Vibrant You

Vaginal Steaming: Ancient Self-Care for Menstrual Health, Fertility, Libido and Postpartum Recovery with Jessica Birnbaum Pratt

• Bindi Stables • Episode 43

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Between menstruation, sex, and childbirth, the vagina withstands a lot. When you add changing hormones, pregnancy, pelvic floor issues, endometriosis or PCOS, or emotional trauma to the mix, sometimes the vaginal area holds onto A LOT.

Vaginal or yoni steaming is an ancient practice known to cleanse and rejuvenate the vagina and uterus, with known benefits as wide as supporting healthy menstruation, to easing period cramps, preconception, and fertility optimization to postpartum recovery, and beyond.

After receiving high praise on Gwyneth Paltrow’s website Goop, this ancient practice has surged in popularity.

Jessica is the co-founder of LEIAMOON, a company dedicated to making the transformative practice of vaginal steaming more readily accessible, safe, and of the highest quality for women in all chapters of life.

After many years of development, the LEIAMOON Steam Seat with SteamSafe technology and red light therapy is now finding its way into the homes of women seeking better ways to care for the most sensitive, life-giving parts of their bodies... in their own space, on their own terms.

In this episode you'll learn:

  • What is the ancient practice of vaginal or yoni steaming is
  • How to use yoni steaming for menstrual health, hormone imbalances, missing periods and period cramps
  • A new mother's self-care tool in postpartum recovery
  • Therapies for pre-conception health and optimizing fertility
  • Enhancing libido, pleasure, and sexual wellness
  • Releasing emotions stored in the womb and reconnection to your feminine body
  • The physical, mental, and energetic benefits of womb herbs
  • Upgrade your vaginal steam experience with modern biohacking
  • How to do an at-home vaginal steaming self-care ritual
  • The do's, don't's, and contraindications of vaginal steaming

    Links:
  1. Learn more or purchase your Leiamoon Vaginal Steam Seat (Use code VIBRANTYOU for 15% off!)
  2. Leiamoonwomen on Instagram
  3. Leiamoonwomen on Youtube

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts or Spotify, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

I’d love to connect with you on IG: www.instagram.com/bindistables

Visit my website for more resources and ways to work with me: www.bindistables.com

Bindi:

Welcome to the Vibrant you podcast. I'm your host, bindi Stables, and here we talk all things wellness and vibrant living. You'll learn about integrative health, functional medicine, holistic biohacking and enjoy raw and real conversations on personal growth, mindset and motivation. Optimize your body and mind and become the happiest, the healthiest, most vibrant. You Enjoy the show. Hey everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Vibrant you. I am so excited. Today we have an amazing guest. We have Jessica Bernbaum Pratt, who is the co-founder of Lea Moon, a company dedicated to making the transformative practice of vaginal or yoni steaming accessible and safe and of the highest quality for any woman. So I'm so excited to have you here today, jessica. Thank you so much. Thanks, bindi, I'm super excited to be here too.

Bindi:

Oh, yay. Well, I love to hear. Jessica, I'd love to just hear a bit about you. Tell us your story. How did you get to where you are today doing the work that you now do?

Jessica:

It certainly wasn't something I imagined in advance. It was definitely the result of living life in the present and surrendering to pretty intense experience that I think so many women go through this awakening and sometimes it's a painful one of physically not tuning into the natural rhythms of our body and having intense repercussions around that and having to completely reorient, and I'm really grateful that the way I reoriented was really understanding the depth and the beauty of this organ that lives inside of the female body. So to illuminate what I'm talking about a little bit more specifically, I got this was probably almost like 15 years ago now that I started noticing irregular menstrual cycles where I was starting to bleed bi-monthly, so twice a month, and I have no doubt now in retrospect that it was a result of really compounded stress from working, from kind of living in this 24-hour cycle of produce, produce, produce, being in a relationship that was also really emotionally intense and somewhat traumatic for me at the time as a young woman not really understanding boundaries around my body and my spirit, and so it was very clear that my uterus was responding by trying to release and purge and it was really confusing to me at the time but because of my lifestyle I just kind of swept it under the rug and ignored it until I really couldn't anymore. But it took almost like two or three years till I got an ultrasound and was told that I had a pretty sizable uterine polyp that needed to be surgically removed, and so I went through with that procedure.

Jessica:

I'd always been tuned into holistic and alternative ways of caring for my body, but this kind of felt like this looming thing that needed an extra hand and would be an opportunity for me to really reset. And serendipitously, just a few months after I had this procedure done, I was introduced to vaginal steaming, and the first time I tried it at home it was quite a production of boiling a pot of water on my stove top, setting it on the floor, putting some towels around the pot to protect my knees, tossing in some herbs, and then I'm attempting to squat comfortably over the pot. And once I got into more of like a hovering child's pose position, I was just like whoa could completely relax my entire pelvic area and open and receive, in tandem with the plant consciousness that was there to care for me, and I just recognize in that moment how rare it was as a woman, a young woman, to allow that part of my body to just finally find this space of surrender without having to give anything to anyone else, really just being in that moment to myself, and it was just super cathartic and it really brought me to tears, just feeling that how I had never made that type of space for myself before and how simple really it could be. Yeah, so that was really kind of the pivotal moment that I was like yes, I'm incorporating this into my monthly practice along with a lot of other modalities I was being introduced to at the time, and that was now seven years ago. So it's been really since that time that I was realizing there were ways that I could use my skill set.

