The practice of Yoni Sunning is a type of Genital Sunning — or “Genital Sunbathing,” if you like — and simply means exposing the vulva to direct sunlight (or behind a window of your house, for instance), typically by lying on the back and spreading the legs (while being unclothed, of course).
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Mind that the vulva is the part of the female genitals on the outside of the body, which includes the labia, clitoris, vaginal opening and the opening to the urethra, so Yoni Sunning doesn’t mean Vagina Sunning, but rather Vulva Sunning.
By the way, from Yoni Sunning it’s a small step to also engage in Perineum Sunning, which is likewise an increasingly popular “wellness” practice. In humans, the perineum is the area between the anus and the genitals, and thus, Perineum Sunning can be carried out by both men and women.
At any rate, there are quite some different thoughts about the so-called health benefits of the Yoni Sunning practice, all depending on who you talk to. These supposed benefits include awakening dormant sexual energy, increasing sensual pleasure and libido, absorbing Life Force Energy (Prana, Qi, Chi, etc.), increasing longevity, relaxing the nerves, enhancing mood, stimulating blood circulation in the genital area and boosting fertility, regulating hormonal activity, vitamin D production, and even increasing muscle tone of the area.
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There are those who claim that the practice originates in esoteric Taoism. In fact, it’s true that the perineal area is considered an important energetic region in the Taoist practices. It’s associated with an important acupressure point (Huiyin) on the Conception Vessel Meridian (Ren Mai) and associated with the Taoist Lower Dantian, the latter playing a role in Qi Life Force Energy transformations.
Nevertheless, if — in the Taoist Sexual Practices — the genitals were deliberately exposed to direct sunlight remains a question. Actually, there are indeed quite some Taoist practices that work with the area (notably through breathwork, visualizations, and pelvic floor contractions), but I couldn’t find “sunbathing the genitals” as one of them (for the moment, anyway).
One would also see Tantra practitioners who embrace Yoni Sunning, who — as in the Taoist practices — associate the activity to absorbing and circulating Life Force Energy, sexual awakening, longevity, enhanced sexual pleasure and increased joy in life. In Tantric practices, the activity is typically accompanied with Tantric Breathwork, Tantric Meditation, Pelvic Floor Exercises, and engaging in certain Yogic postures (asanas, mudras, and bandhas).
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Health benefits or not, and spiritual roots and aims or not, in a general sense one should be careful with exposing the genitals, anus or perineum directly to the sun because it’s an area that usually isn’t accustomed to direct sunlight and UV rays. In addition, the skin of the vulva is thin, and hence sunburn or skin damage is a definite risk. In any case, the most common practice is not to “sun the Yoni” longer than about 5 minutes per day, and better to start out with only about 30 seconds per day.
All by all, it seems that Yoni Sunning can be a pleasant experience (if done with caution and moderation), perhaps having some health benefits, even if it’s only because of reposing fully unclothed outdoors in the sun — for instance as part of a lifestyle that includes Naturism or Nudism — which can induce a comforting and liberating psychological effect.
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