The Benefits of Yoni Steaming & How to Yoni Steam at Home

This blog post is about yoni steaming, the benefits of yoni steaming and how to yoni steam at home.

Yoni steaming has become a popular practice lately. You can find people talking about it on social media, book steaming sessions in spas and buy various of herbal blends for yoni steaming on Etsy. But even if you’ve just recently heard about it, yoni steaming has been around for a long time. In fact, this ancient practice has been around for centuries, practiced by wise women all over the world.

However, it is a bit of an alternative topic. Which can be good to know before you get into reading this blog post. It must be said that some of the benefits of yoni steaming aren’t scientifically supported. But just because there aren’t any big clinical studies on it yet, doesn’t mean we have to totally disregard the topic. Especially when many women and alternative health practitioners swear by it. Also, not to forget, this practice has been alive for thousands of years and used by women from different cultures all over the world.

So without further a due, lets dive into this interesting topic about herbs, steam and yonis!

What is Yoni Steaming?

Yoni steaming or vaginal steaming is the practice of sitting over a pot of steaming herb-infused water, exposing the entire pelvic region to the herb infused steam. The warmth and herbal steam gently permeates the exterior of the vagina, which relaxes the area, improves circulation and can offer many other benefits.

Yoni steaming is a natural and holistic health practice to promote healing in the pelvic area and connect to your feminine energy. It is said it helps to release old emotions, tension, stagnation, stress and aid in healing different menstrual cycle problems. The steaming itself also has a cleansing effect. But it’s important to note that yoni steaming isn’t a necessary practice to keep the vagina clean! Instead, it’s a mindful practice to heal, honor and reconnect with the womb and feminine energy that so often is dishonored in modern society.

The word Yoni is the Sanskrit word for the genitals of a women and translates to ”source” or ”origin of life”. The word also represent the Hindu goddess Shakti, which represents feminine empowerment. I personally find Yoni a much more respectful word than vagina, which is a Latin word that literally means ”sheath” or ”scabbard”, for someones sword… Not very female friendly! That’s why from now on I’ll use the word yoni in this blog post.

Where does it come from?

Yoni steaming has been used as a healing practice for centuries in different indigenous cultures. It is not clear exactly where the practice originated from, but it can be found back throughout history in different countries in Africa, Asia, Indigenous America and Europe. For example, it was part of the healing ritual of postpartum women by the Mayan. With respect for the traditions of this ancient cultures, we can learn from them and implement them in our own self-care practice.

But I heard you shouldn’t steam?

Yoni steaming is almost always disregarded in the medical community. If you google yoni steaming, you will find many mainstream articles on why it is totally unnecessary and even dangerous. But not surprisingly, these things are said by western doctors and gynecologists. In my experience, western medicine is often very disregarding with anything that has to do with alternative healthcare, including the ancient practice of yoni steaming. It’s sad that a practice that so many women swear by, is so easily disregarded instead of actively taken an interest in and being researched for its potential benefits. But unfortunately, even science is political these days.

Often, the only solution western medicine presents are different kind of medicines against a symptom. For example, in an article about yoni steaming a gynecologist recommends just taking an NSAID if you suffer from painful menstrual cramps, instead of trying out yoni steaming. This is problematic in more than one way. 

Firstly, a painkiller only suppresses the symptom (pain) and does nothing against the root cause. Secondly, it sends the underlying message that women should ignore their body’s signals by taking a painkiller, ”suck it up” and pretend everything is okay. This in turn can lead to women not seeking help when they actually have an underlying health condition, as they are not taking their pain serious enough. Which can lead to unnecessary suffering and even more serious complications later.

✧ Read: How to relieve menstrual cramps naturally.

Unfortunately suppressing the pain with a painkiller is not going to heal anything. It’s also kind of hypocritical to disregard yoni steaming because of it’s potential harmfulness and at the same time recommend NSAID’s which are proven to be damaging to many organs in the long run. Meanwhile, yoni steaming has none of such harmful side effects at all but is painted as ”dangerous” simply because the risk of accidentally burning yourself. In that case, drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee is dangerous too…

Although, there are some valid reasons for why to be careful when yoni steaming:

• If you are steaming too much or too hot, it could possibly lead to imbalance in the vaginal microbiome. This potentially because of the heat. While there are no scientific studies to this claim, it is something to take into consideration.
• You should be careful so you do not burn yourself. Make sure to set things up as safely as possible and let the water cool down a bit so it isn’t boiling hot. Always check the warmth of the steam with your hand before sitting over it!
• Some companies can promote yoni steaming as a personal hygiene practice. But steaming is NOT necessary to clean the vagina! The vagina is in fact self-cleaning and steaming is not a necessary part of personal hygiene.
• There are no big scientific studies done on yoni steaming, so many of the claimed benefits are from women’s and alternative health practitioners experiences and aren’t scientifically backed up by a clinical study.

