By Dr. Felicia Clark
“Close your eyes and breathe into your yoni,” my instructor said. I thought: “crap, another yoga pose I don’t know.” I opened one eye to spy on what the other women were doing. But, they were just sitting on the floor with their legs crossed, breathing the normal way. So, then, what exactly is yoni breathing? First, I needed to learn what “yoni” meant. Here is what I found: yoni is the Sanskrit word for vagina that loosely translates to mean ‘sacred space.’
A whole universe opened to me when I learned that there were honorable names for that part of my body that had nothing to with a cat. How come I had never heard that term until my 30’s? I come from a mothe
So then, over two decades after the lifted leg in the mirror thing, why did I still not know what God gave me? Here are 3 things that I was surprised to learn about that formerly feline named universe between my thighs that I call my ‘yoniverse.’
1. Yonic symbols are everywhere.
From rockets, to stick shifts, to hot dogs, men love to build things that remind them of their penis (i.e., phallic symbols). Little did I know that men also built things that were reminiscent of the vagina. These structures also had a name (i.e. yonic symbols). In fact, the church dome I sat under to learn that vaginas were an “off limits” dirty topic was full of yonic symbols, itself.
From cave openings, to river beds, to flower petals, yonic symbols are bold, colorful, and hard to miss. They occur naturally and man made in equal proportions to phallic symbols. So, how many women like me never noticed them until after age 35 – or never? Even as I type this, my spell check is telling me that “yonic” is not a word. However, it recognizes the word “phallic” with no problem. Here is a neat video that shows how both yonic and phallic symbols are represented in, fruit, religion, and nature.
2. The yoni has reflexology.
Marvin Gaye’s “sexual healing” was more than just a hit song. It was insight into the concept that sex can be healing. In current Western society, poorly informed by porn videos, we are taught that sex is for orgasms. Yet, 60 % of women aren’t having orgasms. Contrastingly, Chinese medicine has a whole school of genital reflexology whereby certain positions are ideal to stimulate nerve endings on the penis and vagina that heal organs or simply keep parts of the body healthy – with or without orgasm.
The reflexology of the vagina is exactly opposite of the penis. For example, a woman’s heart and lung stimulation points are directly below her cervix. While the heart and lung stimulation points of a man are on the tip of his penis. When a penis is fully inserted into a vagina, face to face, the organ stimulation points match up whereby a man and woman simultaneously heal each other at every point. In fact, the “insertion method” whereby a man simply inserts his penis into a vagina face to face with little to no movement is recommended to prolong life, health, and emotional connection.
3. The yoni is naturally acidic.
A woman during her reproductive years, has a vaginal pH level of 3.8 to 4.5. A pre-pubescent girl, is pH 7 (neutral) and a menopausal woman has a normal pH level of 6-7. Higher pH levels can make a woman more prone to infection. Sperm, naturally alkaline with a pH level between 7.2 and 7.8, raises the pH level of the vagina. When a woman menstruates each month, she is cleansing. Her blood is pH level 7.34-7.45 – very similar to the pH level of semen. Therefore, sex during menstruation can lead to infection because both blood and semen reduce vaginal acidity.
Prolonged raised pH levels allows bacteria to grow and increases the likelihood of infection – which often occurs with pH levels above 4.5. We are then sold, toxic chemicals, alkaline soaps (often pH levels 9and 10), and bath oils to remedy the problem. However, those alkaline products should be avoided. Sea salt baths are one way to bring the pH level into balance and coconut oil substituting for bath oil works to eliminate bad bacteria.
And, yes, finally, I learned to breathe into and expand my yoni – which was my original assignment. In doing so, I learned yet another thing we don’t talk about. Thank you, Dr. Leidenfrost, for creating a forum where we can talk about it.
The Sisterhood of Body Acceptance needs you. Are there more things you would like to learn about your amazing wonderfully made body? Join Dr. Felicia Clark’s forum at BodyShameBS.com and get your copy of her hit journal: “I Like My Body: A 52-Week Journal to Honor and Appreciate My Body” – on sale in over 120 countries. Women claiming and accepting their body AS IS is a worldwide movement. Enroll in the online support course that helps you complete your “I Like My Body” journal by giving you countless reasons to love your body from head to toe.
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