Jessica:

I actually have a background as an architect, so in design to marry this ancient ritual of caring for our womb and getting to really listen in and tune into this part of our body, find a method that would kind of merge it with modern technology and make it even more accessible and safer and kind of just at the ready for women to incorporate into the different piece that we're living at these days. Even though Yoni Seeming in itself is about slowing down, I think there's been this like barriers to entry for so many women and I'm really working hard now to break that down and give everyone a tool to really shake hands with this practice again and connect with the plants and make space for ritual and self ceremony and tuning into this hyper intuitive space. So that's a bit of my story. It changes every time I share it in some aspect of like what parts I zoom in on the details of. But it really was the big motivator for creating Lamoon and getting this massive undertaking to be finally a tangible physical device in the universe. So here it is.

Bindi:

Oh, wow, thank you so much for sharing. I can so relate to your story and I know that so many women can as well, of course, like physical symptoms that you are facing, but also like the awareness of some of the emotional or energetic things that we're also maybe contributing and capacity to receive. It's just, it's so powerful. And I'm remembering as well my first time Yoni Seeming was a big production. I'm like laughing because I'm remembering being like 18 years old and boiling a pot of water and having this like big metal, stainless steel thing and putting it inside the toilet and like just the whole production of it. Yes, I'm really excited to hear more about the technology that you've created and, yeah, all of the amazing benefits. But first I'd love to just hear you know this practice is probably new to so many people like what is vaginal steaming? What is Yoni steaming? So I'd love to just hear how would you describe this? Like what is this practice and where does it come from?

Jessica:

There are a lot of historical accounts of steaming. When I say a lot, relatively speaking, I guess that's not so much true, but it's most well documented in, I would say, in Asia, in nations like Korea and Indonesia, where you're at, but it's also pretty well documented in traditional Maya cultures and Central and South America. There's a lot of anecdotal reports of the practice in African cultures. I learned it from a woman who's of African, caribbean culture and also South American. So there's been this like really amazing web historically of where it's been practiced all over the world thousands of years ago. Really. There's steam baths in general like deep back to like the Ice Age, essentially just steam bathing. Steam bathing with herbs specifically around the female anatomy must come much later, but I think what's fascinating to me is that it's been used as a way for women's wellness around menstruation and, more specifically, around postpartum recovery. Actually, I think where you're at, in Indonesia, there was a study done in 2007 that was published by the University of Zurich, I think, and they went and followed some groups of midwives around islands Minahasa I'm not sure if you know exactly where that is in Indonesia and they observed this practice and how it really helped women recuperate postpartum Really just being held in community care by their family. Sometimes it was just the group of midwives, but often the mothers and grandmothers and sisters would also take part in setting up the steam stool for the woman that had just birthed and wiping her brow as she sweat and released. So it has roots in many different cultures all over the world and I think what we're really finding is like this is a human practice of communing with herbs and it's part of our genetic coding really to relate to plants in this way and to find healing in the elements really of fire and water and earth and air. So I think there's something really primal that all of us remember when we do this again and I'm so thrilled that it's kind of coming back into the larger collective field that this is a tool for us. I think when industrialized medicine came in and kind of pulled us into more institutionalized ways of treating ourselves, a lot of these practices were lost. I think they have been passed down traditionally through maternal lineages, so it's kind of passed down from mother to daughter, to daughter to daughter generation and I think that tradition kind of got cut off when the medical industrial complex, I guess, began its birth and I think now we're just looking for a balance between those things. So yeah, I think, talking a bit more about what it is and why women were doing this.

Jessica:

Essentially, you're sitting or squatting over a pot of steaming water that's typically infused with herbs but doesn't necessarily need to be, and as the heat rises to meet the vulva, it helps promote circulation and reduce inflammation and also just soften and moisten the tissues, thin the mucus. So for a lot of us, when we hold a lot of tension in the pelvic region, that can result in more painful periods or painful sex. There's a lot of repercussions of holding tension there. So on a foundational level, it's really about relaxing energetically but also just the whole room musculoskeletal system in that pelvic bowl where our ligaments are uterus, essentially suspended in the center of our pelvis. So there's a lot of tissue that's holding there and I think when we go through the menstrual cycle and essentially what's happening is that the uterus is contracting to shed uterine lining every month at menstruation. So sometimes steaming is used just a few days before the menstrual cycle, so it could be a couple of days in a row when you're anticipating your bleed as a way to relax your muscles.