My conclusion: As long as you are careful with the heat (so you don’t accidentally burn yourself) and don’t overdo it, hanging above a pot of warm water with herbs isn’t harmful. It will also affect the vaginal microbiome less than a medicine that is inserted into the yoni itself. Because it’s literally just herb infused steam.

But nevertheless, it is healthy to be skeptical about the information you find online. Because many spas and companies selling yoni steaming treatments or devices can overpraise the benefits and make it sound like it will cure you from all of your problems. This is of course just to sell you a product. So don’t believe everything you read! While keeping an open mind, remember to stay critical as well.

Potential Benefits of Yoni Steaming

1. Stress relieving

Yoni steaming is a very relaxing experience. You may be surprised at how relaxing it actually is! It’s as if the tension in the lower part of the body just melts away. This is probably because of the warmth that helps to relax all the musculature in the pelvic area, which relieves tension.

You also get warm, cozy and maybe even a little sleepy! To make it even more stress relieving, you can choose to do a meditation while you steam. When you intentionally take time to reduce your stress levels, you are going to improve your health in many ways, including the health of your menstrual cycle!

2. Improves circulation

One of the benefits of yoni steaming is that it improves circulation in the whole body. This is because of the warmth of the steam that seeps into the lower part of your body and so increases blood flow. An increased blood flow in the pelvic area is beneficial for many reasons. Firstly it improves healing, as an increased blood flow increases oxygen and nutrients to the area. Secondly, it helps to carry away waste products more efficiently. And lastly, a good blood flow allows the organs to function properly and efficiently. An increased circulation in the pelvic area may also increase libido.

3. Emotional well-being

While doing a yoni steam, emotions can come to the surface. In Yoga it’s believed that old emotion often is stored in the hips. This can be explained by neuroscience and the mind-body connection. When we are mentally stressed it will result in physical symptoms as well. One of those physical symptoms is the tightening of the iliopsoas muscle in the hips. When the stress moment is over, tension can still linger in this muscle. 

In 1985, a neuroscientist found that emotions are electrochemical signals that can carry emotional messages through the body. This done by small proteins known as neuropeptides. Neuropeptides and their receptors are therefore part of a network of communication between mind and body. The study also suggests that each cell carries a kind of consciousness that stores memories and emotional states. This explains how emotional stress can get stuck in the body, especially in the hips where the iliopsoas muscle resides.

By yoni steaming you are physically relaxing the entire pelvic area so old emotions can be released along with the tension. Therefore it isn’t uncommon to cry or feel other emotions during or after yoni steaming. Also simply the effect of finally allowing yourself to relax can make emotions come up to the surface too.

4. Help with postpartum recovery

Another benefit of yoni steaming, is that it can be used to help with postpartum recovery. This is also one of the benefits of yoni steaming proven with a scientific study! One study concludes the postpartum recovering women that did yoni steams were found to have lower blood pressure, faster uterine restoration, faster decreasing waist girth and weight loss, faster labia healing, less discharge, less discomfort from healing sutures, better bowel movements and less hemorrhoids than the control group who didn’t steam.

In another study they interviewed midwives and mothers in Manahasa, Indonesia, where they described the preparation and use of yoni steams (called bakera there). The study describes how both warmth from the steam and aromatherapy benefits from herbs contribute to the effectiveness of yoni steaming. It also concludes that with the guidance of an experienced person, yoni steaming can be considered to be a safe and effective method for recovery after childbirth.

5. Reduce painful periods

One more benefit of yoni steaming is that it can help against menstrual cramps. Steaming does increase the blood flow in the pelvic region, which leads to more oxygen in the area. This will in turn dilute the concentration of prostaglandins (pain inducing hormones) and therefore reduce both pain and cramping. To further help decrease ongoing inflammation and reduce pain, you can chose to use anti-inflammatory herbs in your yoni steam.

In one study, a patient with recurring endometriosis after surgery was treated with yoni steaming in combination with acupuncture, herbal medicine and moxibustion. After the treatment, endometriosis did not reoccur. According to the study, the steaming was done to alleviate inflammation and control pain. The herb Cnidii Fructus was used, which is known to be anti-inflammatory. 

6. May promote fertility

Another potential benefit from yoni steaming is increased fertility. One possible reason for this is that yoni steaming helps to keep the endometrial lining healthy. It’s important to have a healthy endometrial lining for implantation to occur and to sustain a pregnancy. However, it’s important to avoid steaming on the day of ovulation if you want to get pregnant.  Also you should stop steaming after ovulation in case you succeeded.

Steaming also helps to warm up and relax the entire pelvic region. The warmth of the steam will increase circulation and blood flow, which helps to relax the uterus and surrounding ligaments. This in turn will support the uterus to be in a normal and healthy position. 

