JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION ON THIS EPISODE AND MORE IN MY FREE FACEBOOK GROUP, FIND YOUR FEMININE FIRE HERE.

Kit Maloney founded Kitara after making the journey from yoni steam skeptic to yoni steam super fan.

She's spent the past twenty years as an advocate, activist, academic, and entrepreneur committed to the advancement of gender equity through women's embodied health and healing.

Kit's first yoni steam was transformative. The gentle yet potent power of that initial yoni steam unlocked a connection to the Divine Feminine she'd been seeking for years. 

Then, after three yoni steams, Kit realized her PMS of menstrual cramps and lower back were simply gone. 

GONE - NO MORE CRAMPS!

She founded Kitara to make safe, easy, and effective in-home yoni steaming accessible worldwide.

Find more and connect with Kit here: 

Kitara’s Website: https://www.kitaralove.com/
Kitara’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bykitara or @bykitara
22-Page Guide to In-Home Yoni Steaming: https://www.kitaralove.com/pages/yoni-steaming-101

Steaming Seats for Purchase: Use code AMANDALOVE for $15 off steaming seats.

Want more support? Schedule a confidential 1-1 call with Amanda here.

Have a topic or question you'd like Amanda to address on a future episode? Submit it on this anonymous form.

If you liked this episode, please consider giving me a 5 Star Review on Apple Podcasts! It truly does help the podcast grow. 

EPISODE 240: Kit Maloney with Kit Maloney

[Fun, Empowering Music]

Amanda Testa: Hello, and welcome to the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast. I am your host, Amanda Testa. I am a sex, love, and relationship coach, and in this podcast, my guests and I talk sex, love, and relationships, and everything that lights you up from the inside out. Welcome!

_______

Hello, and welcome to the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast today. I am so thrilled to have back on the podcast my dear friend and amazing, amazing human, Kit Maloney, and Kit, she and I have known each other for quite some time. We connected, originally, around a program she used to run called The Pleasure Pledge, but Kit has spent over 20 years as an advocate, activist, academic, and entrepreneur, really committed to the advancement of gender equality through women’s embodied health and healing. And that’s what we’re gonna be talking about today, what it means to be embodied around your health and healing, and how to create more intimacy with your own cycle, with your own self and find loving compassionate ways to care for yourself.

1:06

So, welcome, Kit. I’m so glad to have you here!

Kit Maloney: Thank you so much, Amanda! You are one of my very favorite humans and speaking with you on this podcast is one of my very favorite things to do. So, thank you, thank you.

Amanda Testa: Well, one of the things that I think is so amazing is just how dedicated you are to womb health and just creating that intimacy with our bodies and our cycles and all that that entails. One of the things I think is so lovely about all the work that you’ve cultivated over the years is that it’s kind of culminated now in your business, Kitara Love. And so, I would love if, maybe, you would share a little bit of what led you to this iteration of what you're doing and what feels important to share about that now and why this is your calling now?

Kit Maloney: Mm, thank you. Yeah, so, I have a company called Kitara. Our online home is kitaralove.com, and we sell beautifully-designed, expertly-crafted products and services for safe, easy, and effective in-home yoni steaming, and I didn't really know what yoni steaming was five years ago, actually.

2:15

So, I have been in the world of women’s health and wellness, as Amanda said, for over 20 years, was really engaged as a college activist around issues of sexual violence and campus violence. I went and got my master’s degree in Gender and Social Policy. I did a bunch of non-gender-focused entrepreneurial stuff for a long time before realizing that I really wanted to re-engage with the advancement of women and female-bodied people in the world, and about a decade ago, I started a company really focused on women’s sexual pleasure. In that entity, we ran this great program called The Pleasure Pledge which was an invitation to commit to a daily orgasm for 21 days, and that was so fun, and there are many little signs (including that we’re talking about it now) to bring The Pleasure Pledge back at some point in 2023.

3:08

So, stay tuned! [Laughs] Amanda was an early participant and then a very regular guest mentor in several of the years which is very special and important.

Through that work, I really came to see that there’s so much power in our bodies, and to just feel that expansion in a way that I had just no concept of before I started the work. I was very much rooted in a need to heal, heal my own trauma from a couple of very specific moments earlier in my life. Then, I came to see that inviting pleasure in as a real focal point of how to be guided was just life-changing in every aspect of the way and that my orgasm was first and primarily and, potentially, exclusively for me and to guide me on my life purpose. It was running programs around pleasure where I went to a workshop around female ejaculation, and there were a bunch of women talking about yoni steaming. [Laughs]

4:15

Amanda Testa: Mm-hmm.

