The Yoni Love Experience
Yoni steaming is an ancient practice that is found in indigenous cultures throughout the world. African, Afro-Caribbean, Mayan, Greek, Native American, Filipino, Japanese, and Korean cultures (among others) all practice some form of vaginal steaming. We find many names for the practice, including Yoni Steam, V-Steams, Vaginal Steaming, Chai-yok, or Bajos.
The Yoni Love Experience seeks to tap into a femme energy and power that is in service of liberation rather than an outdated form of patriarchy based on white supremacy and oppression. The feminine is often presented as a binary to the masculine, thereby concretizing the separation between the two instead of acknowledging the interdependency and oneness of all forms of masculine and feminine. Many of us cultivate our feminine aspect of caretaking, nurturing and loving solely in service of others, and not ourselves. To manifest femme power and create social change, we first need to take care of ourselves and then take care of each other. Radical acts of self-love are crucial to harness the creativity and resilience that we need to care for ourselves daily.
Yoni steaming is a radical act of self-love. The Yoni Love Experience taps into the sacral chakra, known as Swadhisthana in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. Swadhisthana means “my own sacred seat.” The energy of this chakra is that of self-worth, and this is the chakra that is activated by yoni steaming. Because you exist, you deserve to create beauty around you. You deserve to attract abundance into your life. Yoni steaming is the first step for womb holders to tap into their femme power. Think of your yoni as your sacred throne that you sit upon in life and from which you draw strength and vitality.
The Yoni Love Experience centers around creating a space to care for your sacral chakra. A yoni steam stool or seat is useful to create the space for your experience. All of the items you need for yoni steaming can be purchased from small, women-led businesses. Please feel free to contact me at lena@lipapothecary.com if you would like a consultation to curate a yoni love experience uniquely tailored to you. I am happy to discuss any issues you may have so that I can create an herbal blend to address your specific needs.
You can steam in any room in your house that works for you. After you have selected your space for steaming, you can ground yourself in the four elements of fire, earth, water and air (Ajala, 2019, p. 62).[1] The fire and water elements are symbolized by the heating of the Lip Apothecary herbal blend suited to you. We offer three yoni steam herbal blends:
1) the hydrating blend, or the WAP blend.
2) the long cycle blend for those with a heavy period and a cycle that lasts longer than 28 days.
3) the short cycle blend for those with a cycle of less than 28 days and more frequent periods.
The earth element is invoked by the reiki-charged crystal and herbal blend that you will receive with your Lip Apothecary yoni steam starter kit.
The air element is activated through aromatherapy. You can inhale your favorite oil while rubbing it on your temples.
After invoking the four elements, you can utter affirmations and intentions. You can create these statements revolving around whatever themes are most important to your life in a given moment. You can read "Yoni Steam: Divine Feminine Hygiene," by Iya Olosunde Ifatooke Ajala (YONI STEAM: Divine Feminine Hygiene: Ajala, Iya Olosunde: 9781797066387: Amazon.com: Books) to get some ideas about how to create your positive affirmations. Iya Olosunde lists affirmations centering on justice, compassion, harmony and balance, which can give you a good foundation to start creating your own utterances.
Music is important to soothe the senses and complete the Yoni Love Experience. Artists such as Lizzy Jeff https://youtu.be/rPaReIQMz3g and Maat Petrova https://youtu.be/rWZ2lkt7NC4 can help you to tap into your prolific and intentional soul. What are your wildest dreams? What do you most want to manifest in your life? Anything is possible if you create a vision of what you want to accomplish and then move accordingly.
Make sure to steep your herbs in the water long enough to release their aromatic botanical essences. Find the water temperature that works best for you. Do not sit above the steam if it feels too hot; allow the water to cool before beginning to steam. It is advisable not to steam using plastic containers. If you only have a plastic container available, you can place a bowl or jar made from ceramic, porcelain, copper, or glass at the bottom of the plastic container and pour the heated water into the bowl or jar. We want to avoid direct contact between the plastic container and the hot water, as this will release harmful toxins that we do not want to absorb into our womb space.
Yoni steaming should not be done if you may be pregnant, when you are on your period, or if you have an IUD. Lip Apothecary does not claim to cure any diseases or health conditions. If you are at all uncertain about how to do yoni steaming, please reach out to me for a consultation.
[1] Ajala, I.O.I., (2019). Yoni Steam: Divine Feminine Hygiene. Iya Olosunde Ifatooke Ajala.