connection we have to plants and herbs. Connecting with them energetically, especially when working with the healing of the yoni and our hormones, can help you feel into what will work best for you.
Since the beginning, women have had a deep relationship with herbs and plant allies. Historically healing wisdom was passed down from the elders to the maidens. Mayan healers and midwives used steams for a variety of treatments, including everything from menstrual cramping, fertility issues, postpartum, post-miscarriage, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, and even constipation.
Yoni steaming can have healing properties for our whole body, and depending upon what herbs are used, we can potentially treat different issues and symptoms.
Properties of Key Herbs
There are many different kinds of herbs you can use when yoni steaming, here are a few that are some of the most potent yet gentle herbs when it comes to women’s general menstrual health.
Chamomile
Chamomile is a very mild and safe herb, which aids with inflammation and spasms, therefore great for menstrual cramps, gut spasms, regulation of digestive functions as well as headaches, nausea, and if you have a loss of appetite.
Red Raspberry Leaf
Raspberry leaf is great for any menstrual or late pregnancy issues. It helps regulate cycles, brings on menses, eases labor, and aid in urinary infections. And like all these other plants, it has many other benefits as well such as easing childbirth and externally can be used as an eye or mouth wash. Note* do not consume Red Raspberry leaf in the first trimester.
Rosemary
Rosemary is one of those herbs that can be used for a whole range of bodily discomforts. It can help relieve tension and muscular pain, recover from long-term stress and chronic illness, stimulate breast milk, prevent miscarriages*, as well as relieve menstrual cramps, PMS, and support your adrenal glands. Rosemary is also great for soothing headaches and aiding digestion.
Dong Quai
Also known as Angelica Root, is quite popular in the world of women’s health. A great root to balance hormones, regulate menstruation, cramps, PMS, ovarian cysts, menopause and so much more.
These are only a few of the vast range of herbs that can be used when yoni steaming. Some others include ****Rose, Juniper, Motherwort, Mugwort, Nettles, Oatstraw, Red Clover Blossoms, Dandelion Leaf & Root, Rosemary, Calendula, Lavender, Peony, Oregano, Basil, Marigold, Damiana, Plantain and Yarrow.
How to Yoni Steam
To prepare your pot, simply bring to a low boil 4 cups of water, lower to a simmer, and add 1 cup of steaming herbs, freshly collected or dried. Let it cool a little beforehand, so you don’t burn yourself with the steam, then sit over the pot and wrap a towel around yourself so that you keep the heat in.
There are many different positions you can sit in while yoni steaming and it’s important to find the one where you can fully relax.
You can make your own or get a yoni steaming stool. It’s usually a wooden box with a hole cut out at the top so that your entire yoni will receive the benefits of the steam. Stools can definitely can make yoni steaming much more comfortable.
Second, you can put your pot in your toilet bowl and sit on the toilet. This works well if your toilet bowl and pot fit together. Ensure that the toilet bowl is properly cleansed beforehand with non-toxic cleaning products to ensure you are not steaming anything undesired in this healing practice.
Use the steaming time in a way that helps you connect to the healing you are calling in for yourself and your body.
Once you’ve finished with your pot, it’s important to be mindful of what we do after. The beauty of yoni steaming is that we take time to reconnect with the earth and how she provides for us. It can be quite natural to just throw the herbs down the toilet especially if you don’t have a garden, but as a reminder, these herbs have given us such a gift for healing and giving back to the earth what she’s provided for us, not only give us a deeper connection and ceremony to our practice but shows that we are part of her cycle and give back to the earth in gratitude.
Some suggestions are to offer the herbs to a garden under a bush or sprinkle them throughout your garden. If you don’t have a garden you can take little bits of herbs and place them around your house plants, or you may wish to keep them for the next time you are out in nature. It might feel strange at first but it’s such a great way, as women, to deepen our connection to nature.
We hope this gives you a basis to begin your Yoni steaming practice at home.
*Herbal Yoni Sources:
Usha Anandi, Womben Wellness Blog - Revealing the Ancient Steaming Secret to Cultivating Radiance
Diane Stein, All Women are Healers, Pages 193-200
Andrew Chevallier, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Pages 128, 187, 264
**Disclaimer: Kate Murphy & The Feminine Code Team, are not doctors and do not have any licenses as medical care providers, psychologists, psychiatrists, or otherwise. The above is only opinion and not meant to be a substitute for professional advice. You are encouraged to consult with your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding any health condition or any other condition.
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