Jessica:

So women that have intense cramping during menstruation, steaming can be really great to do beforehand, when you're anticipating your bleed, to allow some of that breakdown and circulation to start slowing more oxygenated blood to the area to help in that release process. So it's not to say this part of our body is dirty or doesn't know what it's doing, but vaginal steaming is more of a support tool to help aid in that process. Especially when we're not really used to slowing down around our period and we're used to kind of living this more rapid fire energy of how we operate during the day instead of being in our cyclical nature, steam can really help to slow down. And then after menstruation it's another great tool for general cleansing, even as a ritual to kind of honor and close out that portion of our cycle where a lot of times when we're relating it to the moon cycle, it's kind of like the emptying or like the new moon phase of regenerating and calling in or releasing what no longer serves and calling it and what you're seeing for the next month ahead. So I think, even as a ritual to close out our menstrual cycle, it's an amazing tool, yeah, and I think preparing for pregnancy and it's interesting now that I've been practicing steaming for the last seven years.

Jessica:

Within that timeframe it was initially about reconnecting with my body, grounding, honoring, and that in and of itself was great preparation for preparing to conceive. So once I called in my partner and got to that stage of my life, it was a really great way to meditate on this part of my body and really understand that this is the gateway between the physical world that we're embodying and the world of the stars. Really it's this portal and this intersection between the mystical and the unknown, where we've come from, where new life comes in from and where it's born into. And I think, conceptually, steaming really helps us recognize that threshold and use it as a space of prayer. So for me, calling in my children and even connecting with them spiritually, I really felt that through the practice of steaming and I think that really just progressed then into beautiful pregnancies and home birth experiences. And I think, because I have such an embodied connection with this part of myself, that that played into the physiological progression of those very natural ways our bodies work for me. So I'm grateful for that.

Jessica:

But I do credit steaming for playing a part, and I think, even in conception. I think, speaking more physiologically what I was saying before about thinning the mucus and during ovulation, when you get cervical mucus, that's really like the pathway for the sperm to enter through the vaginal canal, through the cervix kind of hang out waiting to meet the egg. So steaming at the end of your period can help cleanse and prepare that tissue and make you more soft and relaxed and ready to receive, and even just in regulating the menstrual cycle and regulating the hormone cycle, that also is extremely helpful for fertility. And then postpartum, as we mentioned, is just probably the most well documented use for steaming. Yeah, it's a very raw state and being able to offer some soothing steam I mean a lot of times. There's a lot of sometimes what feels like bruising or intense inflammation, even hemorrhoids steaming can help with and there's specific herbs that are really great for being very gentle on the skin and helping to repair tissue that's been stretched to the limit and is working its way back to its pre-pregnancy state. And even again, as a ritual, it's a self care practice, but I love referring now a lot more to community care and that postpartum can sometimes feel really isolating and traditionally steaming postpartum was really like you know your care providers and your caregivers coming to your home and helping set you up to honor your body and where it's not so much that the birthing person is having to do a lot of the work but instead really just there to receive the care which I think we've been lacking in our current society. So that's an amazing space for steam.

Jessica:

There was a study that a group of women did the best that they could because it wasn't really like a clinical trial or study, but it was something where they just had a group of women who had given birth. I think they had like 20 case studies of how steaming helped them postpartum and they were even saying that their uterus was able to shrink back to the pre-pregnancy state much quicker than the user group that was not using steaming daily after giving birth. That even like their blood pressure rates were more stable than women that weren't steaming, which I think is even part of calming the nervous system and kind of just trying to mitigate that intensity and a much more slower pace level through the practice. And even for women that are dealing with pregnancy loss, that was something I personally dealt with in between the births of my two children and I feel like I had kind of a unique case in that my loss was early on and I was able to go through that process in my own space and on my own terms at home and it really felt like this rite of passage and even this humbling honor to walk that path that so many women do I think it's like one in four pregnancies go this way so steaming as a ritual to help that release and recuperate from loss and there's a lot of blood loss and lochia or the birth matter. It's pretty heavy and intense and steam again is extremely soothing to repair the tissues and help release and break up any stagnation. So I really found it helpful for pregnancy loss, really going through all the life cycle phases here. But so I guess end on that Now that I'm kind of predicting approach into perimenopausal phase of life.

Jessica:

We do some herbal formulations for perimenopause. Into the menopausal phase where there might be a lot more heat in the body and cooling herbs can be really appropriate for managing that and again finding ease and calm in the pelvic region when there's such a big hormonal shift during that life phase and even postmenopausal years when you're no longer bleeding, having a ritual to care for this part of your body instead of treating it like this closed door, like it's time is over now. Forget about you. Your childbearing years were decades ago. It's a great way to still feel super connected and there's a lot of amazing herbs that are emollient, moistening, softening herbs, which really help mitigate from atrophy in that part of the body that a lot of women struggle with, and even libido too. It's just a really great way to get blood flowing there and sensation and feeling and knowing your full capacity for that, or increasing your capacity for that by having more mind-body awareness through this amazingly useful practice.