7. Deepen the connection to the feminine energy

Yoni steaming feels quite rebellious in a way. It is not common to honor your femininity, body and yoni in today’s world. Instead it is often dishonored in the patriarchal society we live in. By doing a yoni steam you are intentionally taking care of yourself and your yoni, which feels so honoring to the body and deepens the connection to the feminine energy within us.

Other potential benefits

• Reduce bloating and discomfort during the menstrual cycle
• Help with menstrual irregularities (heavy or scanty bleeding)
• Prevention and treatment of bacterial infections (bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections)
• Help with menopausal symptoms
• Many other things!

How to do Yoni Steaming at home

What you need for a yoni steam

• A lidded pot
• 1-2 liters of water (depending on pot size)
• Herbs of choice
• Blanket
• Yoni steam box/chair (optional)
• Warm socks (optional)

How to Yoni Steam at Home

1. Set things up in an area where you feel safe, comfortable and can sit undisturbed.
2. Prepare a pot of boiling water. When the water is boiling, take it of the heat and add a few handfuls of chosen herbs. You can choose to set an intention for the practice and add the herbs to the water with your intention.
3. Let it sit for 10 minutes with the lid on, to not let the herbal oils escape with the steam.
4. Take of the lid and test the temperature of the steam by holding a your wrist as far above it as you would sit. It should feel comfortably warm.
5. Put the pot under you/your chair or in a yoni steam box. Undress from the waist down and sit/squat/kneel above the steaming pot. Make sure you set yourself up safely!
6. Wrap your lower body in a blanket to guide the steam. It may be nice to wear warm socks to avoid getting cold feet.
7. Sit there for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile you can do a meditation, journal, read a book, intentionally connect to your womb or whatever feels right to do.
8. Pat yourself dry with a towel. Thank the herbs and offer the herbal water back to nature if you can.

My favorite herbs to use for Yoni steaming

If you are going to do a yoni steam, it is important that you choose your herbs with care. Because herbs can have strong medicinal properties. In addition, mucus membranes have the highest absorbance rate from all body tissues. Because we have mucus membranes in our genital area, yoni steaming may possibly allow some herbal substances to enter the blood stream. Therefore, it is also important to get organic or wild herbs from an unpolluted place!

Here are some of my favorite herbs to use for yoni steaming and what they are good for!

• Rosemary
  Improves circulation, clears stagnation, cleansing, encourages healthy menstrual flow.
• Wild rose petals
  Relaxes pelvic floor muscles, balancing, soothing, encourages healthy menstrual flow.
• Ladies mantle
  Relieves menstrual pain, decrease excessive bleeding, encourages healing,
• Raspberry leaf
  Encourages hormonal balance, strengthens uterus, relieves menstrual pain.
• Ginger
  A warming herb. Improves circulation, clears stagnation, encourages healthy menstrual flow.

Caution!!

• Do not yoni steam while on your period.
• Do not yoni steam when pregnant.
• Be CAREFUL with the hot water.
• Do not yoni steam if you have an IUD.
• Don’t yoni steam if you have an ongoing infection.
• Do not use essential oils in a yoni steam! Only organic/wild fresh or dried herbs.
• Choose your herbs with care for the desired outcome.
• Don’t replace professional medical care with yoni steaming if you have something serious going on.
• Information in this blog post should not be taken as medical advice! This blog post is to educate about the practice of yoni steaming and the reader should always stay critical to any information found anywhere on the internet.

Last thoughts on Yoni Steaming

So there you have it! Yoni steaming is an ancient health practice to promote healing the pelvic area and reconnect to the feminine energy within us. It is NOT a necessary part of personal hygiene to keep the yoni clean. Instead it should be looked upon as an empowering practice for those with a yoni seeking to improve their own health with awareness, plant medicine and steam.

There are many benefits of yoni steaming. It is relaxing, improves circulation, relieves stress and can also support in postpartum recovery, help against period pain and promote fertility. But because there are no big scientific studies done on the subject, the claimed benefits and disadvantages lack evidence. That’s why, as always, you should research the subject yourself and then decide if this is something for you or not.

At the same time, if many women and alternative health practitioners swear by its practice and are living proof of what yoni steaming can do, who are we to say it isn’t true just because there isn’t any scientific evidence? Aren’t the experiences of thousands of women worth believing?

Have you ever tried yoni steaming? And what was your experience?

Sources:

• Testimonials from women who tried yoni steaming
• The meaning of the word vagina
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and organ damage: A current perspective
• The real deal on V-steaming- WomensHealthMag
• Increased blood flow effects
• Neuropeptides and their receptors: a psychosomatic network
• Fourth trimester vaginal steam study
• Bakera – Herbal Steam baths for postnatal care
• Inhibitory effect of traditional Korean medicine on the recurrent endometriosis after laparoscopic excision: a case report