The Rituals · first five days of the follicular phase
Yoni steams.
What they are, why they are done, the herbs I use, and how I do them.
A yoni steam is exactly what it sounds like: sitting, wrapped in a blanket, over a bowl of warm herbal steam for around twenty minutes. It is an old practice found in traditional systems all over the world, used to bring warmth and circulation to the pelvis, to cleanse, and to mark the fresh start of a new cycle. In the traditional view, a warm womb is a receptive womb, and the steam carries the properties of the herbs to where they are wanted. It is also twenty forced minutes of being warm, still and off my phone, and my body has come to expect it.
When, and why only then
The first five days of the follicular phase, once the bleed has fully finished, and never later. Steaming during your period makes bleeding heavier, and steaming after those five days risks running into your fertile window, when you could already be pregnant without knowing. The narrow window is the whole safety logic: warmth when nothing can be disturbed by it.
What you need
The setup
A yoni steam stool (a wooden seat with an opening, made for this) or a slatted stool over a bowl. A large heat-safe bowl or pot. A big blanket or steam gown to trap the warmth around you. Twenty minutes where nobody needs you.
The herbs I use
A small handful total per steam: calendula, chamomile, lavender and rosemary as the base, sometimes raspberry leaf. Mugwort is the herb most associated with steaming traditionally; I use it sparingly and it carries a caveat: avoid it entirely if there is any chance of pregnancy. Never add essential oils to the water: they burn delicate skin.
How I do it
1. Simmer the herbs
A handful of herbs in about two liters of water. Bring to a boil, simmer five minutes with the lid on, then take it off the heat and let it stand a few minutes.
2. Test the steam, always
Place the bowl under the stool and hold the inside of your wrist over it for ten seconds. It should feel like pleasant warmth, never hot. Scalding steam is the real injury risk in this practice.
3. Sit, wrap, wait
Sit on the stool, wrap the blanket around your waist to the floor to hold the steam in, and stay for fifteen to twenty minutes. If it ever feels too hot, stand up: more heat is not more benefit.
4. Go to bed warm
I do it in the evening and go straight to warm socks and bed. It pairs with the foot soaks and the warm-body rule from the rest of the protocol.