Bindi:

Wow, I'm just in awe of all of the amazing benefits and all the ways that women are using this and I love to hear your experiences with it as well and the different chapters of life that you've used. This, from healing hormonal imbalances to preconception, to pregnancy loss, all the way through to perimenopause and I'm so imagining as we continue through different phases of life is just to be such a universal and such an empowering tool. It's something that I also used initially for hormone imbalances and super painful, excruciating periods, and within a couple months of doing it I noticed a massive difference which I think was part physical. It makes sense that there's steam, there's warmth. It's going to increase circulation to that area. Of course, in your technology we'll get into that in a sec as well, but the red light therapy that you've incorporated as well is so powerful for regeneration of tissue and oxygenation of tissue. But I often recommend you know yone or vaginal steaming, of course, for fertility, for women with missing periods. You know both of a physical, to get circulation stimulation down there, but as well as just the emotional reconnection to this part of our body, right to bring awareness, to bring love, to bring care you know that you've been talking about to this part of our body, to our cyclical nature. I've seen women get their periods back, you know, kind of reset the menstrual cycle. Endometriosis, where there's a lot of scar tissue and restriction down there. Libido, right, like you mentioned. Painful sex, right to help with circulation. Pcos, you know, menstrual pain and cramping, period loss, like you said. Preconception as well, like I love and I'm so excited to try yours, because here in Indonesia I have a funny story for you, jessica. So you know, here talking about here in Indonesia, it's like it's normal and it's natural and this is just like what women do and I'm imagining you know talking to people in Canada or the US and this being a really like woo, woo thing or being really out there. And you know, if you Google yone steaming, there's very little like research, right, there's less and there is more and more. And I love the papers that you've mentioned. I'll see if I can find that one from the University of Zurich that you shared and I'll see if I can link it in the show notes for people.

Bindi:

But here in India and in Indonesia this is so natural, like this is. They call it yoni dupana. You can go to any spa and do it in India and here. The first time doing it here, like for me it was a very private practice and you do it at home and the intimacy of your bathroom, and you know I didn't have a yoni steam light or a stool or like what you have, and so I just did it in the toilet bowl and, and it was so funny, the first time that I went and had it done here, it is such a natural practice for people that I went in. It was this Balinese or maybe it was a Javanese healer and it was in her home and literally I did it in their living room. That's where this stool was Put a blanket over, so I was still like covered, but it was so wild to me just how like open it was.

Bindi:

Like I thought that I'd be in like a dark little cave of a room and you know the uncle walks through and oh hi, nice to meet you, so polite and so respectful, and meanwhile I'm, like you know, being steamed from the inside. I'm like this feels so intimate. My preference is, of course, to be in my bedroom, but I share that because it is so common and, you know, in cultures around the world it is just like you know brushing your teeth. You know steaming your yoni and brushing your teeth. It has the same level of just like normalcy, and so I laugh.

Bindi:

You know that just the uncle walked in and I'm having a chat with them while steaming my yoni and it was like nothing for him. You know it took me a moment to get into it, but you know it was really comfortable after that. So let's get into as well. You know we've talked about some of the physical benefits and some of the you know conditions that women could use this for. You know hormonal imbalances, to preconception, to postpartum, to even menopause and beyond. Let's get a little bit more woo-woo. So what are some of the mental or the emotional or the energetic benefits that you're noticing for women, whether that's with just reconnecting to that part of themselves and their cycle or with the herbs themselves? What comes up for you?

Jessica:

Yes, I love this for sure. I think there's so much discussion now around our nervous system, but I think there's such a connection to that and our, like, emotional and spiritual system as well. And there's this term racing or clenching. The way I'm interpreting that a lot of the times as it relates to the womb, is that there's been so many instances where us as women, as we're learning about this part of our body as young, you know, prepubescent, through those years of exploration and change of racing and clenching, and I think that really continues on for decades for so many of us, and it's not even just like of a sexual nature. I think it's really of a spiritual nature too. It's one, things are no or misaligned. I'm talking in this way because it kind of there's an energetic response. I think that we hold and that we carry at this root, the sacral chakra, the space of safety, of creation I'm talking about root and sacral as one and the heart, like those are all connected and the throat. The throat is so similar to the vagina in so many ways. It's, you know, this mucous membrane that you know that's kind of like a sphincter, right, so it can contract. So I'm talking more about like what that does physically, but it's so easy for me to conceptualize, energetically and spiritually too, where there's this jerk of a closing when we're not feeling safe or in alignment, so bringing steaming into the mix.

