Take the shortcut to understanding your cycle, because experiencing pain-free, peaceful, pleasurable cycles gives you the power to experience your life as you’ve imagined is possible - and it’s all possible.
Understanding your cycle provides a level of power to create your world in the most relaxed, nourished and intentional way, while inspiring projects that feed your soul, fuelling you with quantum-level energetic downloads that will change the trajectory of your life while gifting you the joy of play.
A mini-guide that simplifies the 4 week journey, provides printable cycle-tracking pages, identifies characteristics of a healthy uterus versus signs of stagnation, and provides clarity so you can start applying the wisdom to experience pain-free, peaceful and pleasure-filled cycles.
Download, print & use the guide to deepen your attunement to the wise shamaness within you.
Attuning to the Sacred
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Attuning to the Sacred ⋆
Birth is not meant to be a medical event, nor a traumatic experience. We’re wired for the sacred experience that birth was designed as. Rewriting the stories we’ve been told about what birth is and isn’t, frees our spirits and guides us towards living authentically.
Take a listen to the curated playlist of podcasts from Wise Ones across the globe - midwives, teachers, OBGYN’s, doctors, and other guides who point the way towards a more sacred understanding of birth, and how to get there.
You can also find YouTube video playlists that offer visuals for understanding the physiological unfolding of birth, along with other perspectives shared that aren’t available through Spotify.
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Perineal steaming is the practice of sitting over a steaming bowl of water, naked from the waste down with a blanket/fabric wrapped around the hips to help tent in the heat, in order to receive the healing and nourishing benefits of the herbal steam through the regions of the perineum, vaginal canal, and anus.
It’s a most gentle and effective way to help release stagnation in the uterus - which then releases any build-up of old blood while correcting issues related to menstruation, fertility and menopause.
Steaming is also an effective support for some digestive related issues, sexual trauma for any gender, cold/heat issues, and mental, psychological, and/or emotional distress. *
The healing steam and volatile oils from the plant medicines support the clearing out of old membranes, while restoring balance among the body’s systems, ensuring long-term health.
* Please see ‘What are the benefits of steaming’ for a more extensive list of benefits.
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Through warming the perineum with an herbal infused steam, chronic congestion can be addressed.
Professional practitioners the world over have found that everyone benefits from this practice.
When herbs are heated in water, the heat releases medicinal properties of the specific plants used. It’s important to have an understanding of the medicinal qualities of the plants so as to support the body and not cause injury. Steaming practitioners and herbalists have the knowledge needed to support your practice.
The steaming practice itself works by applying moist heat to the pelvic bowl, which caries healing medicinal volatile oils to the exterior tissues of the vagina, perineum, and anus, as well as systemically throughout the entire body via the blood stream. The warmth and moisture increases circulation.
In the example of the female reproductive system, the increase in circulation causes the labia to swell and expose the inner labial mucus membranes. As the tissues are very porous and absorbent, the bloodstream picks up the volatile oils from the plants and carries them deep into the inner reproductive system, including the uterus.
The herbal steam increases circulation, thins mucus and revitalizes the entire system, allowing it to shed old membranes and mucus build-up.
In this way, steaming supports the womb to return to a harmonic physical and emotional alignment, which supports the energetic qualities it imparts from day to day.
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There are so many benefits to steaming!
Professional practitioners the world over have found that everyone benefits from this practice.
While traditionally used to support menstruation, fertility and postpartum healing, perineum steaming has proven to be effective in a variety of ways, including reducing undiagnosed pelvic floor pain, anal fissures, and hemorrhoids among others.
Here are some of the benefits of steaming:
Menstrual irregularities including absent periods, long/short menstrual cycles, heavy/light bleeding, frequent bleeding & clots,
PMDD
Painful menstrual cramps
Underlying menstrual cycle imbalances including: mental, psychological, and/or emotional distress
Vaginal dryness
Yeast or bacterial infections
Painful sex
Lack of libido
Infertility + reproductive issues in all genders
Uterine Disorders (fibroids, cysts, endometriosis, PCOS, etc)
Labor pain
Pre and postpartum care
Pregnancy loss
Pelvic organ prolapse of the uterus, colon or bladder
Depression and disconnection from life giving energies
Stored emotions + trauma in the womb
Hot flashes + night sweats
Certain rectal issues
Fistula (hole) in the rectum, vagina or bladder
Pre + post pelvic exam (to help with elasticity, abrasion or pain)
As an alternative to surgery (with additional care)
Post-surgery (once incisions have healed)
Hemorrhoids
Constipation
Arthritis
Dampness or cold in the pelvis or body
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Perineal steaming is absolutely a safe practice to do at home.
It’s wise to familiarize yourself with the process, learning from those who’ve been steam advocates for years. See the ‘When is it not safe to steam?’ section below for more details.
If you are a traditional herbalist who forages herbs and has been integrating the medicinal qualities in your home apothecary, you will be at home working with herbs for steaming.
