The practise of pelvic bowl steaming, also known as yoni or vaginal steaming, bajos in Spanish and chai-yok in Korean, is a long-standing health practise in many cultures around the world. This tradition has been used for centuries to treat many conditions related to female health. Pelvic steaming is a holistic health practice whereby steam is directed to gently permeate the floor of the pelvic bowl.

Lana Joy Parra @lanajoyparra is welcoming and excited to share her experiences and knowledge of pelvic bowl steaming with our group. As a Reproductive Health Practitioner and Fertility Awareness Educator Lana offers pelvic steam circles and other services in the qathet region/Powell River, B.C. Lana has teamed up with Amber Friedman who specializes in herbal medicines and body care products amongst her other talents. Together the two have created a comfortable and calm environment in Amber’s studio space @wildspirit.apothecary.

Us women encircle our steaming boxes within the “womb room”; its low lit, enclosed and warm. Within the circle of boxes is a small table where we place our mugs of tea around a central candle. After some introduction and basic explanations we focus in on our intentions for this session. We have each been given a jar of herbs. Each jar is individually tailored based on our intake forms and the knowledge of Lana and Amber. We are instructed to remove the seat of our steam box and the lid from the crock that holds warm water. I mix my herbs and intentions into the pot sensing an empowering witchy magic. While the herbs steep we use our hands to palpate the physical bony edges of our pelvis. We explore our physical bodies in relation to the pelvic bowl to familiarize and acknowledge this sacred part of ourselves.  We follow with vocalizations, feeling physical sensations through our breath, centring us in the space.

Now it’s time to steam. We all sit, our long skirts draping over our legs and steam boxes which helps create an enclosed environment. Within a few minutes the warmth of the steam can be felt. Lana gives a beautiful visual of the pelvic bowl paralleling the moon; it fills up and empties over the course of the month. We are lead through a series of visualizations to help deepen our connection to our pelvic bowls by figuratively walking around inside ourselves.

After some time we rise from our seated positions to stretch our bodies. The room begins to fill with the lovely scent of our combined herbs. We are invited to move our bodies through gentle stretching or dance combined with more breath work. A potent poem is read to us followed by a beautiful song, enhancing this sensory experience. We close with a sharing circle and those of us who wish to share describe our experiences, or what we learned during the gathering. There is a sense of feeling cared for, of internal warmth and pleasant moistness, of an enlivening sensuality.

We are invited to take home our steamed herbs and dig them into our gardens, grounding our experience and bringing the herbs full circle. The practise of pelvic steaming can be done alone, but the group setting creates unity and a sense of connection through the shared experience. Pelvic steaming is a beautiful self-care ritual of honouring and celebrating our body’s sacredness both physically and symbolically.