Taq Kaur Bhandal - Self-Care Down There: From Menstrual Cups and Moisturizers to Body Positivity and Brazilian Wax, a Guide to Your Vaginas Well-Being

PRAISE FOR SELF-CARE DOWN THERE

Everyone with a vagina or interested in interacting with a vagina needs to read this book! I just want to buy this book for every woman I know. No, every PERSON I know. This should be required reading on female sexuality, both for those with vaginas and those who are interested in, or love someone with, a vagina.

Mary Consolata Namagambe, founder of She for She Pads

The knowledge and wisdom contained in this book is timely as we break into the dawn of a new era in human civilization. We are departing from outdated perspectives on bodiesthose of women and all gendersand embracing more enlightened ones. This book is an example of how women around the world are making this shift happen.

Halima Al-Hatimy, executive director of FemCare Community Health Initiative

To you, reader, for making time for self-care down there. Consider yourself part of the global women and all genders health movement. To really spread the knowledge vibes, a portion of the proceeds from this book goes to charities who promote body literacy across the world.

And to our ancestors whose vaginas got us here in the first place.

Touch and nourish your body for physical self-care.

Shift your mind-set about your vagina for mental self-care.

Embrace the quiet and socially abundant times in your cycle for emotional self-care.

Reclaim the wisdom of your vaginal ancestors for spiritual self-care.

Throughout Self-Care Down There, youll find a variety of entries that teach you how to prioritize yourselfbody, mind, and spiritby reconnecting with your vagina and pelvic parts, and by allowing you to safely and confidently explore, understand, and nurture yourselfdown there.

After all, your body is the home for your self-worth, self-knowledge, and self-affirmation. And doing whatever you can to take care of yourself and your most wondrous parts is something that shouldnt be underestimated.

However, maybe in the past (or even now!) you might have felt that talking about or taking care of your down there was taboo. Maybe you felt that it was necessary to treat yourself and your pelvis a certain way due to societys expectations. But today and every day, vaginas are to be celebrated. And whether you choose to speak your empowered truth from the rooftops, quietly nurture yourself in the privacy of your own home, or do something in between, there is no wrong way to practice self-care. You know yourself and your body more than any other person on the earth. And you know which type or types of self-care are going to nourish you the best. So, do what feels right to you. If a particular self-care activity really speaks to you, do it as often as youd like. If there is one that just doesnt fit well, go ahead and skip it.

So, lets take a look at how you can take the time to indulge in self-caredown there.

I can already tell that you are a magical being. To support your wondrous self, this book shares information about vaginal health, sex (of all kinds), menstrual cycles, and more. The topics are approached from a nonjudgmental perspective so that you feel like your best self when reading. As you know, people of all different genders, sexualities, ethnicities, body types, abilities, religious beliefs, and ages have vaginas. So, self-care down there requires an awareness that your health, body, mind, and spirit are all unique to you and that you are an amazing contribution to the collective.

When you are done reading this book, pass it on to someone you think might need it. Id also love to hear your thoughts, so send me a comment or DM at imwithperiods on Instagram or Facebook or find my email contact on the web at https://imwithperiods.com.

PART 1 Getting to Know Your Garden Everything Youll Find Down There

You are an abundant creature. Paying attention to your body, mind, and spirit sets the tone for how you show up for yourself and the world around you. The seeds of energy laid down when youre nourished will sprout during the low times. This is especially true when it comes to your pelvic parts.

But before you can embrace vaginal self-care, you need to know what parts you have down there, what they do, and how to best take care of them. In this part, using the metaphor of a garden, youll cultivate information about self-care practices for the parts of your body that doctors call vaginas, ovaries, uterus, cervix, and more.

Remember that even though were gaining the knowledge in scientific Latin words, every family and community has their own language to talk about self-care down there. You are the child of witches who werent burned, of mothers who crossed rivers and oceans, and even of families or oppressors who rejected your wild ways. Nurturing a sense of comfort with your chosen and reclaimed words takes time, energy, and moneywhich you are doing right now. See? You are already many steps into this harvest season, friend.

KNOWING THE GARDEN OF VAGINAL SELF-CARE

Welcome to the garden of vaginal self-care, an outdoor experience that connects human bodies with the earth. Chalkboards, PowerPoint presentations, and uncomfortable desk chairs dont grow here.

To start off, lets acknowledge that each person assigned female as their sex at birth has a pretty full patch of land, and its important to familiarize yourself with these parts right from the beginning. Lets roam through and see how each part connects back to nature on the following list:

• Flower petals: Vulva and vagina
• Sunlight: Clitoris
• Soil: Pelvic floor
• Flower insides, a.k.a. the yellow part: Cervix
• Compost: Anus, a.k.a. butthole
• Animals and bugs: Urethra, a.k.a. pee hole
• Roots: Uterus
• Plant stalks: Fallopian tubes
• Seeds: Ovaries
• Water: Water you drink and water in your body
• Poison: Vaginal pH
• Bees and pollinators: Hormones
• Leaves: Gut, a.k.a. digestive system
• Weeds: Toxins

Sacred Self-Care

Go outside and find an area of grass, a tree to lean on, and/or dirt pile. Take a few deep breaths and see if you can find the parts of a garden (soil, leaves, etc.) on the previous list outside. Then come back inside to a private place and see if you can find the same parts on and in your own body. Feel your connection with the earth and know that your body is a perfect place.

Use this image to locate all of your internal and external pelvic parts. All these parts get put into play because of two tiny X chromosomes, the blueprints for your body. Engage in self-care by knowing all the parts of the pelvic garden and honoring each one.

VULVA AND VAGINA: THE FLOWER PETALS

Think of the vulva and vagina as the flower petals of your pelvis. The vulva refers to the larger area that includes the urethra, clitoris, and vaginal opening, and it keeps them all protected. The main protective parts are the labia majora and the labia minora, the outer and inner lips of the pelvis.