If working with herbs for their medicinal properties is new to you, your best course of action would be to consult with a peristeam practitioner or trained herbalist to better understand your body and its needs. There are a plethora of courses available online for those who would like to learn more about the medicinal qualities of herbs. Steamy Chick Institute offers courses specific to learning the basics of herbal steaming for home use, as well as advanced training to become a steam practitioner.
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Steaming is a safe practice you can do at home. To ensure your practice is reflective of the womb care that nurtures and supports, keep the following in mind and do not steam during these times:
Water too hot: If your water has just boiled and is scalding hot, you’ll need to wait a few minutes for it to cool. If your wrist can’t safely sit over the steam, neither can the delicate tissues of your vulva and perineum. Steaming is relaxing and warming, but you should not be constantly moving and squirming to try to avoid sitting in one spot because it feels too hot to stay there.
Menstruation: If you’re in the bleed portion of your cycle, it’s not wise to steam. Wait until the full flush is complete.
Trying to conceive: If you’re syncing your cycle to conceive or receiving IVF, do not steam between your ovulation and menstruation phases. Only steam during the follicular phase (between menstruation and ovulation).
During pregnancy: It’s not safe to steam for the duration of a pregnancy. However, once in the birthing stages, steaming has proven to be gently supportive, reducing pain and allowing a softening through the waves of contractions. European studies in hospitals are not integrating steaming as part of the options available when birthing.
Birth control: If using procedures or interventions for birth control, steaming may cause a reversal of some procedures (endometrial ablation, essure, tubal cauterization, the patch). Find alternative sources for birth control, or learn to follow your cycle + body’s rhythms to understand when steaming is most supportive.
Very hot weather: When it’s hot out, listen to your body. The heat may already be enough for your body, and steaming may aggravate your womb and cycle. Different bodies respond to heat differently so a mindful approach is essential, always.
Frequent bleeds: If you are bleeding more than once per month or spontaneously, it would be beneficial to work with a trained streaming practitioner to reset your system.
Not knowing how to use medicinal herbs: Herbs carry potent medicinal properties. It’s essential to have an understanding of the herbs you’re using, and the effect they’ll have on your body given the symptoms or care that’s required. Working with a trained steam practitioner and learning about herbalism will go a long way towards ensuring your journey is a healing, safe and supportive one.
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While steaming is contraindicated during pregnancy, it’s a beneficial practice to bring in during the last 2 weeks before the suggested due date, and during the early phases of the birth journey.
Working with a practitioner who understands how to support steaming during birth will give the most favourable outcomes and ensure the process remains a safe one.
During the last couple week prior to the start of labour, steaming preps the cells and energy centres through hydration, relaxation and circulation - the 3 essentials required for birth to unfold in the most straightforward way.
As these 3 components work synergistically together, feelings of trust, safety and comfort increase. When women feel safe, relaxed and trusting in how their birth is unfolding, they’ll experience an increase in oxytocin levels (the love hormone), a rise in beta-endorphins (the pleasure hormone), and a reduction in epinephrine and norepinephrine (the fight or flight hormones).
Studies have shown that steaming during labour reduces transfers from homes or birthing centres, reduces pain, reduces interventions and reduces the average length of time birthing. The Czech Republic now has steaming sets up in the maternity sections of 57 hospitals across the country.
When ‘failure to progress’ or ‘stalled labour’ language shows up, steaming is an option that can help bring together those 3 essentials - circulation, hydration, relaxation - needed for baby to ease down through the canal and safely arrive earthside.
STEAMING FAQs
UPRIGHT BIRTHING FAQs
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Upright birthing is described as integrating any of these positions during the birthing experience: walking, standing, leaning, using a birth chair, squatting, kneeling, and on hand-and-knees (all fours).
Lying down positions include lying on your side, supine (fully lying down), semi-supine (lying down with head of the bed raised), lithotomy (fully lying on back with stirrups).
When given a choice, women instinctively move through a variety of the various positions, and choose a more upright position for the final emergence stage of birthing their baby (barring any pre-existing physical limitations).
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Studies continue to show upright births are far more supportive to the physiological birthing process (the body’s natural function) than supine or lithotomy positions are.
Benefits of upright births include:
It’s less painful than lying on your back! As a result, there is a lowered risk for synthetic interventions (epidural, synthetic oxytocin), which has been shown to slow and even stop the natural physiological process.
Gravity naturally assists the baby in moving through the birth canal, allowing them to get into a better position to pass through the pelvis
The uterus contracts with more strength + efficiency
There is less potential to compress the aorta, which means:
More blood flow, and therefore more oxygen reaches baby
Lowered risk of abnormal fetal heart rate patterns
Lowered risk of emergency Cesarean
Lowered risk for episiotomy
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Researchers have found consistent evidence that positions that take the weight off the sacrum/coccyx and allow the pelvis to expand can make spontaneous birth more likely (spontaneous birth is without the use of surgery, vacuum, or forceps assistance).