Kit Maloney: And I do love sharing this story because it just really orients us into how counter our culture is from supporting our embodied knowing at times because here I was so in it, right? Like, I’m here! I’m celebrating women’s bodies. I’m celebrating female orgasm. I’m at a female ejaculation workshop, and I’m listening to people talk about yoni steaming, and I am coming close to doing a literal eye roll. I’m definitely doing an internal one, [Laughs] which is just, like, kind of horrifying!

And so, I was driving home from that and was clocking myself for judging other women, particularly judging other women on their healing journey and the different practices that they were sharing that were so important to them.

5:01

I mean, that is not me. And so, I realized that, clearly I had some internal judgment, and that’s what it was all about. And so, I kicked off me going to my first yoni steam within a week and then just having an experience that, truly, was life-changing now that you consider that I’ve started a whole company around it, but even in that moment, just connected to a softness, a power in a softness that had not been part of my consciousness until that moment.

Just the way we talk about the divine feminine we talk about the strength, but the journey with steaming has just dropped me into layer after layer of, like, how fierce that softness can be, and it just doesn't fit into even our languaging, but let alone our culture and how we’re taught about, really, the feminine.

Amanda Testa: Yes.

Kit Maloney: And, also, that is compassion, right?

6:02

So, compassion has a ferocity to it and a courage to it, a strength, a bravery, and a real softness, too, a gentleness, a love. I say that, and I’m kind of struck by it because, actually, I named Kitara “Kitara” because it was a name that a mentor had kind of gifted to me in a women’s circle, saying that she just felt like this was a name that was important for me to be aware of, that my name matched with an archetype of the goddess of compassion, turned into this beautiful word, Katara. And she shared that with me seven years ago, and, at the time, it felt really resonant in that way that’s also scary, and I was like, “Okay, I love it, and I don't know what to do with it,” but I thought that was really powerful. [Laughs] I’m gonna plant that in the back of my mind and see what comes.

And so, weaving this all together, I had this skepticism. I went and experienced steaming for the first time.

7:02

I had this real connection to that power of the gentleness, to the way in which the steam opens up your body. I had this shedding of sort of the shield that we wear in our culture that we have to in many ways as women and female-bodied people. I just sort of had this moment where that was softened or even released, that armor and saw the possibilities of our strength when we’re actually able to take it off, and then, because of that amazing experience, decided to start steaming more regularly, steamed just two more times, had a menstrual cycle for the first time in my life in my late 30s, that had no physical pain associated with it whatsoever, and then was like, “Whoa, maybe this is just correlated.” Who knows, but it seems like I’d been bleeding for many, many years, and I had never steamed, and then I started steaming and had no pain.

And so, I started studying steaming. I took all the courses I could take from Kelly Garza at Steamy Chick, and I was all in, and I wanted to buy all the products to make it super special and easy and comfortable to do at home and, at the time, couldn't find ones that met my wishes around the beauty and the care that had been infused into making them.

8:18

So, I started Kitara so that, hopefully, other people can steam with more ease and joy in their own homes by using our products.

And so, that was about three years ago, and from there, this messaging around the gentleness and the softness and that our world is craving our compassion, but that there is a strength there that we can summon from within, but we get there through the body (not the brain), and we get there through a gentleness with the body. And sometimes, at least my interpretation of the messaging around this can get that all wonky, and I can still get really harsh with myself, and the not-good-enough voices come up, and the prioritization of optimizing and efficiency and speed, all of that stuff comes through.

9:06

This practice of yoni steaming is just such a reminder that that’s not the way. It’s certainly not the way of the womb. The womb takes her time, and she cycles. There’s absolutely nothing linear there on any plane, you know? We cycle through different versions of our lives, and we cycle monthly, of course, and it’s just multidimensional to an extreme effect, and this strength, (I am somebody who gave birth six months ago) whoa. I’ve always been in reference with the strength of the womb, and [Laughs] you don't have to give birth to know it, but to, then, give birth, you really know it in a different way. [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: Yes.

