Yoni eggs are egg-shaped crystals which are inserted into the yoni.
The word “yoni” is Sanskrit for the womb and the symbol of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It is now used to indicate the genitals and entire female reproductive system. It’s a word I prefer to the word “vagina,” which means “sheath for a sword” (clearly a product of the Patriarchy).
Goop introduced the world to yoni eggs in 2017, but they’d been circulating transformational festivals and spiritual stores for a few years before that. The story goes that yoni eggs were used by ancient Chinese concubines, though this has been disproven.
Originally made from jade, yoni eggs are now made in every kind of crystal and semi-precious stone. So if someone asks you “what is a jade egg” – they mean this 🙂 The idea is to insert an egg into the yoni, which will receive the energy of the crystal as the muscles clench and hold it in place. You can then self-pleasure or do Kegel exercises with the egg acting as a weight.
While there are better exercises for strengthening the pelvic floor and toning your pelvic floor (ie. the elevator technique), many women claim to have improved their pelvic strength, reduced incontinence, and increased pleasure from a yoni egg practice. But anything you bring attention and intention to will be strengthened, so if a yoni egg makes you feel good and want to do your pelvic floor exercises, use them… with caution.
Gynecologists don’t recommend women use yoni eggs because they come with some health risks. Here’s how to mitigate them:
How to use a yoni egg
- Only use quartz eggs, as quartz is a non-porous stone and won’t collect bacteria. Do not use jade, which is a porous stone.
- Use a “drilled” yoni egg with a clean string to safely remove your egg without scratching your yoni’s walls with a fingernail
- Make sure your yoni egg is clean & disinfected before putting it inside you, otherwise bacteria can cause an infection or toxic shock syndrome.
- Do not keep the egg in for longer than your self-pleasuring/ Kegels practice.
- Do practice regular unweighted (un-egged) Kegel exercises as well. Yoni eggs and other objects inserted into the yoni cause the pelvic muscles to clench. Proper Kegel exercises require a slow relaxing of the muscles combined with the contractions.