Another way to classify birthing positions is whether your body weight is on or off the sacrum, or the large flat bone at the base of the spine, and the coccyx or tailbone, which makes up the bottom tip of the sacrum.
“A computer simulation of the birthing process found that when the coccyx is allowed to move freely, then it can move nearly 16 degrees (making more space for the baby’s head to come down and out through the pelvis). In contrast, when non-flexible sacrum positions are used, the coccyx can only move about 4 degrees (Borges et al., 2021).”
Supports that take the weight off the sacrum and tailbone area include:
Kneeling
Standing
Hands-and-knees
Side-lying
Squatting
Using a U-shaped birth seat
Find the fully detailed article at:
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Did you know? Historically, only 5% of women experienced a tear during birthing.
No, birth stools themselves will not cause a perineum to tear. When a mother enters her birth journey spontaneously (when all hormones and receptors have aligned) and is free from monitoring (monitors, probing fingers, clock-watching and timelines, coaching or forced pushing) her experience will naturally bring her to the birth stool if/when needed, and away when it’s not.
While it’s possible to experience a tear during birth, the potential for a tear to occur during the use of a birthing stool as minimal given the magnitude of important benefits that upright birthing provides.
The body is designed to self-heal.
Tears that happen during a normal, physiological birth tend to be a minor graze and will heal in the most majestic way without interventions such as sutures or even additional surgery later on, which is the case with episiotomies.
Trust in your body to do what it was designed to do. There are steps you can take to minimize the potential for a tear. See below ‘Perineal tearing and perineal trauma are not the same?’
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It’s important to note the difference between perineal tearing and perineal trauma. They are not the same thing.
The body is self-healing. Our skin is self-healing. Perineums are designed to stretch, expand and heal if torn. If a tear does occur, the body’s ability to self-heal will regenerate cells and provide the necessary healing.
To clarify, there are a number of factors that influence the likelihood of perineal trauma associated with tearing or as a result of an episiotomy.
Perineal trauma is more likely to occur when:
you are unfamiliar with physiological birth and how to use your own movements to best support the baby’s emergence through the pelvis
an obstetrician who specializes in surgeries is the care provider
lying on your back to birth, especially with legs in stirrups (lithotomy position)
forceps or vacuum are used
an epidural is given
an episiotomy is given
there is a long, strenuous phase of pushing that is externally directed or cognitively directed (versus impulsed from the body)
nutrition that doesn’t consider it’s effects on the body, suppleness and elasticity of perineal tissues
Tearing and trauma are different experiences. A tear that results from birthing doesn’t need to be feared. Additionally, there are steps that can be taken to lessen the likelihood of a tear.
Perineal trauma is less likely to occur when:
birthing preparations are thorough (understanding physiological births, witnessing them, learning about baby’s movements through the pelvis and how to support their natural passage through the pelvis, pre and perinatal nutrition to support suppleness and elasticity of perineal tissues)
you have spent time on personal healing - working on early childhood trauma, sexual trauma and/or ancestral trauma
trusting in your body’s innate ability to birth - following your body’s cues for when and how to move during birth without external coaching or direction
you have been repeatedly visioning your ideal birth in detail, including the feelings, smells, sounds, and sensations
you are able to let go of expectations
you regularly steamed prior to pregnancy
you use warmth packs, steam or warm water during birthing if the desire to do so is there. Some women do not like these or find them invasive to their process.
perineal massage was regularly incorporated prior to and/or during pregnancy (but not during the actual birth itself)
giving birth in an upright or side-lying position
closing your legs during emergence stages of birthing, or holding the baby’s head - if you feel the impulse to
riding the waves of contractions to slowly birth baby versus engaging in forced pushing
having a home birth
having traditional birth companions with you
This list is a suggestion of practices / approaches that support depth of connection with the perineum. It’s not meant to show as a must-do list, but rather, ways of approaching a heightened level of intimacy with our own being.
A compassionate reminder that self-healing is a gentle, restful, ongoing process that helps us to integrate with our experiences. We emerge on the other side deeply transformed.
If you have had or do experience perineal trauma that is not yet resolved, there is an opening for deepening into the sacred well of your being. Reach out to those who can support your healing journey through birth integration sessions (Destini offers these sessions, contact her directly), steaming for postpartum trauma healing, pelvic support, grief and loss, trauma healing, and cell repair and regeneration. There is much support available.
Sovereignty:
your body, your wisdom
Bringing your health into your own hands transforms you. The way you perceive the world changes, and what you feel capable of expands tenfold. All things become possible, a growing awareness of reality as it lives through you - shaping the world you experience, with grace.
Looking across the globe at the historical use of steam seats and birthing stools, we see they are often one and the same. The further back we go, the more we see pointing towards the sacred portal that is birth.
