WORDS ARE POWERFUL TOOLS

I’m sitting here thinking about love, and not just romantic love. The words we choose for our bodies, our care, and each other are powerful too!

Words: powerful tools.

In an instant they can either soothe and heal or send someone spiraling out of control in anxiety or despair. Choose carefully the words you speak and the narrative you tell yourself.

That is why I wanted to share about the power of medical terms and what I have learned about the word, “Yoni” .

I’ve been practicing medicine for 33 years in family practice , women’s health/midwifery, and I have never questioned the use of the word vagina. This term was eloquently woven into the groundbreaking play “The Vagina Monologues” by Eve Ensler, which brings awareness to the violence against women , shares our hidden experiences, and celebrates our strength.

So, imagine my surprise when as I was perusing Anne Frye’s Suturing Manual for Midwives, I learned our word “vagina” comes from the Latin word for scabbard something into which you put a sword. Somehow, that just feels wrong. I for one do not want to have a part of my body named for a receptacle. Not that I have anything against swords.

I was excited to also learn from Anne that there is another, more ancient term we can use for vagina that word is “Yoni”. Yoni is Sanskrit for vagina or womb, and inclusive of the genitalia altogether. The original meaning also connotes the source or origin of life or divine passage. It holds with reverence the Yoni as a sacred space, a divine symbol, celebrating female sexuality and generative power.

This ancient word better aligns with what I claim for my body, and for all women’s bodies as they cycle with the moon and when they give birth.

Medical terms like “failure to progress” imply a woman is failing or her body is failing her in labor, when perhaps she just needs a different kind of support or encouragement.

Another medical term that offends is “incompetent cervix”. Hidden inside that term is the suggestion that incompetence is the fault of the person. In fact, this issue is often the result of prior medical interventions. And though the medical community labels many births “uneventful”, no birth really is. Birth is a powerful, momentous and sacred occasion.

We need to remove these kinds of words from our medical lexicon and replace them with terms born of healing and caring concern for our bodies. Words are powerful!

So, let’s find words that celebrate the magic, mystery, and love of our bodies…every day.

Blessings ~ Sarah