Yoni is a Sanskrit word for vagina or womb. It is a symbol of the Divine mother. In Rosita Arvigo’s lineage, we have called the practice a vaginal steam bath, but some choose to call it a yoni steam because the vagina refers just to the canal, and the yoni refers to the whole reproductive system.

My teacher Rosita would always say, while adamantly slamming her hand down on the table, “All women must be steaming at least once a month.” This practice supports healing from a multitude of conditions including, PMS, fibroids, painful or irregular periods, endometriosis, constipation, hemorrhoids and many more. It is also a nourishing practice that supports us to connect to ourselves, our bodies and our vitality.

A steam would be contraindicated in pregnancy or with an IUD because it promotes contraction of the uterus, for the purpose of expulsion. This is a desirable effect of a steam and how it works to clear the uterus of old stagnant blood, but undesirable if you have an IUD that you want to remain in place or a pregnancy. Steams can support clearing of chronic bladder, yeast or other vaginal infections, but we do not steam DURING an active infection or while there are any active or open sores on the vulva.

Menstruation is not the optimal time in a woman’s cycle to steam. It is a natural time of shedding and releasing. Because steaming intensifies downward energy, it can cause excessive bleeding.

Anytime is a good time to steam except for menstruation. You might notice changes in your vaginal secretions or blood after steaming. This is a normal response, as the steam stimulates your womb space to clear any old or stagnant energy.

Yes! Steaming makes the tissue of the vagina and uterus more supple and receptive to implantation. If you are trying to conceive you would not want to do a steam between ovulation and menstruation because in the event that conception has occurred, promoting the downward flow at that time could release an otherwise healthy conception. Just before ovulation is an ideal time to steam in this case, and is even used in some Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinics as an adjunct because there is evidence that steaming increases conception rate success.