Kit Maloney: It’s just amazing, the power there, and just to understand the power that we hold in our pleasure, the power that we hold in our creativity, and, ah, it’s just all there within the body. So, okay. I don't know where I’ve gone to.

10:01

Amanda Testa: I love that so much, and I just want to just point into a couple of the really powerful things that I heard you say about the power and the softness that we hold in our bodies and how often we aren't even -- our culture prevents us from, often, just being with our bodies and giving ourselves that reverence and understanding our cycles and understanding what we need and letting our womb use its wisdom because, I mean, I think we’ve talked about this, but I was having lunch with a friend the other day. We were talking about what were some of those big transition points in your life or the big points that were like, “Whoa,” and, of course, becoming a parent and having a baby is one of those. I, too, remember -- and this is before I started diving into this work, right? Because I started doing this work when my daughter was a baby, but before then, I just really was disconnected. I mean, I think I kept track of my cycles, but that was about it. Not more than I just wanted to make sure I wasn't pregnant if I didn't want to be, right?

11:01

That was about the extent of it, but I do know when I was pregnant -- my husband is in holistic healthcare, so he was really adamant about trying to learn more, and so, we went to this hypno-babies course which blew my mind, right? Because in my course there was a labor and delivery nurse and also just a general MD, and I thought, “Wow, interesting that these people are here,” because, especially the labor and delivery nurse, sees a really common way that a lot of babies are born here and that there’s no wrong way to have a baby, right? The information that I learned about how we are really disconnected from our power and softness and how we aren't thought to trust what we can do, and that’s the beauty of living in the day and age that we do is there are the medical establishments, what we need if we need it, but we don't always need it, and we don't often trust ourselves. We don't trust what our bodies are doing. We need to go to some white dude in a coat to find out what’s up. We are very wise about our own selves when we can just take a moment and tune in.

12:01

Kit Maloney: Exactly. Exactly, and the amount of wisdom that can be unlocked by just tuning in. I just think that’s why this practice has been so important for me. Self-pleasure is so similar, right? It’s a way to tune in, and, at least for me, there’s no way to be distracted in that moment. We can’t actually come into the pleasure, certainly not the depths of it, and definitely not climax, without releasing all of the noise, right? With steaming, it’s something to be really cognizant of, that we need to be present, literally, otherwise it’s not safe. I mean, you won't be aware enough to know about the heat levels. You won't be aware enough to know is it the time of your cycle that’s really good for you to steam or safe to steam (because there are some days where it’s not safe). Primarily those days where you aren't called to steam, those aren't safe either, right? [Laughs] We have sort of the more linear mind of, like, don’t steam while you're bleeding and don't steam on these days if you have a short cycle, don't steam when you're pregnant, da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

13:08

But back to your original point of this, we know. Tune into yourself and see if it’s a good time to steam. See if it’s a good time for self-pleasure. When I was really focused on that work, I had so many people say, “Kit, you know, I just don't feel a safety right now around this,” or, “I don't feel a call. There’s something here.” There was this assumption that I would try to push them through that in a way, and I was like, “No, listen. Okay, great!”

Even within The Pleasure Pledge, so much of our messaging is this is an invitation to a daily orgasm and, really, it was daily orgasm, not daily climax, right? It was an invitation there to consider was that going to be the most high expression of your self-love and self-care that day, and what that looked like was vast.

Amanda Testa: Right.

13:59

Kit Maloney: How you wanted to interpret that was vast. So, yeah, I just jotted down while you were talking one of the things that I used to say, really, when I was more primarily focused on the pleasure piece was there’s purpose in pleasure, and I’ve really come to see that through steaming that there’s purpose in the gentleness, you know?

Amanda Testa: Yes.

Kit Maloney: There’s productivity in it, and a piece of me cringes that I need that sort of gateway thought process, but we live in patriarchal capitalism, and there is a part of me that needs that framework of this is productive. This does have an efficacy to it.

Amanda Testa: Yeah.

Kit Maloney: We need that framework. We haven’t -- at least I haven't exalted myself completely out of it, right? There’s meaning in it, and it doesn't need to be productive in a way that maybe you’d be paid for it or compensated for it in a capitalistic way, but it’s really productive in terms of allowing yourself to know yourself and to reach your highest potential and to connect to your intuition.

15:07

Yeah, I’m not sure there’s been anything greater in terms of connecting to my intuition than understanding my pleasure and then, now, dropping into the intimacy of the cycle and really seeing what’s there, what’s there in the womb and how is that showing up in my life and how am I showing up for her. Yeah.

