Sexual Ecology with Lydia Rose of Wild Vibrant Living

Lydia Rose, creator of Wild Vibrant Living, is a maker, intuitive herbalist, and sexual health creator based in Minneapolis. Inspired by Western and Ayurvedic aromatherapy and herbalism, she delights in using herbal care for sexual empowerment and health as well as ceremony and ritual — her lovingly crafted line of biodynamic remedies for sexual self-care are transformative and absolutely brilliant.

As we’ve expanded our apothecary and recently adorned our shelves with wild + vibrant’s Cosmic Eggs, Sex Jam, and Vibrant Pulse Tonic, we’ve received a lot of curiosities and notes of “needing to know more” from our community. So, we asked her — and are delighted to share her thoughts and approach to sexual ecology and the power of these products in creating a deep connection with our most intimate parts.

I truly believe in sexuality as the root of our wellness, our health, and our beauty. I also know the journey to sexual healing can be glorious and supported, instead of feeling overwhelming. I deeply desire to normalize this kind of tune-in to our sensual space daily, much like a mindfulness practice, as a way to heal our collective. Its fun, pleasurable, and nourishing. I'm so grateful for all in my community and on this journey, and humbled to create the products and teach my clients. WELCOME to your body. You belong. — Lydia Rose

What is sexual ecology and why is it imperative to daily self-care? 

Sexual Ecology is a state of vibrant sexual health. We believe that everyone is perfect at their core, and yet so many systems, especially around sexuality, are built on the foundation that something is wrong with you and that you need to be fixed. We believe that vibrant sexual ecology, through the use of sexual self-care and ritual, can lead you to experience the innate wholeness and perfection of YOU.

Our products and services are oriented towards recovering the wholeness within you-- by working with your own sexual energy and the energy of the plants, gemstones, and ultimately the earth herself. With these energies you are invited to awaken the sensation of your unique desires and needs felt through the sexual body, and follow them to your heart. We believe that for all folks to connect to their sexual wholeness and embodiment creates a fuller, richer life experience and the ability to heal each other and change the world.

I believe we are in a moment where people are truly hungry to evolve in their sex, to bring it into a new place of authenticity and wellness, and away from past conditioning. The plants, the earth, and my products + services are bridges and tools to help us remember and free ourselves to become brighter, and more US in our erotic, sensual nature. Its a homecoming, really.

Which Wild + Vibrant product(s) do you recommend as the best gateway into exploring and establishing a daily sexual self-care practice?

The Cosmic Egg is the absolute gateway into being with your body. I adore it for weekly ritual, deep self-connection, and nourishing, herbal pleasure.

A daily sexual self-care ritual is an erotic health practice meant to connect you to your sexual embodiment and authenticity, as a way to support the root of your wellness. It is from a deep exploration here, that we have built a foundation for other wellness practices to thrive. Daily Sexual Self-Care is a spectrum that contains erotic breathwork, sexual self-massage, sensual movement, and sounding connection practices all in service of meeting your erotic self, and revealing your deepest most authentic sex.

Another entry point is self massage. So Arcline Breast Oil, The Valley, Shadow, Goldenrod, or The Sex Jam are all great oils/butters to start massaging with intention and light erotic breathwork.

How can products such as The Cosmic Egg help support those that experience trauma in the womb and menstrual related pain and discomfort? Are there any specific rituals you've found to be highly beneficial in providing immense relief? 

The Cosmic Egg is such a beautiful way to connect — and truly self-connection is the first tool to be able to alchemize trauma, wounding, and/or pain from the cauldron of our wombs. The simple act of feeling yourself, and allowing the egg to melt and nourish you herbally can be a great reminder of sensation and of your beauty.

I created a specific protocol called Mystic Pelvic, to release trauma/pain and to move into absolute wellness in your womb and pelvic space. You can access these healing tools in my upcoming online offerings, which I’m so excited to share- coming in May 2019 to my site. I believe using the egg with these rituals potentize and can rewire erotic networks.

One of the simplest tools of self-connection is to do womb and Eros breathwork, finding the felt sense in the body and eventually connecting it to the womb and pelvic space. Holding hands over your pelvis or womb, you can begin this by open mouth breathing- inhale open mouth, and exhale open mouth. Really relax the jaw here... then gently begin to feel that you are also breathing with your full pelvic bone opening- taking an inhale into the pelvis with an open, relaxed jaw, and lightly lifting on the pelvic floor. On the exhale, open mouthed, relax the pelvic floor down and release. A minute of this is profoundly centering. To add to the healing, on a second minute, instead of just exhaling, try exhaling and connecting the throat by sounding. Trust that you are able to connect the two places- throat and pelvis- without thinking about it. Keep sounding on the exhale for one minute, anything that comes out. Its all perfect and welcome. To close, rest for one minute.

I find that this simple self-connection to my pelvic floor and eventually to my pleasure daily keeps me happy and well, and gently removes trauma and conditioning in a safe and empowering way.

The Sex Jam ingredient profile is absolutely superior. How did you land on this specific oil/botanical blend? How would you recommend someone enjoy The Sex Jam if not using it with a partner for penetrative sex?

The Sex Jam is like a mix of all my most amazing downloads, trainings, and travels. In 2009, I had a complete body breakdown and autoimmune diagnosis, and found teachings of ayurveda to be incredibly healing. Daily oiling, tongue scraping, and neti pots were helpful to relieve symptoms. I eventually trained in Ayurvedic Health and Massage in 2013, and using herbal infused ghee on the body and in the body kept blowing me away with its gentle effectiveness.

In 2018, my second homebirth was so profound, and yet I experienced a rare birth injury- total pelvic separation- which left me unable to walk for two and a half months. As I was healing, my husband gave me herbal ghee pelvic and pussy massages. This was radically comforting, pleasurable, and deeply healing to my body.

When I was able to walk and move again, a recipe came to me in the night while breastfeeding (as all my recipes do) to refine the herbal ghee that we had used during childbirth and recovery into a pelvic massage blend. All of my favorite herbs came out to play, along with some crystals and planetary essences that were so royal and uplifting, and deeply sensual. As I played with the recipe, it just kept getting better!

It evolved into the Sex Jam, which I primarily created for partnered or self pelvic massage, but many started to use as a deeply nourishing, botanical pleasure internal blend. The tulsi is so uplifting, the flowering stellaria media (chickweed) so moisturizing, the saffron/vanilla/wild rose so beautifying and royal- and the nirvana quartz so blissful! I enjoy The Sex Jam on many parts of my body as a buttery, jammy sexual salve. It absolutely is a multi-task pleasure balm and I bow to its radiance.