Jessica:

There, I really think what it's capable of doing and what I've personally experienced and what I hear from so many women that are doing this as ritual, you know, as a self care ceremony, but sometimes even in women's circles or in group work, now that ability to, at a very slow pace, soften and relax a lot of that tension that's been built up from that, you know, nervous system or no response, and it hasn't really had a place to move or go. And I have no doubt that that affects the way we menstruate and the way we procreate and all of those things that to really be in our fullness with that part of our body, we need to be able to move that constricted energy. So when you're taking that time to really relax very deeply with this part of your body and not only just relax it, but the steam for me even just on the tissues of my labia, like really almost like push down and I'm imagining like all the pores opening and really like just allowing that whole space to get big and soft and malleable, and there's been at least in you know the country I live in. There's such an emphasis on like, tightness and like you want to have tight pussy, whatever word and it just. I'm really working to change a lot of this language because I think really what we want and what feels super healing energetically is to just relax and tensing my own butt cheeks when I'm saying this I'm trying to relax them in this moment.

Jessica:

But yeah, steam really allows us part of ourselves to completely release, open, be big and loose and soft and supple, and that to me is like divine feminine energy that's ready to receive. And I think it's hard for us to be in that really hyper receptive, creative state when we've been beaten into this place of constriction from bracing and I mean it's cyclical too. It's not to say that there isn't benefit to having that natural, like freeze response when we need it, but I feel like we need spaces for it to release and relax and move. And a lot of times we're just not making that space and seeming for me is really that time to create a ritual to open, relax, release and make more space in that part of the body. I hope that makes sense, but that is the real essence of it, I think, is just that complete surrender.

Bindi:

Oh my gosh, 100%. You know, I'm even imagining a close friend of mine is going to be going through her birth portal any day. Now we were talking so much of, even in childbirth, just the language that we use, of like bear down and push. There's so much associated with just tension and clenching and, like you've said, just like the culture of like having a tight pussy and these things, it's like all about contraction and it's like, of course, it's no wonder that we have period cramps, like our uterus is clenched, you know, of course, we have endometriosis. There's nothing's flowing, it's stuck.

Bindi:

It's that stagnation and that's what you know in ancient times in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. It's about like moving stagnation right. It's to release that tension held in our tissues and in our nervous system. And yeah, I know we've kind of talked about this as well as just like what we hold on to emotionally inside of our womb. You know, like past experiences big tea traumas, little tea traumas, like all of the things that the past relationships that we've had, we just like as women, we just our womb is such a reservoir of our emotional experiences and our emotional history and I know for me, you know, physically releasing is such a big part of it, but also the emotional part, and for so many women there's just like a disconnect, you know, if, like, we're disconnected from our womb space, we're disconnected from our pleasure, we're disconnected from our feminine nature and our cycles, and I feel that this practice is just such a powerful way to bridge that gap again, you know, or bridge, you know, that connection once again between our mind, our body, our heart, you know, and our womb space.

Bindi:

So I love to hear you share of it in that way. Can you walk us through briefly? I'd love to hear about the herbs. Like what are some of the herbs? Like? What inspired the formulas? Are there different formulas? Tell us a bit about the herbs.

Jessica:

Yes, so you know, one of my, the foundational herb that I came to with unisteming, is mugwort, otherwise known as Artemisia vulgaris. I mean it's very like rampant here in the US and then northeast where I'm at, so I would see it everywhere. But it's an amazing feminine herb for, you know, increasing circulation to the pelvic region and getting things moving, warming up, and I know, in Korean spas in New York City, for example, that seems to be like the main herb that they were using as well there. So it's kind of awesome to see these plants popping up in different cultures for this specific function, so that as a gentle cleansing herb and even, as you know, spiritually I think it's known as the goddess of the moon Artemis, so I love that connection as well. And, yeah, so that's one of the main base herbs that we use in our formulas for gentle cleansing, along with calendula, which is, you know, known as herbal sunshine really great for, you know, repairing tissues at a slower pace and really smoothing the skin, and also gentle cleansing. We also use Yero, which is known as master of the blood. It's really good for moving but also for, you know, slowing down if that's really what's needed, and it's kind of one of those amazing regulators where it's able to give what's needed. And traditionally too it was known as like a wound repair herb, so I love that one. And energetically it's a keeper of boundaries, so it's good for kind of establishing more strength and encouragement and empowerment.

Jessica:

And we use rose in almost every formulation as well, which is just like a super sensual, very aromatic. Most all of the herbs are aromatic because the you know it's a thermo therapeutic practice but it also has this aroma therapeutic environment when you're steaming. That really, you know, throws over all the senses and is definitely a big part of the experience too. But yeah, we create four different herbal blends currently. One is the gentle cleansing blend that I just went through, and we also have one, for that's a more restorative blend that includes ladies, mantle and mugwort calendula. We also have another blend that's called the creativity blend. That includes Tulsi and rose as well. Almost in every single blend we have rose, but that's a great blend for fertility and getting the creative juices flowing. And we have a wisdom blend that includes chamomile and lavender pulling herbs, healing herbs.