Amanda Testa: I think that’s beautiful, and I think, too, like you mention, pleasure is a spectrum to me, and I feel like self-pleasure is a spectrum. It can be enjoying a cup of tea, it could be having a full-body orgasm, anywhere on there. I think it’s, like you say, tuning in. What is nourishment my body’s craving? What is my womb calling for? Maybe I just want to enjoy a steam and be more present with myself and have more time to just be without the expectation, like you say. We put so much pressure on ourselves to constantly be producing, but I think, like you say, in this culture that is designed for productivity, how do we make space to listen to what our womb wants? I ‘d love to hear you share your thoughts around that.

16:04

Kit Maloney: Yeah, how do we make the time. I mean, I think I’ve just revealed one that’s kind of like a hack. [Laughs] As I roll my eyes at using the word “hack,” but it’s like I’ve had to make it a little bit of a trick for myself of just reminding myself, no, this is valuable. There’s actually nothing more valuable than this. There’s no way to better support my productivity than giving myself the nourishment that I’m gonna receive through either a bath (definitely, for me, on the pleasure spectrum), an orgasm (definitely, for me, on the pleasure spectrum), or a steam. And pushing through sending that umpteenth email or doing that 26th thing on my to-do list, actually, that is not going to allow me to do 26 more things tomorrow. [Laughs] It’s actually gonna catapult me into two hours of binging something on Netflix, you know, which, then, really doesn't set me up well either.

17:01

And, yet it is challenging. I mean, I’m saying this from a place of knowing. It feels so much easier. It sometimes can feel like it takes more energy to take a bath than it does to binge watch something, and I think that that’s our cultural built-in -- think about it. That’s such part of our lexicon like, “Oh, I binged this. I binged this.” Usually, it’s TV. Sometimes it’s food or drugs or alcohol. [Laughs] It’s a numbing. It’s a numbing. It’s a numbing. The languaging around the practice is actually really revealing to whether or not it’s gonna be numbing or serving our aliveness, right? And we don't hear people saying, “Oh, yeah, I just had to get in the bath for three hours.” [Laughs] Wouldn't that be awesome? I’m gonna start --

Amanda Testa: I think that’s my favorite thing to do. I love to spend three hours in there and just work or do whatever, right?

Kit Maloney: Exactly. Exactly.

Amanda Testa: It’s like my happy place.

Kit Maloney: Yeah, I mean, wouldn't that be so great if we just sort of created enough space and enough room in our conversations with each other to have that be the more standard thing?

Amanda Testa: Mm-hmm.

18:06

Kit Maloney: Not that everything else isn't okay. Of course, it is, but there are just times where I realize I’ve just reached my brink of numbing. I think being a parent, for me, has really shifted that. Like, I know I’m gonna need to have more resources, and so, what can I do to expand those resources and not just keep them stagnant or really deplete them. What are the practices that are gonna help me, and it’s just always dropping into the body, always dropping into the body, and it can actually be scary, I think. It’s us reaching for our highest potential, reaching for our nourishment in a culture that doesn't tend to support that.

Amanda Testa: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Something that just came to me while you were saying this is speaking of, as a parent, needing more resource, needing more time for yourself, and I honestly think that’s one of the things I love about steaming is that I’m totally cool if my kid wants to hang out with me while I’m steaming. I just let her know we’re having quiet time and I’m steaming and I’m loving on my womb, and that feels way more accessible. You're not necessarily gonna want your kid in the room if you're trying to self-pleasure. You're like, “No, I need privacy.”

Kit Maloney: [Laughs]

19:09

Amanda Testa: But it seems like a beautiful way to share that with the next generation, to me, right? It’s so accessible.

Kit Maloney: Yes, yes. I love that. I love that so much. Yes, oh, my gosh, and the way that you're normalizing that is so beautiful and makes me so excited. And I think about that, that my son will grow up, and my hope, my intent is that he will just think that all women steam and just be like, “Oh, your mom doesn't steam? Oh, weird,” you know? [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: “She should talk to my mom!”

Kit Maloney: Yeah! “Why?” you know? [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: [Laughs] Right!

