Get into your body, a 5 step warm up routine for your steam ritual
As it stands, your yoni steam ritual will create deep ripples throughout your entire being on an emotional, energetic and physical level. The very nature of the practice takes you to a place where you are asked to be ever so gentle with yourself as your nervous system relaxes with the warmth of the steam and you open to the wisdom of your body. For many, a yoni steam as it is, is the perfect medicine and the 20 minutes or so of rest and me-time will show you just how much you are capable of truly honouring yourself. These moments of nurturance will shine like moonbeams from your cheekbones and your body will seriously thank you for showing up!!
I have created this guide to help you prepare your body for the process of Yoni Steaming so that you can ease into it in a comfortable way... It’s so important to be ‘in’ our bodies before these moving processes so that our bodies can synchronise with the healing that is taking place.
As a part of the group yoni steam ceremonies I facilitate, a large portion of the workshop is focused on the women arriving and landing into the realm of their body, they are guided to truly feel their root, their seat of feminine ground, begin an intimate communication and become acquainted with the language of their bodies. We journey with group blessings, pelvic presence meditations, sharing circles, womb yoga and intuitive movement, all before we sit on our thrones to begin the practice.
This way, the women have already activated and felt their energy, and so when the space is opened to journey with the herbs and the steam they are even more magnetic to everything it is about to reveal for them. I find that the arrangement of tools and activities we use throughout the whole experience weave in perfectly with one another, and when combined become an alchemical blend that feeds the process powerfully.
Pick a couple or all of the suggestions below, before you start your ritual. Find a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed so you can relax into them. Feel free to add your own little twist so that it aligns and feels just right for you and your body!
1. Yoga / Stretching
It’s a good idea to stretch the body and open the hips in preparation for the steam. I recommend the following stretches as a starting.... I have linked in videos from various practitioners on YouTube to show you how to do each of them.
2. Breathing
Find a comfortable seat where you can sit for at least 5-10 minutes.
Simply start to notice your breath, witness the rise and fall of your chest, refrain from trying to change anything, invite yourself to simply notice the physical sensations, the way your breath moves you. Welcome yourself as you.
Now you can start to deepen your breath, extending the in-breath to fill up your lungs, and release deeper, right until the very end of the out-breath. Next time round breathe all the way in, and then a little more, and a little more. Gently let that turn into the out-breath, reaching the very end, and see if you can breathe out a little more. For the next round, see if you can hold the very top of the in-breath for 8 seconds or until feels like the most you can hold without tensing. Do the same for the out-breath, holding out for 8 right at the end. Repeat this a few more times until you are feeling totally relaxed.
Finally, rub your hands together and blow your intention of connecting to yourself into your hands, place your hands on your womb space (3 fingers below your belly button) and drop your attention to your lower abdomen/womb space. Become present to the way the tummy rises to meet your hands, and the way it retreats back in towards the spine. Take some conscious breaths breathing into and out of your womb space, simply with the intention of become present to your pelvic bowl.
3. Meditation
Connect to your inner landscape with this soothing and aligning meditation to connect in with your heart and a womb space.
4. Self-Massage
Prepare some nice body oil - coconut, almond, or you may like to treat yourself to this delicious Blue Lotus Ritual Oil
All over belly massage - Start with intuitively warming and massaging your whole upper and lower abdomen area.
Belly love - Using your forefingers on both hands, make smaller circles across the belly, bringing warmth to the digestion system.
Deeper into the belly - hold one side with one hand and use your hands and knuckles to ‘knead’ one side. Then repeat on the other side.
Warming the womb - using your fingertips on both hands, circle from one hip bone to the other hip bone. Slide your hands from one side to the other and generally bring warmth to the womb.
5. Dance
Pop on some of your favourite tunes! Or try a few of these examples
Crank up the bass to feel your feet sink into the Earth (Murakami / Made in Heights)
Bring up the tempo and have a good shake out! (Sisters / A Tribe Called Red)
Put on something slinky to get those hips swinging side to side (La Maricuya / The Human Experience, Ill-Esha)
Make it your own! Allow your creativity to flow and to create the ideal sequence for you. Even one of these practices will bring a unique quality to your experience.
Enjoy my loves and let me know how you get on!
Love, Raya xxx