Traditional Wisdom Supports Women's Wellbeing

Oh no, it’s that time of the month! That’s unfortunately how many women feel about the rising of their menstrual or “moon” cycle. It is not usual for women to experience cramps, fatigue, headache, backache, digestive trouble, heavy bleeding, emotional swings and other ailments that slow us down, lower our (re)productivity and diminish our quality of life.

Too many of us have been incapacitated by the many distressing symptoms that can visit during this period of the month and disturb our overall health. Like many of women, you may have come to accept suffering as normal or become dependent on medications to treat pain or control your cycle.  Unfortunately, these drugs are often toxic, have a host of negative side effects, and may lead to chemical dependency. These treatments rarely support a woman’s understanding of her own body, nor its cyclic manifestations and disruptions. Ironically, it seems that women - and our feminine wisdom - have been largely displaced to the margins of addressing our own most pressing and intimate health concerns.
 
Traditionally, however, women all around the world have attended to women’s health in community and relied on collective generational knowledge and traditions to nurse themselves and other women. These health affirming modalities and systems have been developed over centuries - perhaps even millennia - through careful observation, trail and error, and the deep-rooted knowledge of the healing properties abundant in plants, minerals, water and other natural resources.

V- STEAMING + ABDOMINAL MASSAGE =
​REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & LIFE FORCE SUPPORT

Fortunately, some ancient healing systems have been carried down to the present day and are returning to the center of women’s health practices. Two traditional healing modalities in particular, vaginal steaming and abdominal massage like Chi Nei Tsang (CNT), directly address the reproductive and other vital abdominal organs and are especially useful in treating “women’s issues”.

Yoni Steaming, Vaginal Steaming, V-Steaming, V-What?!… You’ve probably at least heard of it by now. Maybe you read about Gwyneth Paltrow singing its praises on Goop.com or saw Christy Teigen blissfully squatting over a pot on Twitter. While celebrity attention has helped raise awareness about these practices, it has also led some cultural and medical experts to dismiss the practice as a “fad” akin to a celebrity diet. This unfortunately stems from a fundamental lack of knowledge and understanding about this traditional women’s’ health practice and the many health benefits it may provide you today.
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Vaginal steaming has been practiced for centuries – perhaps even millennia – the world over including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, India, and northern Europe. There are cultural variations, however, women generally sit over a pot of steaming herbs formulated to support aspects of reproductive health and general wellbeing. The practice takes wisdom from the pretty much universally held belief that certain plants and organic essences can bolster the body’s own healing processes. This principle forms the foundation of traditional and western medical practices alike.
 
Steam is used in countless applications to unblock passages, clear away pollutants, and deliver treatments. In healthcare, it is often used to improve circulation, soften tissues, breakdown impurities, open pores and unblock passageways to support the release of toxins and improve receptivity to vital nutrients and healing essences. Think about how steaming helps sooth and clear congested lungs or troubled skin. 
 
Vaginal steaming is believed deliver similar benefits to the reproductive organs including the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. The treatment has been used to address a number of gynecological issues from dysmenorrhea to infertility. Your practitioner will work with you to determine the how this modality can best support your gynecological health and feminine wellbeing.
 
The traditional Chinese/Taoist practice of Chi Nei Tsang, or abdominal massage, is a very complimentary treatment to vaginal steaming. While vaginal steaming supports the function of the reproductive organs, Chi Nei Tsang works to support the “chi” of the very essence of life that flows through the body’s various channels and vessels. Taoists believe that all of these systems cross paths and are headquartered in the abdomen. Moreover, it is believed that negative thoughts and emotions manifest physically and therefore have a direct impact on the flow and functioning of the organs.  Abdominal massage systematically uses gentle touch, pressure and manipulation to loosen blockages and stimulate the body’s organic healing mechanisms. Together, vaginal steaming and CNT directly support the very organs and structures that give and support life.

HALF THE JOURNEY IS HAVING THE RIGHT GUIDE

Central to both vaginal steaming traditions and Chi Nei Tsang is the belief that the practitioner/healer/teacher’s responsibility is to help their client/student understand their own bodies how to support their own health. It is essential to have a practitioner with the intention and knowledge to do just that. A good practitioner has a deep understanding of and abiding respect for traditional knowledge systems and how they can support health in a contemporary context that tends to distance us from the natural world. A good practitioner can draw on a wealth of knowledge gained from deep study and apprenticeship with masters to directly support your health as well as guide you through self-healing practices.
 
Marisa Reyes and Purple Lotus embody this wisdom. They have built an admiral practice and stellar reputation for expertly delivering holistic and integrated healing modalities. At the foundation of their practice is guiding their clients through the powerful healing inherent in self-awareness, and interconnectedness of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the self.
 
Marisa is trained in both CNT and vaginal steaming.  She studied Chi Nei Tsang Abdominal Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with Kru Au Kha - herself a student of Taoist master Mantak Chia. She is also California certified massage therapist through the Massage School of Pasadena. She studied vaginal steaming with Keli Garza of Steamy Chick who is is "at the forefront of professionalizing vaginal steam into an alternative medicine field known as peristeam hydrotherapy."
 
Purple Lotus offers vaginal steaming and 90 min abdominal massage for $180. New clients receive a free aromatherapy add-on.

Book My V-Steam + Abdominal Massage Package

Feel free to contact Marisa for any questions, comments, or concerns at
​(323)797-1917 or email [email protected] 

Located outside of Los Angeles?!

Book an online consultation with Marisa so that you can shift from despising to revising your menstrual cycle experience. This includes:

• a 90-minute Zoom consultation to understand your personal health concerns.
• All of the tools needed for the first 30 days (essential oils, supplements, herbs)
• a 30 minute follow-up to check in and see how the protocol is working.
• ​Cost: $250

Book My Online Health Coaching Consultation

About the Author

A big thank you to Kimber Smith who is a creative professional and storyteller who leads high impact media projects that promote social good.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from USC and a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Anthropology from Tufts University. Her international travels, study of culture, and collection of oral histories have illustrated that it is still traditional wisdom that hold up the very pillars of modern civilization.

​Sources:

1.  Argivo, Rosita. Rosita Arvigo on Yoni Steams. https://www.soulvibrance.com/vibrant-living/yoni-steam
2. Chia, Mantak. 2007. Chi Nei Tsang: Chi Massage for the Vital Organs, 
           http://www.chi-nei-tsang-official- site.com/introduction.html
3. http://www.steamychick.com/  
4.  http://fertilityfriday.com/rositaarvigo/  
5. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17278/vaginal-steaming-what-you-need-to-know.html  
 6. https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/balanced-living/wellness-therapies/chi-nei-tsang/  ​