FEMININE EMBODIMENT
PART 1:
TOAIST BREAST MASSAGE
From the Taoist perspective, the breasts are considered to be our positive or yang pole and the seat of love energy or “qi” for women.
This is where we source our love and nurturing for ourselves and others. When we are armoured in the heart, energy gets stagnant in the breasts. This not only affects our physical health, but also blocks our love, joy, and creative expression.
Physically, breast massage circulates blood and lymph which is critical for breast health, but it also circulates qi or energy which keeps us vibrant, radiant and connected to ourselves and our energetic or emotional health.
WHEN TO DO BREAST MASSAGE?
The best time to perform a Taoist breast massage, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), can depend on your menstrual cycle, your energy levels, and the time of day:
1. Menstrual Cycle Timing:
After menstruation (follicular phase): This is an optimal time because your energy is rising, and the massage can help promote circulation and lymphatic flow to prepare for the next cycle.
Avoid during menstruation: Since your body is focused on cleansing, it’s generally recommended to avoid stimulating energy or chi in the breast area during menstruation.
2. Time of Day:
Morning: Doing the massage in the morning helps stimulate your energy and activate chi flow for the day ahead.
Evening: Some practitioners suggest doing it in the evening as part of a calming, grounding practice before bed. It can help you unwind, promoting relaxation and sleep.
3. Emotional Timing:
Whenever you're feeling tension, stagnation, or emotional stress, the massage can be a soothing practice to release stored emotions and promote balance, as breast tissue is connected to the heart and lungs in TCM.
Incorporating the Taoist breast massage into a regular practice based on these principles can promote breast health, emotional well-being, and energetic balance.
INSTRUCTIONS
To begin, gently cup your breasts with your hands, with a gentle and loving touch. Hold here for as long as you need. You can use any oil or lotion that you like on your hands.
Start by massaging outward from the centre of your breasts towards the sides of your body. This removes any stagnation and disperses energy. Repeat for 12 or 36 circles depending on how much time you have.
Next switch directions and massage from the outside towards the centre of the body. This brings energy to your heart centre. Move as slow and with as much pressure as you like. Let your intuition and curiosity guide your movement. 12 or 26 circles.
As you massage, visualize releasing any emotional or physical tension stored in the chest area. Allow any sounds to be expressed.
To end, gently cup your breasts again. Notice the difference compared to when you began. For integration spend a few moments in stillness or meditation. Repeat any loving affirmations you’d like. If you don’t have any you can use “My heart is healing” or “I am my most loving self.”
This can be repeated daily or whenever it feels right.
BENEFITS
GOOD LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE
The tissues of your breasts extend to the underarm area where there are many lymphatic vessels. Their main function is to regulate the movement of lymph fluid in the body. If they fail, the fluid builds up along with the toxin, leading to puffy skin and even lymphedema, a chronic swollen condition. Research has shown that manual breast stimulation can flush out excess lymphatic fluid and thus relieve you of uncomfortable swollen conditions.
PREMENSTRUAL BREAST PAIN RELIEF
Cyclical mastalgia is breast pain that appears about a week before menstruation in 70% of women. Although this is a natural phenomenon, it still gives us discomfort. Periodic breast massage, in turn, significantly reduces this unpleasant symptom. In particular, this ritual copes with pain and tightness of the breasts as well as nipple extensibility.
BREAST CANCER DETECTION
By massaging your breasts regularly, you explore what it looks like and feels like. Because of this, you are more likely to identify any abnormalities such as growths or lumps. These lumps may also be benign cysts, or 20% of cases, precursors for breast cancer. Be sure to check with your physician if you have suspicious lumps. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer greatly improve your chances of recovery.
SMOOTH QI FLOW
In TCM, there are 3 major meridians that run near the breasts area: Kidney, Liver, Stomach and 3 minor meridians Spleen, Pericardium and Gallbladder that run at the outer side of the breasts. Think of these as “highways” that carry Qi (energy) around the breasts. When there is traffic is smooth along the “highways”, the self-regulating meridians flow along happily. However, when the flow becomes sluggish and stagnated, it threatens us with problems with physical and mental health as well as general well-being.
Also known as vaginal steaming or yoni steaming, this ritual stems from the Maya healing lineage and used mainly to cleanse the uterus when there are menstrual difficulties, to completely clean the womb when finished bleeding, after birth, and with menopause. They are popular in Central America, India, eastern Europe, and in Korea, where women commonly incorporate them as part of their self-care routines.
Steaming with medicinal herbs encourage movement within the fluid of your pelvis – increasing pelvic circulation, reducing menstrual pain, restoring microbial balance, and nourishing tone within the vaginal and uterine tissue.