Kit Maloney: They're not like, “Why does your mom steam?” “Why doesn't yours?” Just like, “Oh, maybe she wants to know!” [Laughs] I think that that’s so beautiful, and there is something really nice too, you know? Steaming definitely has an overlap with sexuality, and it also has this really beautiful groundedness in being a very physical practice and physical benefits of the menstrual cycle support, and then also has these components of the emotional and spiritual healing as well, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to ebb and flow with that in such a great way because, again, it’s like the trick of the mind.

20:18

Sometimes it’s easier for me to prioritize a practice, actually, if it has a physical tangible result that I’m gonna get.

Amanda Testa: Yeah.

Kit Maloney: And just having that noticing of, like, wow, that’s where I’m at in terms of my self-care practices. Like, I have an attachment to a result? Okay, noted, and then gets me steaming, and then, inevitably, is likely to connect me to that more emotional and grounded place that it shows up and helps me lead without any pain or cramping. I’ve used it to support my fertility, to support my physical as well as my emotional and spiritual healing from a pregnancy loss, and then my postpartum steaming was just incredible and really profoundly nourishing because, at that time, it is such a claiming to take that time and space and to feel the ways in which -- my husband and the people around me supported that and made sure that I wasn't the one cleaning my herb pot and just allowing myself to receive all that support was really wonderful, and I’m so proud of my body for the way in which I’ve healed.

Amanda Testa: Yes.

21:31

Kit Maloney: I had a pretty intense postpartum hemorrhage, and I think that, once I stopped bleeding and started steaming, I was able to be supported in that recovery through the actual practice of steaming but then, also, some of the messages that this practice brings which is really about the slowing down and the being open to receiving, and that got to a place of survival for me. So, sometimes I think when life brings us back to those moments, there’s just this really beautiful gift in it of being like, “Okay, I have to receive this support, so I’m going to allow myself to.”

22:08

Amanda Testa: Yes!

Kit Maloney: And then we hold onto that later.

Amanda Testa: Oh, that just gave me chills hearing you say that. Mm, about how amazing it can be if all birthing people could have that opportunity to just, like, have that time.

Kit Maloney: Yeah.

Amanda Testa: So amazing, and just -- yes. So, to go back to something you said earlier, because I think this is what a lot of people that are listening might be curious around when it comes to menstrual support, having that more intimacy with your cycle and understanding, “All right, well, I am having a lot of cramps, and I am having a lot of pain. How can steaming help me?” Because I think that, too, is also listening to your body. If you're feeling the call, if this is, like, “Ooh, I’m feeling like something’s perking up in me, and I want to learn more,” maybe just sharing a couple facts around that of, like, how it does help you to have that intimacy with your cycle.

22:59

Kit Maloney: Yeah, so, at least a few things. The intimacy with the cycle comes through in a number of ways. One, steaming helps you have a healthier cycle and to watch that develop is a really profoundly wonderful thing. It’s also highly likely that certain days that you steam are going to be more helpful for the benefit of your physical body. So, often, we want to steam the days before but not immediately before we start to bleed, and then the days immediately after we bleed, then, again, depending on what ailments you're really targeting, sort of shifts the days in the middle there.

But it is a really amazing different way to live through your life if you really know, like, “I’m on this day of my cycle.” Just like we know if it’s Monday or Tuesday, to be like, “Yeah, it’s day three,” and not have to look it up in your calendar or think back, but to have that as part of your lexicon around your body, something just shifts, and you can really connect the dots -- or I have been able to just connect the dots so much more in terms of my energy levels, my cravings. So, it’s just so helpful. It just makes that intuitive voice able to be heard in such a magnified way.

24:20

Really, the way steaming is believed to work -- and we are studying this more and more, but one of the skepticisms and criticisms that we get is that there’s not enough science or that there isn't science, and there are some studies out there that are really great and really encouraging, but, no, there’s not enough study yet, and I welcome it, 100% of anybody I work with in the steaming community welcomes it, and we’re not willing to wait for it, too, right? Those are two separate things.

So, for me, my body, my intuitive knowing is that this is a really helpful practice for me. That’s enough. Can I support that with supporting more studies? Absolutely, and I will continue to do so.