Jessica:

Red clover is another great herb for that phase of life thinking more of like the perimenopause, menopause years. It has a phytoestrogen, so it's kind of like a plant based estrogen. That's been, you know, kind of controversial and that it's not really giving the same effects that you know human estrogen does, but it's been known to be a great ally during menopause. So, yeah, we have those four plants currently and most all of the herbs that we work with are from an herb farm up in Burn, new York, which is just west of Albany, from some herbalists that I've gotten to know really intimately over the last 10 years and a lot of different kind of plant ceremony work. So that feels really good to be, you know, understanding where these plants are being grown and that they're all being grown sustainably and organically and with such love and tenderness.

Jessica:

And I really do believe you know the quality and life cycle of these plants really affects the experience of steaming with them. So that's been important of where the sourcing is. But I mean, really there's so much medicine around us all the time and you can steam with fresh herbs or dried herbs. We just really remind people not to steam with essential oils because it's such a concentrated makeup it can be very intense for the skin and can even burn the skin. So definitely don't go that route, but there's most. All plants are here to help us and they're very gentle when infused in hot water this way, so there's not too much that would be contraindicated to use.

Bindi:

Yeah, it makes so much sense. And, yeah, I can't imagine putting peppermint or wintergreen like essential oil in there. That would just like not feel good at all. That'd be way too much. Yeah, I love these.

Bindi:

The herbalist in me is just like lit up right now. I'm so excited about the blends that you have and the formulations and, of course, like physically you know releasing so much. But to just answer their own little mini beings and they have their own consciousness and their own energetic properties and emotional, you know, properties that they can really support us with. So I so love to hear that. So would you walk us through now, jessica, can you tell us, like, what is the ritual? Like I am going to be telling everybody about Lea Moon. I can't wait for mine to arrive and there's already like 10 friends in mind that I'm like they need to get this for postpartum or their in their preconception phase or this one has a hormonal issue. I know there's instructions in the kit, but just walk us through, like, what's your overall ritual and what is some of the technologies in Lea Moon?

Jessica:

Yeah. So what's fun about ritual is that you can get really creative here and it can really look any kind of way. But I think what I would recommend, and what I love to do for myself, is really to set a very cozy container for yourself. Granted, I've also been known to steam like right next to the bathtub while I'm bathing both of my children, because that's just like when I can fit it in. But when I can really carve out some time for my own self ceremony, what I love to do is I usually wait till like the evening time, because I love to just like snuggle into bed afterwards. So usually it's like dim lights kind of again setting that environment to really go inward, lighting some candles, playing some nice music, putting on some really warm cozy socks because I mean, you were mentioning traditional Chinese medicine before it's like all about keeping the feet warm for sure. And yeah, so I can explain more about how to work with all.

Jessica:

With our seat here. There is a stainless steel cup that I'll fill with filtered water up to there's some little indicators here of how much water to put in and then usually like three to four tablespoons of an herbal blend, and then you set that back in the seat and then put the chamber top back on and turn it on. And what's great about the seat is that you can program it to whichever temperature you feel comfortable at, and during your steam session you can change it at any time. So usually I set it for about 105 degrees Fahrenheit to begin, and there's also a different setting where it will just automatically kind of oscillate between a lower temperature, reach a peak and then go through the oscillation again over a 40 minute time period. If you want to just kind of press one button and not deal with it anymore. It will take about five to 10 minutes to really warm up and generate steam and then there's a little lever here on the top that you open to let the steam pass through to your ebony. Yeah, I mean, that moment is just super. You're like a meat. That's what I love about this too. It almost feels involuntary. You don't really have to get too much in your head about it. Sometimes, even with meditation, it takes some practice and repetition to really drop into that sweet spot or the zone Steaming. It's almost like immediate. Your tissues are going to fall and relax and your uterus drops. It just all kind of sets into place and then the rest of your mind follows. Usually I'll steam for about 30 minutes, but 20 minutes is a great kind of starting point. I think If you're really heat sensitive, it's nice to do more of a mild setup and steam for 10 minutes.

Jessica:

The seat also has a red light therapy that you mentioned. It's red light LED combination with infrared light. In that combination it's been really deeply studied. I think it's 660 nanometers red light and 850 nanometers infrared light. That really gives you a full gamut of benefits of reducing inflammation and regenerating the mitochondria. We're talking on a cellular level here of really recalibrating these parts of ourselves. They're gentle and we checked the irradiance from the distance that they are, from where the lights are to your pelvis, that they're giving that exact wavelength. It's an amazing way to really treat the skin. Again, if you're heat sensitive and want to work at lower temperatures like 90 or 95 degrees for the steam, adding in that red light gives you really the full benefits of relaxing and rejuvenating this part of ourselves.

Jessica:

That's a bit more of what my ritual looks like. Usually I try to do my best to be device free, because we're always on the screens and all the stuff, but there's times where I'll read something or always having my journal on hand, because there's almost always some idea or something that comes through that wouldn't ordinarily have been there had I not been so deep in the womb energy. I really appreciate that part of it too. When it's feeling complete, it's just super easy with the seat to shut down, remove that stainless steel cup. Usually I offer the herbs to one of my favorite house plants if it's too cold outside or I'll just go right outside and return them to the earth and rinse the cup.