PART 2:
PELVIC STEAMING
A yoni steam is sort of like a facial for your uterus, it is a steam cleaning for your uterine wall. A good rule is to pick herbs that are delicate enough for your eyes and mouth. Options include:
Lavender is a sweet-smelling antiseptic and anti-bacterial herb with soothing and powerful cleansing properties for a healthy vaginal environment.
Rosemary is also antiseptic and helps with circulating out old fluids and blood. It purifies and stimulates the yoni and reclaim or remember lost parts of your self.
Lemon Balm is an antiviral herb that helps with relieving itchiness and smells delightful.
Dandelion helps improve endocrine and reproductive health. It helps rid excess estrogen, sugars, and toxins of the body.
Calendula bright golden blossoms are antiseptic and soothing to irritated tissues. It also helps ease and treat cramping and heaviness.
Peppermint helps energize, stimulate, and restore of the yoni.
Chamomile is known as the grandmother herb. It helps with relieving cramping, tension, and pain. It smells amazing.
Yarrow is a powerful infection fighter, great for wound repair, tender, bruised, stitched tissues.
Uva Ursi is an alkalinizing herb that is specific for UTI and reproductive infections.
Raspberry Leaf, Motherwort, Peony, Damiana, Oregano, and Basil - support urinary and reproducutive organs.
Witch Hazel, Yarrow, Rose and Juniper - are tonifying, tightening, and drying.
Comfrey, Marshmallow, Plantain - soothe and moisturize.
Seaweeds such as kombu and bladderwrack - for their mucilaginous quality, which can aid in softening and cleansing, as well as their rich mineral content
When to do a pelvic steam?
After menstruation - to ensure a complete shedding (not to be done while bleeding), for those with regular cycles it’s best to save this ritual for once every 3-4 months
For cramps - once a week leading up to bleed soothes and relaxes the pelvic muscles and loosens the endometrial lining
For fertility - steaming pre-ovulation may help prep the body for conception (although not proven), expect to steam for at least three months before seeing results and do not steam after possible conception or if you think you are pregnant
For healing trauma - as a way to send love and warmth to your body for healing
For releasing sexual energy from past partners
After miscarriage - best to be done after bleeding has stopped, can be bery emotionally healing - reach out to a herbalist or counsellor for more specific support
Postpartum - best to reach out to a specific herbalist, midwife, doula or other professional for personalized support
After hysterectomy - warmth can soothe scar tissue and promote healing
How to do a pelvic steam?
If you don’t have a special chair you can use a regular chair on it’s side like the photo below… or kneel in childs pose with a pot on the ground between your knees and a towel around the top of the pot in case you kneel too close to the pot.
Set your self up in a safe, private, and pleasant area— the bathroom, your bedroom, or a meditation space; you may want to be looking at an altar or out a window. Place your steam bowl where you'll have room and be comfortable. Be sure to wear socks or place the chair on carpeting for warmth.
Start a pot of 3L of water to boil with a lid. Once you have a rolling boil, turn the heat down, add one cup of well packed dry herbs and seaweed to the water and simmer for 5–10 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep for another 10 minutes with the lid on always. You want to keep the volatile oils of the herbs in the steam and not let them escape.
Meanwhile, gather a sheet, towels, and blanket to drape around you while you sit. They should be wrapped around you once you sit down to form a sort of sweat lodge for the lower half of your body. Use pillows behind you, and towels on top of the seat, if desired.
Once you are ready to sit and steam, transfer the herb pot to under the open seat of the chair. Sit down, get comfortable, get your draping around you, and then open the lid of steam. Adjust to the heat and use the draping to allow in fresh air if needed while you get settled; otherwise, close the steam tent up so that no cold air comes in. Then, settle into your pelvic steam.
Relax, meditate, read something inspiring, have music playing, connect with your womb, your vagina, your pelvis, and receive what your body has to communicate.
It's best to steam for about 20–30 minutes. Listen to your body. Repeat as desired. Do not use it during bleeding or pregnancy.
Cautions and contraindications
Steam can cause burns so be careful with temperature and spilling hot water
There is such thing as too much pelvic steaming, it might disrupt the microbiome and flora found in your vaginal canal. Your vagina is fully capable of cleansing herself, and most of the time does not need to be cleansed. A healthy vagina has bacteria that help keep the vaginal pH at the right level, but disrupting this environment (through steaming, douching, etc.) can increase the risk of infection. So use this ritual sparingly.
References: https://www.birthsongbotanicals.com/blogs/birth-song-blog/yoni-steaming-the-sacred-origin-how-to-steam-choosing-your-herbs
