Sitting down over lunch one day with a couple of friends that I had met from Ontario, the conversation turns to our wombs and our yonis. Why not? After all, we ARE at the weekend Moon Mother attunement! This type of lunchtime conversation is juicy and refreshing, for me and for them!
I mention to these women that I have recently not been sleeping well, partly due to having to get up multiple times a night to pee. And this is when the words “vaginal” and “steam” come together as one phrase for the first time to my virgin ears.
Oh yes, they said, it’s wonderful, it’s glorious! You’ve got to try it! Well, my interest was definitely piqued. Further deepening into this conversation around steaming my vagina, I realize that the herbal steam is working its magic much deeper; actually, the steam will reach my, often ignored, cervix and will even warm my uterus, my womb. This, I learn, can lead to a wealth of other positive side effects.
After just having had the traumatic experience of getting my cervix scraped and lasered for HPV, the idea of sending it some herbal steam love was very appealing. Two weeks later, after doing an extensive intake form, my vaginal steaming herbs were in my mailbox! OMGOSH! I was SO excited! My very talented husband had built me my very own steam sauna box and I had purchased a cast iron pot (with a lid) to use for holding my water and herbs.
The first time I sat down over that warm steam was sheer heaven; it was bliss. And I knew at that moment that this was a pivotal point in my life. I knew that I too was being called to share this deeply feminine art with other women.
My first steam regime lasted for eight days straight as I was steaming in part for an HPV protocol. I decided to keep a daily journal of my experience and, looking back, I am so happy to have captured those feelings – in the moment. Here is an exert from Day 1: “…I could sit and relax over consistent warm steam. Omg. Heaven. Bliss. Divine! Amazing. So relaxing. I innately had a strong feeling of familiarity. It feels so natural. So GOOD. I did not want it to end.”
After re-reading all of my journal entries from those first eight days, another great side effect of vaginal steaming is the wonderful response it has on the bowel! Having a background in holistic nutrition, I am well aware of the grades of bowel movements one can have and I tell you, each day after steaming it was the same thing – a ‘textbook grade’ bowel movement of A+ (haha).
So what was the outcome to this eight-day steaming journey you might be wondering?
First of all, after sleeping poorly for months, I was indeed getting up a lot less to pee during the night and as a result, I had a number of 8-hour sleeps! Hooray! My period had been due to start shortly after this protocol ended and when it did, I immediately noticed that there was minimal cramping and the blood was thinner than usual.
And finally, the biggest achievement was heading into the hospital the following month for my 6-month follow-up with the gynecologist surgeon who had performed my LEEP six months earlier. Upon looking at my cervix she literally exclaimed – “Your cervix has healed beautifully!!!!” There was NO scarring … and no HPV. Did I mention that steaming naturally softens scar tissue? Yes, living proof right here.
So, if your interest in vaginal steaming is piqued like mine was and you would like to discuss it further, please call or email me and we will schedule a free (no pressure) virtual coffee date to see if this may be something helpful for you.
All my love,
Meriah Theresa