physical health
Why You Need a Yoni Egg and How to Use One
The yoni egg is definitely an interesting piece of female history. It is thought to come from ancient China where women (mostly concubines) used them to improve their vaginal strength. The word “yoni” means vulva in Sanskrit. However, it is clouded in mystery as most female folklore, no one knows it’s exact origin. Many criticize the yoni egg for not having scientific research to back it up, however, it continues to grow in popularity because women worldwide are seeing the results of using one.
4 Major Benefits of Using the Yoni Egg Regularly
Strengthens our pelvic floor muscles
The yoni egg practice will help strengthen those pelvic floor muscles! They work similarly to the kegel exercises but with a weight so they are more intense than doing just kegels. The more you use the yoni egg, these muscles will strengthen so you will be able to control them better. That means more control during sex, urination and self-pleasure, which is great! Also, for those of us holding trauma inside our yoni and womb, the yoni egg helps us get connected with that trauma to heal and release it.
Helps with learning about our menstruation cycle
Women have this incredible monthly menstruation cycle that we often know very little about. There is so much mystery like what does each phase mean? How does it affect our energy and mode? When we begin a yoni egg practice, we get in tune with our yoni. You will start to see that your yoni is different from day to day. Perhaps it feels different inside, your cervix has moved or the wetness is different. The more you know, the more you can take full advantage of your cycle.
Increases our sexual arousal and orgasmic possibilities
This is perhaps the best benefit (Am I right?). The more we connect with our yoni and clear the trauma from our past, we begin to feel more sensation. Many women report being in pain or having numbing sensation in their yoni and the egg can help equalize this. For me, my challenge was how numb I was inside my yoni, but I had pain around the lips. The more I used the egg, the more I cleared the trauma and released the tension. My yoni began to have deeper and more intense orgasms. Also, I experience new types of orgasms I had never had before which was a pleasant surprise!
Connects women to their divine feminine
The more we connect to our womb and yoni we can begin to harness the power that lives there. For most women, it lies dormant and is never awakened but that is where we hold so much of our divine feminine power. When we bring this part of us to life, we can set boundaries with ease. We can decide our future with joy and not constant worry. The yoni egg practice can teach us to soften into our feminine power and really begin to create the life of our dreams.
Okay, but how do we get started?
The first step is finding YOUR egg. Eggs are mostly made of crystals or glass. However, I recommend either a Nephrite Egg or Obsidian Egg for anyone starting out. You can see more about each here. Many beginners are tempted to go with clear or rose quartz because they know that crystal. But quartz amplifies anything it touches so if you have a lot of trauma, meaning this type of crystal can actually emphasize the trauma. So stay clear of quartz unless you are a seasoned egg user and are certain you are clear of any traumas. This is why I recommend the Nephrite or Obsidian varieties.
When you start your practice, begin with 3 minutes sessions, 3 times per week. You’ll want to avoid overdoing it and exhausting their pelvic floor muscles, but using the egg too much before we’re used to it. We don’t want to cause any discomfort. Also, never insert your egg while you are bleeding. Your body is trying to release during that time, and the egg practice isn’t counterproductive.
To start, follow these instructions:
- Lay down on your back and take some deep breaths
- Give yourself a nice message especially around your breasts to ground your body. We want you to be relaxed and calm.
- Take the egg [string it, if you like] and hold it over your womb for a few breaths. This will warm it up.
- Then slowly move the egg down to the opening of your yoni + ask your body if it wishes to receive the yoni egg.
- If you get a good feeling or a yes, then go ahead and insert it for 3 minutes. If you get a “no”, then leave it by your side. We never force it in.
- During that time, you can mediate, journal or do some light yoga!
- When you take it out, rinse it with water and soap. And send it gratitude for the healing.
Eventually, you may find yourself creating your own ritual around the Yoni Egg. That is the best! It means you are really leaning into it and making it your own. Every woman holds within her a unique feminine power that only she can unleash! I hope this yoni egg practice helps you release it with the world.
*If you have any questions about Yoni Egg or divine feminine, contact Morgan on her website.
- Morgan Doman
- May, 13, 2021
How To Care For Your Body Intuitively And With Self-Compassion
Mindfulness. Intuitive eating. Self-compassion. These are terms that we have become familiar with as so many are craving new ways of coping, connecting with ourselves and relating to each other. But as these concepts become buzz words or are over-commercialized, we risk losing the spirit of what is important.
