If you google “how to vaginally steam”, for example, you may land upon newspaper articles on the risks of steaming your vulva. Yet this ancient practice has many benefits. How can we steam safely and reap the rewards of working with this age-old ritual? Simply by being informed about the practice.
Vaginal steaming is a sacred honouring of your body. To honour vulva steaming, we must honour the practice itself.
Origins of the Practice
Vulva steaming is not a new practice, but an ancient technique that has been used worldwide. In the UK, it was known as womb fumigation. In Czech Republic it is used on maternity wards to expedite labour and prevent birth injury. You can learn more about the history of vaginal steaming in your country on the Vaginal Steam World Map.
What is Vulva Steaming?
A vulva steaming session is a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual approach to pelvic care. Herbs are steeped in hot water while you prep for the session. The pot is then placed under the vulva for a few minutes while you relax down into a comfortable, safe position. You will breathe into your body, allowing the steam to enter and touch the pelvic area. The steam opens the tissues and increases blood flow into the pelvis.
What are the benefits?
While few scientific studies have been made regarding the benefits of vaginal steaming, case studies and personal stories have provided plenty of them:
Physical
- Supports scar tissue healing
- Helps with fibroids/cysts
- Fertility support for conception and/or creativity
- Helps shorten or lengthen your menstrual cycle, if your cycle is abnormally too long or too short (a healthy average cycle is around 27-29 days)
- Cleanses blood from previous menstrual cycles from your womb
- Supports peri-menopausal symptoms
- May speed up recovery after a miscarriage
- Stimulates digestion
- Removes toxin from the pelvis
- Soothes the nervous system
- Aids with sleep issues
Emotional, mental, and spiritual:
- Allows sexual energy to flow
- Works with unmet emotions which may be lying within the pelvic bowl
- Allows a deeper connection to the womb space
- Deepens an understanding of yourself as a cyclical being
A Step-by-Step Guide.
In general, steaming should be done once a week or once a day in the three days leading up to your period.
You will need:
- About 30 minutes
- An undisturbed space (see note 1)
- A steaming chair, a pile of cushions, or a bolster (see note 2)
- A dedicated vulva pot (see note 3)
- Herbs adapted to your cycle. Instead of herbs, you can also use 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- A separate pan for boiling the water and steeping the herbs (this will be separate to allow you to pour the boiled water out of the pot into your vulva steaming pot).
- Water (preferably filtered or spring water)
- Optional: warm clothes such as socks or a warm jumper, a blanket, candles, a playlist, a journal
Notes
- It is a ceremony and should be treated as such. Find yourself a safe space. This could be in a corner draped with fairy lights or a yoga room dedicated to self-care. It could be in the safety of your bedroom. Wherever makes you feel ‘nested’.
- You can also use a chair with a hole in it if you prefer. This can be a chair, a stool, or a box. Anything with a hole that will allow the steam through. Some dining room chairs even have a loose seat you can remove.
- Your vulva pot should be Earthenware (ensuring a food-safe glaze is present), enamel, stainless steel (no Teflon nor non-stick coating). Make also sure your pot is not made of plastic, cast iron, nor metal as this will interact with the herbs.
Preparation
- Set up your space with candles, blankets, and cushions.
- Bring the water in your saucepan to a boil.
- Bring your mind and body into the ritual: play a song, ecstatic dance, sway with your womb space, massage your breasts, massage your womb, meditate, deepen your breath.
- Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat.
- Place the herbs into the pot and allow them to steep for 10 min keeping the lid on.
Right Before Steaming
- Thank yourself and/or mother earth for the gift of this time, the water and herbs as you pour them into your dedicated vulva-steaming pot.
- Turn on your playlist.
- When you are ready to steam, place the pot at the base of the cushioned space.
- Remove lower clothes and lean your upper body over the bolster/cushion.
- Remove lid.
During the Steaming Ritual
- Breathe deeply into your pelvis.
- Check the heat and adjust the distance between your vulva and the pot accordingly. After a while the water will become cooler, allowing you to move closer to the pot. Continue to adjust as you need during the session.
- Steam for no longer than ten minutes if it is your first time and up to twenty minutes as you gain more confidence and experience with steaming.
After the steam
- Lie flat on the floor with your legs in a butterfly position.
- Thank yourself for taking this time for you and your body.
- Once you are ready to move from this integration time, you can journal and/or move your body as you need.
- If possible, pour your herbs into the earth rather than down the toilet. As you pour the water out, think about something you cleared and cleansed from your body.
Steaming Safely
Remember to:
- Not steam more than 10 to 20 minutes.
- Do not hoover the bowl, always use cushions or a chair as a support for the entirety of the steaming session
- Beware of the heat and reposition yourself accordingly to prevent your vulva or your body from getting too hot.
- In case you use herbs, pick them in accordance with your cycle length and needs.
- In the days and weeks following your steaming practice, be aware of any changes in your cycle or to your bleed so you can adjust your steaming protocol (ie. how long you are steaming for, how often, or the herbs you are using).
Do not steam if:
- Pregnant
- Trying to conceive post-ovulation
- Spotting or on your period
- You have had 25-day long or shorter cycles in the last 3 months . This is because you are more prone to bleeding at this time, and it is advised to work with other practices first to increase your cycle length before working with steam
- Using certain contraception methods such as tubal coagulation (IUDs are OK, but it is best to check in with a steam practitioner like myself)
- Not cleared post-surgery
Naomi Gale also recorded a video tutorial on vulva steaming for CHEEX members. You can watch it here.