25:01

So, I use this language very intentionally because I don't want to misrepresent. We don't, scientifically, I suppose, (in Western science mind) know why steaming works. How we have come to understand it is that it helps alleviate stagnation in the uterus, and that is the root cause of all of our womb health ailments is that stagnation. We have many organs in the body. Every single one of them has a built-in, genius, natural cleaning component to it. So, we help the skin by adding exfoliation. We do breath work for the lungs. We do detoxes to support the liver’s natural cleanse. Certainly, if there’s any constipation, we eat different foods. We take different things to help to make sure that we have a healthy regular elimination. Yet, when it comes to the uterus, we apparently are told that it’s self-cleansing, it doesn't need anything, you're fine to take hormones, (basically take pills) to not address the root cause but to mitigate the symptoms.

26:06

So, with steaming, we actually are focused on the root cause, and so, the uterus has a built-in (during our bleeding years) capacity to cleanse through the menstrual phase of our cycle. We support that with steaming so that each month we can have as much of a complete cleanse as possible. When we have stagnation, it can build and build and build, and it can build every month on month on month for decades, and when you think about it, of course that’s gonna cause some issues, particularly with cramping. When you think that the uterus has a built-in mechanism not only that it’s cleansing but the tool that it uses to help us cleanse is to cramp, and that is also her genius. She helps us cramp out the stagnation. That, though, is her genius but, of course, it’s not pleasant for us to experience within the body.

So, unfortunately, right now we shame it rather than listen to it or we try to numb it rather than to, again, listen and see how to really help address the root cause and the root issue.

27:08

So, we take the pain meds or we stop the natural bleed by having the pill simulate the bleed and all those things, but steam is just gonna help us to alleviate the stagnation, and that’s why I believe my period shifted from being one that started and ended with brown blood to now starts and ends with bright red blood, and it used to start with -- you know, it was definitely doable, but it was significant enough cramping and lower back pain to need to take an Advil here and there and just certainly know when I was about to bleed.

So, those are some of the physical components to it and the ways it can help with your cycle. When you really think about, if you're listening and you're like, “Oh, yeah, these are my menstrual concerns, (whether it’s fibroids, whether it’s yeast infections, whether it is painful periods, whether it’s long cycles) it’s always gonna come back to an issue of stagnation.

28:03

Amanda Testa: That makes so much sense because I, too -- you know, a lot of the energetic philosophies that I think are so powerful, specifically around the Taoist philosophy around our life force energy is our sexual energy but, also, just in general in Chinese medicine, you want that energy to free flow, and when there is stagnation, that’s when there’s disease or illness or things aren't working like they should and there are practices that we can do.

The other thing I just want to share, because I think this is important to note, is that lineage and tradition and the reason things were passed down is because they work.

Kit Maloney: [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: [Laughs] Right?

Kit Maloney: Oh, I’m just laughing because it’s just so true! It’s like this is a medicine that has survived -- I mean, it has survived so much. It has survived millennia. It has also survived the burning times. It has survived the onset of patriarchal capitalism, patriarchal religion. It’s survived the Transatlantic slave trade through the amazing leadership of the Black community who is really at the heart of reviving steaming in the US which is so wonderful, and deep gratitude and appreciation there.

29:15

But this is a practice that has existed in all lands of the globe and that we are reminded was one that was used by women who were able to connect with the plants and the elements. And it’s one of the things that I just find so wonderful about steaming. It is so accessible. First of all, all you need is access to water and fire and a heat source, and that’s really it. There’s just something so beautiful in that accessibility.

And then we, of course, offer lots of ways in which to make it that much more comfortable and safe and something that you're gonna be adding some more ceremony to which is a wonderful added benefit, but just to be able to know that you can just heat up some water and get in child’s pose (if you’ve got the able-bodied-ness to do it), and to nurture yourself in your womb space is really profound.

So, anyway, that was a little bit of a roundabout way of just honoring what you're saying. It’s like this has survived because of its efficacy, and, often, that gets missed in the Western understanding of modalities that they didn't come up with.

Amanda Testa: [Laughs] Right, and then that, too, is part of that science is great and, also, we don't need to know. Let me just rephrase that. Science is great and, also, there’s that magic that comes with just knowing and trusting your own body which you don't necessarily need to prove that. Scientific studies take 20+ years and, really, not everything is quantifiable in certain ways, right? It is but it isn't, right?

Kit Maloney: Yeah, I mean, it’s not quantifiable. And then it’s up to us to feel called to things, to learn how to do them safely, to work with maybe people who have had more experience with it who can share and who can help facilitate us into a deeper understanding of how this is most aligned for us with all of those things.

