Reclaiming YOUR Pussy
art: sharaah aquino
We’ve all heard it…
That your pussy is supposed to smell like flowers and taste like a watermelon blow pop;
that if back shots hurt or you don’t enjoy doggy style, you can’t take the dick;
that if you have a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, you’re dirty;
that keeping your vagina juicy is someone else’s job;
that everyone orgasms.
We sat down with Brujas of Brooklyn, Afro-Latina identical twin sisters, and PhDs who have dedicated their lives to helping women form deeper relationships with their Yonis through womb-work as a mechanism to debunk myths and to learn more about our Yoni (vagina).
photo: amanda saviñón
LOYAL NANA: What is Yoni?
BRUJAS OF BROOKLYN: A Sanskrit word meaning “sacred space”, which has been redefined to mean vagina or womb.
LN: What is the goal with Yoni work/womb-work?
BOB: To heal and empower women by teaching and cultivating a deeper relationship with the self through our Yoni. In other words, to find a power by reclaiming your pussy.
LN: Why do women struggle to build a real relationship with their Yoni?
BOB: There are so many blockages that limit women’s relationships with their Yonis. From the moment women are born, specifically women of color, we carry the trauma of centuries of generational rape and abuse in our wombs. To add to this, our Yonis are systematically policed and regulated. Whether it is through religious messages that teach us that our sacred spaces are sacred only for the creation of new life, or that our vaginas are to be preserved and kept for the enjoyment of one ‘man’. We are told what they should smell like, what they should taste like, what they should look like... We see it everywhere; it seems like the only people who don’t know about women’s vaginas are women.
Loyal Nana: How can we build a stronger connection and relationship with our Yoni?
Brujas of Brooklyn:
LOOK AT YOUR YONI! Grab a mirror, put it on the floor, and squat on top of it. I remember growing up thinking my vagina was ugly because it didn’t look like the perfectly shaped pink, small vaginas I had been used to seeing. SO LOOK AT IT!
Talk about your Yoni with your friends, look at a photo of each other’s Yonis and talk about them. You will quickly realize that no one Yoni is the same. Have open conversations about yeast infections, BV, STDs, pains, post-birth vaginas. These dialogues often allow us to reduce the shame that has been attached to most things yoni-related. Sharing also allows women to recognize that they are not alone when trying to embrace something we’ve been taught to secretly loathe.
You can’t talk about the Yoni without talking about menstruation (your moon time). Track your period, keep a period journal, and observe what triggers cramping and/or heavy bleeding. Is it caffeine? Sugar? Carbs? Nicotine? Also look at your discharge. The fluids that leave our bodies, in any form, often carry messages of how we are doing internally.
Talk to your Yoni. As bizarre as it sounds, sending sweet messages and words to her can make a big difference. Touch your pussy!
LN: How can we take our Yoni's out on a date?
BOB: Firstly, one of the most crucial things to remember during this process is to BE SWEET TO YOURSELF! This work is hard, but always remember to try to make it pleasurable for yourself.
When getting to know your Yoni, you can start by taking a warm bath. First, set the scene, just as you would for any other date. Run a bath and add your favorite crystals (we enjoy rose quartz for opening up the heart space where love emanates). Add some essential oils like lavender or geranium (depending on the mood you are going for), you can also add your favorite perfume. Epsom salt to clear out stagnant energies in our aura. Make it an intentional moment to relax and spend QT with your V. Before entering your bath, make sure to pray over your water. Set an intention for that bath and pray that the water cleanses and removes whatever is blocking you from receiving whatever it is you’re asking for. Ask for this bath to bless you enough to attract that intention.
Don’t forget to have yourself a good cry. We carry so much on a daily basis, that it is important to set aside time to release. Masturbate if you want. Listen to your favorite music...be sweet to yourself.
LN: How can we keep our pussies juicy?
BOB: 1.Keep track of the things that trigger your body, mainly during your moon (menstruation). What foods cause cramps, discomfort, and weird odors during your moon? What are some factors that contribute to yeast infections? Things like: sugar, alcohol, nylon underwear (we prefer 100% white cotton underwear). And last, but most certainly not least: STRESS! Stress does a number on our bodies overall, and our Yoni is no exception.
2. Stay away from toxic sex! Stay away from toxic dick! Stay away from toxic pussy! STAY AWAY FROM TOXIC PEOPLE. Nothing can dry a Yoni up faster, and cause all sorts of imbalances, and toxic energy. When we begin to be in tune with ourselves and our bodies, we become the intuitive being we are meant to be. When we are in tune with our inner voices, it helps us pick up on red flags much quicker than we usually would which gives us time to RUN! We believe that once you start doing the ‘work’, and vibrating on a higher frequency, you cannot take the same BS you used to. You stop attracting the ‘wrong’ people, and if these toxic people do happen to cross your path—your threshold for bullshit is MUCH LOWER! You learn to gracefully bow out of situations versus being dragged. You leave with love and grace rather than anger and bitterness.
3. Try consuming things that bring balance to the womb. Things like red raspberry leaf tea, organic pineapple juice, watermelons, and cherries. Try Yoni steams with different healing herbs. We offer steams for: healing from BV or yeast infections, healing through a breakup, fertility goals, post-partum difficulties.