When it comes to eating and how we relate to our bodies, many of us become paralyzed in our pursuit of mindfulness. There are literally hundreds of food documentaries telling us the different diets that we should adhere to, but they all seem to contradict each other. For the most part, the media still portrays only one type of body as desirable. We are living in the most over-worked, disconnected, and financially burdened society ever. Stigmas against mental illness run rampant. And the icing on the cake; we’re burned out and fatigued from the state of the current world. Thank you, COVID-19. Intuitive eating, mindfulness and self-compassion can turn our external focus back inward, allowing us to tap into the wisdom of our own bodies. And to do this, we must be able to listen to our own needs and turn down the voices of outside influences.
SO, WHAT DID THIS PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
Well, I examined the chronic need to lose 10 pounds (or so I thought). The daily weighing and seeking approval from my bathroom scale. Guilt if I gained even a single pound. Negative body image. My relentless inner critic shaming me throughout the day. Perfectionism. Moderate food restriction and diets. While this was a different path than one who might be struggling with taking even a small bite, it was also an important journey.
To my surprise, my body DID NOT CHANGE, at least not that much. I slowly began to trust my body. I stopped censoring the food I was eating, and most of the time I ate when hungry and I stopped when full. It’s a miracle how much easier it is to not overeat when you haven’t deprived yourself throughout the day! I think the fear underlying this kind of freedom is often externally imposed on by diet culture. We are taught that if we don’t do drastic things—like buy those supplements or join that gym—we will just keep gaining and gaining. We undermine our metabolism and our own innate instincts. I started exercising again when it came from a place of desire versus a place of fear and shame.
Through trusting myself, I learned that my body has a natural place it wants to be.
Think about these questions to investigate your own personal experience:
How would you describe your relationship with your body?
When you think of your body, what comes to mind? What thoughts and feelings come to mind? How do you deal with these thoughts and feelings? What do you tell yourself about these thoughts and feelings?
What are the physical characteristics you may need to accept about yourself?
What are the negative body image thoughts you need to reduce or eliminate?
What are the situations you would like to feel more comfortable in?
What beliefs and behaviors do you need to change to be less invested in appearance-based self-worth?
What are the consequences or impacts that your body image struggles produce, and what do you want to change?
5 philosophies for caring for your body
Not every one of these may feel right for you; explore a few and see how they work.
SELF-COMPASSION
Treating ourselves with kindness can motivate us internally and allow us to show more compassion externally. There are a number of misunderstandings about self-compassion. For example, the core belief that self-compassion will make a person selfish or lazy, but science proves otherwise. Self-compassion is an inner resource that helps us survive adversity, build resiliency, and it motivates us to achieve our goals. We receive more energy and motivation from love versus fear.
INTUITIVE EATING
Avoid giving moral value to food. An intuitive eater is defined as a person who “makes food choices without experiencing guilt or an ethical dilemma, honors hunger, respects fullness and enjoys the pleasure of eating.”
MINDFUL EATING
Maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and fluid you put into your body. It involves observing how the food makes you feel and the signals your body sends about taste, satisfaction, and fullness.
JOYFUL MOVEMENT
Joyful movement is a way of approaching physical activity that emphasizes pleasure and choice. Exercise often feels compulsory — it’s done to earn food or burn off food, and to punish the body for not fitting into arbitrary and unrealistic ideals. Joyful movement recognizes the right to rest as well as the benefits of rest, and your choice in whether to engage with it or not. How do you find joy in movement? Well, what did you love to do as a kid? What do you look forward to versus dread? Do you enjoy walking your dog, or do you prefer going to a candlelight yoga class? Listen to your body and do what feels good.
MIRROR WORK
What I really love about mirror work is that it can be a combination of intimately connecting with yourself, as well as exposure to yourself. We can intimately connect when looking into our own eyes while stating affirmations. Louise Hay’s Mirror Workbook takes you on this journey in “Mirror Work: 21 Days to Heal Your Life.” Mirror work can also be repeatedly standing in front of your mirror, becoming more comfortable with all parts of your body. When doing this, it is important to set all judgement aside. This needs to be an exercise that is either neutral or affirming. If you find yourself criticizing, you may not be ready to take this step.
Taking the time to utilize these resources have aided in the ongoing journey of self-acceptance for both myself and for so many others. With the holidays approaching these practices can be especially helpful. Purposefully focusing your attention on the present can help you embrace companionship, connectivity, and overall contentment and help make the season of celebration more meaningful for you and your loved ones.
- Leila Boytler
- Dec, 02, 2020