Jessica:

The seat is pretty easy to clean or just wipe down with a dry towel and it will just evaporate overnight. If you're tucking into bed, that's usually what I like to do. Next, have some sweet dreams. Mugwort is great for that too. The lucid dreaming aspect of that herb I really feel like it's part of the continuum of steaming and then kind of drifting off to sleep.

Bindi:

Oh, my goodness, I'm so excited about this and I just love how you share your ritual in that it can be as sacred as we want. It can be as simple as we want, right, because you doing it while bathing your kids is better than not doing it, right? I totally agree.

Bindi:

And thinking this has to be the perfect ritual and it has to be sacred, but sometimes sacred is really simple and it can be as simple as just bringing it into real life and actually doing the practice. So we talked about who does it, when to do it, I reckon, of course, in all preconception phase, in postpartum phase, I think, the different phases of the menstrual cycle I love that you shared before in the luteal phase, before the bleed, for more ease during menstruation, to kind of close menstruation and release that last little bit of old or oxidized kind of blood and to kind of close that chapter. I can also see, especially with the red light, it being so supportive, like for preconception, especially in follicular, like after your period moving up to ovulation or right before ovulation, to just like give your ovaries and the mitochondria in the pelvic area just that little bit of a boost. Two questions for you. One, when can someone start doing it postpartum? And then, who else shouldn't do vaginal steaming? Or when is a time that you shouldn't vaginal steam? So postpartum.

Jessica:

Traditionally, most of the reports I read are that people start immediately, like right away the next day, which I personally was like great, that's what I'm going to do, and that did not feel right for me. So I guess the first thing I'll say is you really have to be listening into what your body says yes to. And I think because childbirth is such an expansive state where you're really like in this raw open place, that there are some moments that you're taking with your newborn and your family to just kind of be in the cave. And I wasn't really ready to have like the separate ritual quite yet, but not even just that. I think it's also because steaming is very opening and you're already quite open and maybe you had some tearing or you're still kind of really in the heavier bleeding phase. It can be helpful to wait about a week until most of that locia has dispelled. I mean, depending on how your placenta removed, your bleeding can really last, for you know, sometimes six to eight weeks. It's okay to steam while you're bleeding, but it is going to kind of speed up that release and process. So really just knowing like what pace you really want to be at and what's going to feel good and right for you.

Jessica:

A lot of women have issues with hemorrhoids after birth because so much has just been like so much pressure there, and steam can be really relieving for that point. So I would say you could do it as soon as really like the next day if that doesn't resonate with you really kind of tune into your bleeding and releasing and choose a time that's going to feel supportive, to really assist that process of letting all that matter out and receiving the healing herbs for your issues while they're in repair there. It's also such a great practice while you're establishing breastfeeding and that oxytocin cycle is coming through, steam increases oxytocin as well and that it's stimulating the uterus in the same way that when your milk comes in. So it's kind of a nice sinuous cycle that happens there. So I really appreciated that. But yeah, I would say just to pay attention. And then, in terms of contraindications, if you have an active infection, steaming can actually potentially exacerbate that. So I would say to consult with an herbalist or your care provider just in terms of how you should treat that and what the steaming protocol should be If you are trying to conceive and you think you may be pregnant.

Jessica:

I like what you described, that right after your bleed or right as you're approaching ovulation, steaming can be really great. If you've already ovulated and you're trying to get pregnant, that wouldn't be a great time to steam, because you're really wanting to be in more of a holding phase and, yeah, it's not recommended to steam while you're pregnant. So once you do become pregnant you want to keep that environment really stable and trust that it's really this miraculous microcosm that's doing exactly what it needs to do. And then, as you near the final weeks of pregnancy, this has kind of been one of my favorite revelations more recently or just recognitions that more and more women are beginning to steam in the final weeks of pregnancy as a way to prepare for labor and birth and especially like for stretching the tissues and just getting that whole perineum ready to really grow wide to let the baby pass through. There's been amazing anecdotal stories now of women that have no tearing and really recover quite quickly because they started a steaming protocol around like 38 weeks and continued until they were ready to go into labor, and usually for that we would recommend a mild setup of just steaming for 10 minutes.

Jessica:

And what's great about the seat too, you can be really specific about what temperature you want it at. So even keeping it at your internal body temperature like 98, 100 degrees, where it's not going to completely like be in like a hyper circulatory mode of releasing but more just of relaxing, and I think it can feel so great as a pregnant person whose ligaments are stretched to capacity to just try to find a little bit more space with the practice of steaming. I have a really dear friend that just gave birth at the end of October who was steaming during this time and she just she's like I said she started to feel kind of almost like like a shaking and her pelvis, but she was like, oh, that just stopped. She just felt that one of her ligaments was like really stretched to capacity there and she just like found a little bit more space through steaming and was feeling really good after that and had a beautiful home birth.

