Why Pussy YOGA?
So, why this word? When my German publisher first suggested the title, I was skeptical. My Pelvic Floor Integration™ method is about so much more than female genitalia, and apart from that, the word “pussy” is often used in a derogatory sense. On the other hand, what words do we have for our female sex organs that don’t carry some unsavory connotation, or at best, sound clinical and unsexy?
“Vagina”* isn’t just a medical term. It stems from the Latin word for "sheath." Our sex organ is therefore defined as being a receptacle for the male sex organ. In her book The Second Sex, the philosopher and feminist Simone de Beauvoir argues how, over the course of history, women have been turned into the “second sex” by men. In de Beauvoir’s existentialist terminology, this means that man describes himself as the absolute, the essential, the subject, assigning the woman the role of “the other,” the object.
Women are always defined relative to men. The word “vagina” says a lot about our former role in society but is no longer appropriate today.
“The body part that brings us the most beautiful sensations and orgasms, that is a place of power, a place of the most intimate connection with ourselves and with our intimate partners, the part to which this book is dedicated, definitely needs a name of its own.”
Shame about female sexuality
Feminist authors like Eve Ensler, Naomi Wolf, and Regena Thomashauer view the denigration of female sex organs in patriarchal societies like ours as a tool for disempowering women.* In my work, and in the culture at large, I still see a great deal of shame about our own sexuality and female sex organs. In ancient cultures, there are more beautiful and fitting names. The Sanskrit word “yoni”, for example, means source, spring, resting place, container, abode, or nest.
But instead of using a word from a long-gone culture, let alone trying to invent a new one with no existing recognition in our culture, I choose to use the term “pussy” and to make it socially acceptable.
The word “pussy” is still used in a derogatory way today, but modern feminists are reclaiming it. Bands like Pussy Riot and Perfect Pussy, the “Pussy Grabs Back” protest movement against the sexism of the American president, the New York Times bestseller Pussy by Regena Thomashauer, and the show Pussy Terror by German comedian Carolin Kebekus are all wonderful examples of this trend.
“Pussy Yoga stands in this recent feminist tradition. Let’s reclaim the word “pussy” and use it with self-confidence. Let’s decide for ourselves what the word “pussy” means to us.”
the pussy; from cat to lioness
Pussy has a nice ring to it. Its etymological origin is in the old European term for cat, which has been used to describe girls and women since the seventeenth century*. A cat, from a kitten to a lioness, is a great metaphor for this beautiful body part of ours. Cats are soft and cute and know how to command attention. It’s inspiring to see how they relax, the way they completely surrender to touch, the confident and smooth way they move; their independence, wildness, and agility. All of that is also the nature of our pussy, whether she is fully activated or still in a state of hibernation.
Through Pussy Yoga, we re-discover our wild, instinctive side.
We connect with our animal nature through our bodies, and we become like a lioness – confident, courageous, sensuous, supple, and strong.
When I use the word “pussy” in my work, I am referring to the entire vulva and the inside of the vagina. While perhaps less anatomically precise, this is generally what our culture commonly understands from the word.
And Why Pussy Yoga?
Yoga is a philosophy and practice that originated in India around 5,000 years ago. Its modern form, as practiced all over the world today, emerged from the mid-19th century. It is characterized by the adoption of Western esoteric ideas, psychology, physical training, and scientific assumptions by English-speaking and Western-trained Indians. This modern Yoga represents a new-age approach to life rather than a form of Hindu spirituality.
In the feminist movement of the 1990s, women developed their own variations of yoga, focusing on women’s wisdom. Today, it is estimated that around eighty percent of Yoga practitioners are women (who were excluded from the traditional form of Yoga in India).*
The term “Yoga” denotes the integration of body and soul toward becoming one with higher consciousness. In that sense, every path toward self-awareness and consciousness can be described as a “Yoga.”
“There are many names for the different yoga paths. The path we are embarking on is the way of the pussy.”
pelvic floor exercises to unite body and mind
Pussy Yoga is about more than just yoga for sexual health; pussy yoga unites body and mind through awareness and movement. It doesn’t have a sequence of poses to follow; instead, we experiment with pelvic floor exercises and new ways of moving this part of the body.
Our focus lies not on perfection, but rather on authenticity, intensity, depth, and vitality.
There are no holy scriptures, and there is no master. Your guru is yourself, your body, your pussy. I am sharing a method for you to find your own wisdom and your own power. The treasure you are about to discover already lives within you, and it is something you can only experience for yourself.
If you found this blog article about pussy yoga helpful and want to take the next steps on your sensual body journey, join me for my Sensuous Dance Program, where I’ll teach you how to activate your pelvic floor and unleash your feminine power.
JOIN ME FOR A SENSUOUS DANCE WORKOUT
Follow me as I guide you on a deep dive into your body. You learn to move from the inside out, access your sexy feminine nature, your body's innate wisdom and connect to your pelvic floor power.
Sources:
* Pussy Yoga foot notes: i The word vagina, in medical terms, only describes the canal between the vaginal opening and the uterus., ii Eve Ensler: The Vagina Monologues, New York 2007, iii Regena Thomashauer: Pussy a Reclamation, Carlsbad 2016, iv https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy, v https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga
How did you, as a young woman who had never been pregnant, start thinking about your pelvic floor?