Leela Kalyani: confessions of a yoni priestess
Words: Emma Vidgen // @emma_vee
Leela is a Libra sun, Gemini moon and Capricorn rising.
There’s nothing quite like a silent meditation retreat to deliver a moment of clarity. “It was after doing a vipassana I felt how lacking so much of the spiritual path is of deep embodiment work,” says Leela Kalyani (aka Padmini Yoni). “Very quickly I began a journey into the depths of my body, my sexuality and my power as a woman. I started getting fascinated with sacred sexuality the feminine mysteries, diving into birth work and menstruation rites and exploring my pleasure potential. At the same time I began training in different modalities of healing and bodywork.”
Leela works with women to help them reconnect with their body, process trauma and bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual realms. “As soon as I discovered and trained in yoni massage I felt a deep remembrance in my being as though I had been doing this type of work for many other lifetimes,” says Leela.
Each session is unique and includes an element of dance, ritual, massage, energy work and guided processes. “There's something that’s so ancient and deep about working so intimately with women and supporting them to really let go of all the conditioning and stigma that we hold around our bodies and our sexuality and create safe and sacred spaces for them to really meet their true power.”
“As women our bodies are microcosms of the macrocosm,” says Leela.
What kinds of issues do you treat in yoni awakening sessions?
My sessions are profoundly healing for any woman who is wanting to drop deeper into the wisdom of her body, to clear stagnant energy from her womb-space, to let go of pelvic tension and pain and anchor a more intimate connection to her own sexuality.
I have held space for women to move through a very diverse array of experiences, from sexual abuse, miscarriages, abortions to the more subtle effects of living in a culture that is sexually traumatic for many of us.
I also support women on fertility journeys or experiencing conditions like endometriosis and PCOS as well as women just wanting to connect more to their pleasure potential.
In essence I feel this work is really needed on the planet of this time of feminine awakening as it can support women to reclaim their power, magnetism and embodied wisdom.
What is your best advice for deeper, more satisfying sex?
Listen to your body. Breathe deeply. Make sound. Be vulnerable, share your desires communicate your boundaries…. Oh and don't be goal oriented. Invite the mystery to dance with you and see what wants to unfold when you're not focused on climaxing. And invite your partner/s to meet you in this space of vulnerability and deep intimacy.
How do you ground and recenter when you’re feeling stressed/anxious/overwhelmed?
Self-pleasure of some sort to reconnect and come back into my body. This might be to just touch my breasts or connect with my yoni or just take some deep breaths down into my womb-space and visualise the earth cradling and nourishing me.
“ As women our bodies are microcosms of the macrocosm. The more we can come home to our bodies… the more we can heal as a collective.”
What are the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of your work?
I am constantly in such a state of reverence and awe during my sessions. I receive so much in witnessing women showing up for themselves, in connecting to their vulnerabilities, in meeting parts of themselves they never knew existed.
My work is insanely rewarding but if I was to name a challenge I guess one would be the way I sometimes struggle to share about this work because its still so taboo for so many people. Like when people ask me 'so what do you do?', I notice I go into freeze a little and don't fully know how to briefly share about the magic and power and sensitivity of the work I do. The world still has a little catching up to do in terms of sacred sexual healing being normalised. So I guess just fully owning the power my work is that's something I struggle from time to time.
how can we begin to reconnect with our feminine energy and reconnect and reclaim our sexuality?
· Clear your vessel - our wombs hold imprints from our past experiences, from our ancestors and for the collective. Doing the deep work of clearing this space whether through meditation practices, rituals like offering your moon blood back to the earth or seeing a practitioner to support you in releasing stagnant energy from your body are all ways you can start to clear your vessel so that you can make space for
· Meet your yoni (your sex center / genitals) - start a conversation with her. Ask her what she is longing for, what she is needing, what her desires are. Check in with her on a regular basis.
· Self-pleasure - I don't mean just grab your vibrator and get off. But create a sacred space for yourself and connect with your body in a way that is nourishing, sensual and honouring. Maybe this includes genital touch or just involves you giving your body a long, loving massage… and don’t forget to love up the parts of your body that perhaps you have struggled a little more with! If you do want to explore your yoni really listen deeply to the way in which she wants to be caressed and loved.
What impact does being in touch with our feminine energy have on a broader/more macro level?
As women our bodies are microcosms of the macrocosm. The disregard of the feminine and her cycles is evident not just in how many women are disconnected from their body's wisdom and their pleasure but also in witnessing the degradation of the earth over the last few thousand years.
Feminine awakening is planetary medicine that we are needing as a collective at this time. I firmly believe the more we can come home to our bodies, to anchor deeply in them and feel the Earth's support beneath us, the more we can heal as a collective.
Such individuals that are deeply embodied and empowered in their pleasure will not be controlled by a system that wants to condition them to distrust and hate their bodies and shame their sexuality.
I also feel it is important to note that feminine energy exists in both women and men. And the awakening of the feminine in men is equally as important at this time. Supporting the men in our lives to be more vulnerable, receptive and able to deeply listen is just as important at this time as aiding the feminine in our sisters to rise up.
Only in integrating our relationship between the feminine and masculine can we truly heal beyond our wounds of the past and evolve as a collective.