What if you simply devoted this year to loving yourself more?
At Sonata, we are deeply committed to empowering you with information, choices, procedures and tools to step in to your power and to live with confidence. Our services, from Dysport to Liposuction, can help you look and feel better by letting you take charge of your outer appearance. We hope this trickles in to your inner life, helping you feel more confident on the inside as well.
We are always interested in ways to nourish yourself, to love yourself, and to heal yourself. And with that motivation, we stumbled upon yoni steams.
What the what?
Your yoni is your female genitalia: your vagina, labia, vulva, clitoris, cervix, and uterus. It is a word of Hindu origin.
Steaming your yoni combines the soothing power of heat, with the magic of medicinal herbs. It can be done alone or in a group. Adding a ceremonial element to the steam can deepen your experience.
Steams have been practiced for millennia by women all over the globe, as a way to connect with one another, as a way to heal the body, and as a way to nourish the womb.
Heat is medicine for the feminine body because heat supports opening and release. The steam softens tissues and stimulates blood flow. Steams can help regulate your menustral cycles. They can nourish the wombs of women wanting to conceive. For women who have just given birth or have lost a baby, it can soothe and heal stressed tissues. For those women in menopause, it can nourish, regulate blood flow, and moisturize the vaginal lining.
It is not recommended that you Steam while you are on your period, as your womb is already stimulated. There are also some precautions for women with an IUD, as steams may, rarely, cause the IUD to shift in it’s placement. Additionally, it is best to avoid a steam if you have an active infection in the area.
We came to yoni steams out of curiosity, and a deep desire to connect with our bodies. How often to you have a chance to support your feminine anatomy, your womb? To us, yoni steams feel like an internal hot stone massage. They are an act of great self-care, and we strive to do them a few times a month at home. They can be done by women and girls of all ages, from puberty to the end of life.
How to:
(You can see a photo of my set up below.)
- You will prepare a bowl of herbs* (about 1 cup total), and place this in the base of a bucket.
- A seat with a whole in it’s center is placed on top of the bucket. (You can purchase a seat here: https://www.soulvibrance.com/body-care/yoni-steam) Boiling water is poured on to the herbs. You remove your pants and sit on the seat, wrapping yourself in a blanket to keep the steam within. You may want to refresh the water after about 20 minutes to continue with the steam until you feel complete. Twenty to forty minutes is a good estimate for how long to steam.
- We enjoy holding steams in ceremony as a way to give back to our feminine community. and our CEO Liz hosts them monthly in her home. She also steams on her own about once a month.
Common Yoni Steaming Herbs: Meaning and Uses
You can spend a lifetime studying the uses and meaning of herbs, and this is meant only as a very abbreviated reference.
- Devi Steam Blend: A good general purpose blend, and to be used as a base (Can be purchased at: https://www.soulvibrance.com/body-care/yoni-steam) – Rosemary, Mugwort, Motherwort, Yarrow, Calendula, Lavender, and Rose Petals (all other herbs are available online or in person from Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary in Boulder https://www.rebeccasherbs.com/))
- Beautiful Blend: A great, easy addition to the Devi Steam Blend: Rose, Lavender, and Chamomile
What are these herbs?
- Mugwort: Mugwort has been used from ancient times as a remedy against fatigue. It also promotes suppressed menses.
- Yarrow: astringent, cleansing, and antibacterial; The Navajo considered it to be a “life medicine”, chewed it for toothaches, and poured an infusion into ears for earaches.
- Rosemary: increases circulation to the reproductive organs; rosemary has long had a popular reputation for improving memory.
- Lavender: antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, relaxing.
- Damiana: inhibits anxiety, suppresses estrogen; aphrodisiac
- Motherwort: in the mint family, great for fatigue, cramp
s, and to aid in relaxation - Chamomile: Soothing to the vaginal tissues, potential anti-anxiety properties
- Oregano: in the mint family, soothing, stimulates circulation, and is cleansing to the uterus
- Marshmallow Root: can soothe vaginal dryness, relieves irritation of the mucous membranes
- Sage: ceremonial uses, astringent. Said to be spiritually cleansing, may have positive effects on human brain function.
- Calendula: Cleansing, anti-inflammatory; In some of the earliest medical writings, calendula was recommended for treating ailments of the digestive tract. It was used to detoxify the liver and gall bladder. The flowers were applied to cuts and wounds to stop bleeding, prevent infection and speed healing.
- Raspberry Leaf: strengthens and tones the uterine and pelvic muscles, and is a pelvic and uterine relaxant; often recommended for pregnant women wanting to go in to labor
- Lemon Balm: sleep aid and digestive aid
- Rose Petals: Cooling, gentle and astringent to the tissues of the genitals
- Basil: Uterine stimulant
- Wormwood: Anti-fungal and antibacterial; used to make the alcohol absinthe
- Comfrey: healing and soothing; The plant contains the small organic molecule allantoin, which is thought to stimulate cell growth and repair while also depressing inflammation
Steams are a beautifully supportive and fun way to sit with your girlfriends and to heal and nourish your whole body and soul.
*Results may vary from patient to patient