4. Last but not least, follow us @BrujasofBrooklyn! (www.BrujasofBrooklyn.com). We are always attending and hosting workshops and retreats for Yoni work and are always available for questions and discussions on this philosophy.
LN: How can our partners help us strengthen our relationship with our Yoni?
BOB: Before anything, we’d like to add that to us, sex is sacred. Sex is very powerful and we believe that sex can be used to change the world!
Start by, together, dedicating your orgasms to a cause like world hunger, sex trafficking, getting Trump out of office, passing an exam... Real talk, sex is sacred and there is A LOT of energy being exchanged during that intimate time. Let’s do our best to pick our sexual partners wisely. Whether it’s someone you are just ‘having fun’ with or someone you see as a potential life partner: all sacred. There’s a belief that women hold the energy of our sexual lovers in our wombs for 7 years...7!!!
Remember to keep an open mind – don’t dismiss or doubt the process during sex. If your partner wants to try out toys, go for it. If you want to try out toys, go for it. It is about deepening the relationship and learning about what works.
Know and believe that when a woman is connected and in touch with her Yoni, she is a better woman, a better wife, girlfriend, sister, friend…person.
LN: How can we start to heal our generational and childhood sexualized traumas?
BOB: We believe that the first step to healing that trauma is to admit that it happened. Sit with it with the knowledge that it was not your fault. We also highly suggest psychotherapy or natural forms of therapy that will help you walk through this trauma. Kundalini yoga and its emphasis on using sexual energy to invigorate and heal our bodies and lives is an excellent option for someone attempting to heal from sexualized trauma. We appreciate the way the #metoo movement has sparked conversations about sexual violence against women in ways that we, as a nation and a world, have been trying to deny for centuries. So get involved in a collective manner whenever and wherever possible.
LN: You mentioned Yoni Steams, Kundalini Yoga, and other practices that can help us access our Yoni power. Can you share more on your go-to healing tools?
BOB:
KUNDALINI YOGA: It is yoga focused on sacred sexual energy; what many know as shakti. In Kundalini Yoga the belief is that sexual energy exists at the end of your spine. There lives divine feminine energy that can be released via different forms of yoga, meditation and mantra work.
YONI STEAMS: Try Yoni steams with different healing herbs. We offer steams for: healing from BV or yeast infections, healing through a breakup, fertility goals, postpartum difficulties.
SEX: If you feel safe and if you use it as a space to unleash. This takes trust and time but we believe that sex with the right partner can heal.
EXPLORE YONI EGGS: Egg-shaped gemstones or crystals that you insert inside of your Yoni to help clear out energy and trauma and to strengthen your uterine muscles. You do not have to insert the egg if you are not ready. You can get one and sleep with it under your pillow or place it on an altar. When you are ready you will feel it, you will know. The process is heavily intuitive and requires a level of trust that women have been trained to fear.
When you debunk these pussy myths (put in place by people without one), turns out...
Myth: If back shots hurt or you don’t enjoy doggy style, you can’t take the dick.
Debunked: We don’t all enjoy back shots because all vaginas are shaped differently. Most women have a retroverted uterus which can make penetration during sex painful, depending on your position. So please don’t let it stroke your ego... it’s not your dick, it’s my pussy.
Myth: That if you have a yeast infection or BV, you’re dirty.
Debunked: Many things can cause yeast infections like the wrong underwear, wearing clothes with no underwear, tight jeans, STRESS, and at the end of the day, yeast’s favorite place to form is in moist dark places :)
Myth: that your pussy is supposed to smell like flowers and taste like a watermelon blow pop.
Debunked: Pussy is NOT supposed to smell like flowers, it’s supposed to smell like PUSSY (and newsflash, it’s also supposed to taste like a pussy). Women are constantly bombarded by the media to have our yonis look, smell and taste a particular way. For example, the market for feminine products is a multibillion-dollar industry that feeds off of women’s insecurities-put in place by patriarchy. Other items we are led to consume as a way to “enhance” our yonis: feminine washes (think of Lemisol, Summer’s Eve), feminine sprays, feminine wipes—even our pads are scented! Let’s not even talk about Douches-it fucks with your PH and can make your Yoni dry and sick. This is all a market that pushes women to try to uphold these unrealistic (and unhealthy) expectations.
Myth: That keeping your pussy juicy is someone else’s job.
Debunked: Nope! It is our job first. See above for HOW TO KEEP YOUR PUSSY HEALTHY & JUICY
Myth: That every woman orgasms.
Debunked: FYI – A lot of women (too many) have never experienced an orgasm!
The most important love to celebrate on V-Day is self-love. The root of love stems from your root chakra; strengthen that relationship and you will surely strengthen the relationships around you.
We would like to thank the Brujas of Brooklyn for sharing their powerful knowledge with us. We would also like to thank the spiritual elders who have guided them. Mut showed Griselda everything she knows about Yoni work; she introduced her to Yoni eggs and womb wellness. Queen Afua facilitated Miguelina’s experience with womb wellness, mainly via herbal detoxes and womb prayers, and meditations. Their teachers are fundamental to the work they do and the services they provide for women.
photo: amanda saviñón
Ask these magical brujas anything:
Interview: Amanda Saviñón & Claudia Mendoza
Edit: Denisse Jerez
Art: Sharaah Shakti
Photographs: Amanda Saviñón