Jessica:

So, yeah, steaming could be good for that phase of pregnancy, but anything before that we really stay away. And I think some other precautions would be like, if you have an IND, to really talk to your care provider about that that it can be okay to steam with mild setups, but it can also cause some issues of shifting and moving around and in general we're kind of gearing more towards like, yeah, giving the uterus more freedom and space and not necessarily necessarily having a device there. So part of our philosophy is training, courage, other forms of contraception although respect to whatever your choices are, it's just something to be a little bit wary about. If you're steaming and do have an IUD, If you have any genital piercings steaming, make sure to take those out because can heat up metal and that could feel uncomfortable.

Bindi:

So what about on your? On your actual period? Yeah, especially if it's heavy.

Jessica:

Yes, that is also not recommended because the uterine arteries are really like open and flowing then and doing the work so it can cause more intensity. You could do it, but it's not recommended to do that. When I say you could do it, I'm kind of thinking more like if you're stagnating or trying to get flow to come along and maybe you're having a bit of, like brown men's that the beginning of your period, that could be an okay time to do it. But once you're really in the flow it's best to back off and let the uterus do what it knows how to do and, as I mentioned before, try to plan your steaming more for when you're anticipating about to bleed and to close that period as well.

Bindi:

Yeah, it makes so much sense. I love to hear that and so empowering to know for women to know when this is going to be really supportive and beneficial and when your body's doing exactly what it's supposed to. Let's respect that. So I love that. Okay, well, I'm so excited. I have loved this conversation with you so much, jessica. I'm so grateful for all that you've shared. I'd love for us to wrap up with a few quick little hot tip, rapid fire questions. Are you?

Jessica:

ready, all right.

Bindi:

Yes, okay. So what is the number one thing that women can do to improve their wellness today?

Jessica:

Well, obviously I have to say vaginal steaming, because that's what I'm here to talk about, but I think, even beyond that, it's really like creating a regular ceremony for yourself to go inward. Whatever that looks like for you, it's your own personal rituals. I think there's just so much value in that and I'm so grateful. There's like a collective return to that. So, yeah, yoni steaming is an amazing way to create that personal ritual for yourself.

Bindi:

Love that so beautiful. What's your number one secret to living a vibrant life?

Jessica:

Honestly, I think, especially like since becoming a mother, being able to practice like giving and receiving love every day and almost like every waking moment, whether it's like myself or my family, or with the food I'm eating or whatever, it is just immense gratitude and love. It just fills me up every time I give more of that. So that really is my personal key to vibrancy, and it's not such a big secret either. It sounds so simple, but there's just so many layers to how deep that can go in your breathing, waking life in every moment.

Bindi:

Simple but powerful. I love that one so much. And then the last one, what's the number one book that if the entire world read it, the world would just be a happier, healthier, better place.

Jessica:

This is a hard one for me because I have so many things, but honestly I am choosing Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin just because I do feel like if every single human being, man or woman, was fully aware of the power of birthing new life into the world, there would be just so much more reverence and respect for the mystery and the beauty of our bodies and connection to the world beyond, and especially for women's bodies and the female body. I think there's just been so much shame and fear around it and it, to me, really opens up the reverence for these parts.

Bindi:

Oh, I love this one. I can't wait to read it. I've written it down Spiritual Midwifery book so great. Well, jessica, thank you so much for being here. I would love to hear where can our listeners find you online? I know you've been so generous and so kind to share a discount code for our community, so for anybody that wants to purchase and try the Lea Moon Yoni steaming product, I have mine on its way to Bali now and I'm so excited to give it a try. So, if you'd like to purchase, the code that Jessica has shared with our community is VibrantU. It's a coupon code that you can use on checkout. And tell us, jessica, where can people find you online?

Jessica:

We are LeaMoon and it's leamooncom, which is L-E-I-A-M-O-O-N, and I'm also on all like the social platforms Instagram, facebook, tiktok all those places at LeaMoon Women.

Bindi:

Amazing, and we'll link all of that up in the show notes as well. So thank you again. So much, jessica, for being here. You are just a wealth of wisdom and I'm so grateful for all that you've shared. I just adore you and all that you're doing in the world, and I'm so excited for this wisdom to lend the ears and hearts of all of the women that it's going to truly benefit. So thank you so much again.

Jessica:

Thank you so much for this opportunity to share and connect with you, and I'm really grateful for it all. Thanks.

Bindi:

Thanks so much for listening. If you loved today's episode, please spread the love by subscribing and leaving a review, or if there's someone in your life that you think could benefit from this conversation, please share this episode with them. I would love to hear from you over on Instagram at bindi-stables, or visit my website, bindi-stablescom, to connect and work with me. Thank you so much again for being here, and I'm celebrating you in this journey of becoming the happiest, the healthiest, most vibrant you.