31:07

But it’s also sometimes the way that science approaches practices like steaming, from this deep skepticism and this deep condescension, it’s like, oh, and you all think you've never done anything wrong? [Laughs] I get kind of feisty with it. I’m just like, “First of all, this is benefitting people right now! You're not listening. And second of all, you all have proved many things that you've studied for 20 years, and then we find out on year 32 that this was really messed up.”

Amanda Testa: Right.

Kit Maloney: [Laughs] Yeah.

Amanda Testa: And it comes back to, I think, too, like we start at the beginning with just listening to your body and trusting its wisdom. When you try something, and you get good results, that’s all you need to know, right?

Kit Maloney: That’s it.

Amanda Testa: And it’s a practice of being with what you need and learning what that is and finding the solutions that feel right to you. I truly love this practice so I’m so happy that you were able to come on today and talk more about it because I think it’s something that -- and, honestly, is very easy to get into. Like you say, there’s not a lot of barrier to entry, and so, if you're curious to explore more of this beautiful sacred practice of yoni steaming, then I highly encourage you to reach out to Kit and also just to be open to how it could support you.

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Kit Maloney: Yeah, thank you for that, Amanda. Thank you for helping us share the practice and for being just such a stance for womb health and wisdom. It’s so powerful.

I would just love to invite people to some potentially helpful resources. So, our Instagram is @bykatara and then the website is kataralove.com. A couple things to note there as good starting places is that I do have a 22-page guide to in-home yoni steaming, and it’s entirely free and instantly downloadable. So, that’s a nice place to start. If you're hearing, “Oh, I really resonate with that particular ailment, you can just search for whatever it is to find it and see if it’s still resonating with you and your body and your heart and your womb space.

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And if it is, then I also have a video called How to Yoni Steam at Home Without the Seat. So, that’s a nice entrance point. Then, if you're like me who was doing that without a seat and then got really into the practice and really thought, “Oh, now it’s time,” then, if you would like to purchase a seat from Kitara, we have a discount code for you: AMANDALOVE will take $15 off all of our seats, including those sold with other products and savings bundles so, please, use that to sort of help kick things off for your steaming practice at home! [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: Yes, and as this podcast will drop around the holidays in 2022 -- I can’t believe it’s already almost the end of the year -- it’s also a great gift!

Kit Maloney: It really is!

Amanda Testa: If you know someone that you would love -- if it’s yourself or someone that you love who you would like to see give themselves more care and attention, it’s such a great gift.

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Kit Maloney: It’s one of my favorite things of the holidays to see people buying steam products for each other, and we’ve got some great men out there who, over the years, have been really excited to let me know that this was on their woman’s list. [Laughs]

Amanda Testa: Right. Right.

Kit Maloney: And they're doing it and did they get the right thing and all of those very sweet variations. But, yeah, it’s a great gift. We have gift cards as well, too, if you wanted to get that and just give a nod to a soul sister or a partner and say, “I see you, and I want to support your womb health.”

Amanda Testa: Yeah.

Kit Maloney: Yeah, so thank you for that.

Amanda Testa: Well, thank you so much. I’m just wondering if there are any last words you want to share or anything else that feels important before we close?

Kit Maloney: I think I’ll just share that I am sitting with this inquiry and I’m really gonna take it on as a mantra going into the new year of gentleness. How can I be more gentle with myself and others and just ask that over and over again, and there’s such power, there’s such strength, there’s such magic that comes from that.

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So, I am sending my own gentleness out to you, Amanda, and to all those listening, and my wish is that we can just add that softness out into the world and back to ourselves, for sure.

Amanda Testa: Yes, thank you so much. I so just receive all of this goodness in this episode. Thank you, Kit. And, for all of you listening, I would just invite you to maybe just take a breath or two and just notice what was maybe one of the gems you received or something that you're curious to explore more or that you want to try to put into practice for yourself? Thank you so much, again, for being here and for listening, and please share with a friend if you think this would resonate with them, and I’ll look forward to seeing you next week!

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[Fun, Empowering Music]

Thank you so much for listening to the Find Your Feminine Fire podcast. This is your host, Amanda Testa, and if you have felt a calling while listening to this podcast to take this work to a deeper level, this is your golden invitation.

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I invite you to reach out. You can contact me at amandatesta.com/activate, and we can have a heart-to-heart to discuss more about how this work can transform your life.

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