With the new year upon us, it’s a great time to attune oneself to our internal rhythms with a yoni steam. Yoni steaming is an ancient practice that is believed to support womb health by cleansing the uterus and working to tonify the vaginal tissues. The practice today is regarded as a healing and maintenance tradition grounding practitioners in self-care. Steaming can help to regulate menstruation and painful cramps and bloating. It involves preparing womb supportive herbs to concoct an infusion and sitting or squatting over the pot of steaming herbs and allowing the steam to enter the vaginal passageway. This is a ritual that can ground you in your body and a practice you can bring into your postpartum doula work when clients have completed their passing of blood and lochia. Generally around week 8 postpartum is a good time to initiate a yoni steaming practice with a client.

Yoni steaming is believed to offer the following benefits:

• Detoxifies the womb.
• Helps relive cramps, clots and discharge
• Regulate monthly bleeding.
• Treatment for stress.
• Increase fertility.
• Provides relief from menopause symptoms.
• Decreases fatigue.
• Treats hemorrhoids.

A note on Blends

For all the blends you are using dry herbs. You can purchase by the ounce. To experiment with your blends get up to 2 ounces per plant so you can make small batches.

The blends call for parts. One part means one equal part. One part is not an exact measurement. It’s a relative measurement. That means one part changes relative to each recipe that calls for it. It can be a teaspoon, an ounce, a cup, or anything else. The important thing is that each part the recipe calls for is equal to the other parts called for.

If you do not have access to a local apothecary, we recommend the following for purchasing your herbs:

Mountain Rose Herbs

Starwest Botanicals

 Oregon’s Wild Harvest

As practitioners, it is always important that you develop your own personal practice before you share with your clients and community. Here are 3 Yoni Steam Blends You can try at home.

Yoni Steam Maintenance Blend 

For general use, preventative nourishment.

• 1  part Nettles
• 1/2 part Mugwort
• 1/2 part Comfrey
• 1/2 part Calendula
• 1/2 part Rose
• 1/4 part Lavender
• 1/4 part Yarrow
• 3 White Sage Leaves
• 1 sprig of Rosemary (winter)
• 1/2 part Peppermint (summer)

Flower Heart Blend

For emotional healing, self-love and transition. To encourage the blooming of new beginnings and mending.

• 1 part Red Clover
• 1 part Chamomile
• 1 part Red Raspberry Leaf
• 1/2 part Rose
• 1/2 part Lavender
• 1/2 part Hibiscus

Release & Let Go Blend

A wonderful blend for after menses, clearance for the womb, releasing rituals, womb trauma work.

• 1 part Mugwort
• 1/2 part Nettles
• 1/2 part Motherwort
• 1/2 part Rose
• 1/2 part Peppermint
• 1/4 part Yarrow or Lady’s Mantle
• 3 White Sage Leaves

Yoni Steaming Ritual Preparation 

• 3 Quart stainless steel or glass bowl (heat resistant)
• 2 Quarts of water (filtered if possible)
• 4 Quart sauce pan or pot with lid + hot pads and/or ladle
• Warm socks
• Towel
• Bathrobe and/or blankets

Yoni Steaming Ritual in 10 Steps

1. Place two quarts of filtered water into your sauce pan or pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add one heaping cup of yoni steaming herbs to the water. Stir well.
3. Cover and steep with lid on for five minutes.
4. Turn off heat and allow water to cool with the lid on for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the pot with water and herbs from stove and carefully pour into your 3-Quart stainless steel or glass bowl.
6. Position bowl under the yoni steam seat you have set up for yourself. The goal is to have the bowl of hot water about 15 inches below your seat.
7. Disrobe from the waist down (except for warm socks) and carefully sit down on the chair or seat, and begin to feel the steam rising up to meet you.
8. Wrap your legs and waist with a warm blanket to keep the steam inside. Note: The steam should feel warm and gentle – if it feels too hot, separate your legs or stand up to avoid burns.
9. Stay sitting, wrapped in warm blankets, over the steam for 25 minutes. Take this time to visualize your future baby, journal and/or gently massage your lower abdomen to encourage the herbal steam to work.
10. After the steam is finished, move directly from the seat to bed, and wrap yourself up with warm covers. Lie down for at least one hour, or ideally for the entire night.

You will likely pass darker, thicker blood during your next period. This is normal, as it is the result of your uterus releasing the old matter. Yoni steaming is part of a cleansing process that can be used to prepare your body for pregnancy. This means that, ideally, you relax for a few cycles from actively aiming for conception for two to three months so that your reproductive system can fully release any residual tissue. If you have painful or symptomatic periods, this is a wonderful way to help ease your cycles. During these two to three months, it is recommended that you practice yoni steaming  twice per week on the weeks that you are not menstruating (never steam during menstruation). If you are moving into your crone phase and/or no longer bleeding, this can be a nourishing practice for you.