Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit, & Joy in the Root of the Female Body

by Tami Lynn Kent

In her groundbreaking book, Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit, & Joy in the Root of the Female Body, Tami Lynn Kent invites every woman to journey deep into the heart of her female body, to her root place, and the root of all womanhood. Through stories, visualizations, and creative exercises, the wisdom arising from the female body has been distilled into this guide for us to explore the feminine nature as never before. Based on her work with women in the pelvic space as a women’s health physical therapist, Kent has created a whole new way of discovering the female form. Kent draws from her experiences with the physical body and the female energy system to provide a framework for us to explore our inherently creative nature: this inner range of the wild feminine. Kent teaches us how to read the physical and energetic patterns of the pelvic bowl and restore access to the natural resources–the wildness–within our bodies. Along the way, Kent infuses this guide with healing stories and rituals for every woman to cultivate her creative ground, change core patterns that diminish her radiance, and receive sustenance from her own wild feminine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Feminism, Self Help, Health, Womens, Sexuality

Audible Audio

First published October 22, 2008

About the author

Tami Kent, MSPT, is a holistic women’s healthcare provider who guides women in interpreting the wisdom of their bodies and reclaiming the wild within themselves. With a master’s degree in physical therapy and the ability to read energetic patterns of the body, Tami acts as a bridge between the realms of modern medicine and traditional women’s wisdom.

The founder of Holistic Pelvic Care, Tami has advanced training in multiple bodywork techniques, including certification in Maya Abdominal Massage and Infant Body Psychotherapy/Birth Trauma Resolution. She received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Pacific University and her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Tami is the mother of three boys and maintains a women’s health private practice in Portland, OR.

Reviews

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 2.5 star book, which I'm generously giving three stars. I found the author's language too wooey and vague, irritating me to no end by the conclusion of the book. There is a lot of fluff language to describe energy and body wisdom, which Dr. Christine Northrup does much more elegantly in her book "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom." While the subject matter is different, Northrup's book is a better bet for overall women's health and body concerns. In Wild Feminine, attention is paid to pelvic health but belabors the author's point in language that should have been more heavily edited.

[Kaptain Kniccas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried reading this book twice, I really did. It has great exercises in it and great insights about womyn and creativity but I just couldn't push past the middle point.
And then one day on a beach in India a cow picked it up when I was getting a drink and ate 20 pages out of it, just at the part that I was reading. So that was a sign.
I put it down.
It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that I found it hard to get through and well the Bovine God had it's say!

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

i want to give this book 5 stars because i think that i am engaging in some life-changing events because of reading this book. however, as a BOOK it was not exceptional. the author did a lot of repeating and there were more case studies than substance to the actual narrative. i think the book could be cut in half, but then maybe it would be more of a pamphlet. i wish there had been some narratives from historical matriarchal traditions or ceremonies.

[J.Bayze]

"I am drumming. Twenty women form a circle on the floor. They lie with heads together and legs extended... I ask the women to feel the drum's vibration in the root of their bodies. They follow the drumbeat to their womb, where life itself begins."

"Suddenly the spirit of my daughter filled the room. I felt her tiny body leave mine, and I reached down to discover her placenta's perfect fit in the palm of my hand. I wrapped her hint of a body on cloth... I wandered through the day with her small bundle in my pocket."

DAFUQ DID I JUST READ?

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's very, very gendered in language and exercises. I understand this comes from the author's experience as a physical therapist, primarily (only?) treating cis women for pelvic issues. She is accustomed to speaking in terms of anatomy. But, she constantly equates anatomy with the "feminine." Though she acknowledges that all people hold both feminine and masculine energy, the book is not at all welcoming to trans people. I felt the constant reinforcement of gender was unnecessary and unfortunate, because the exercises (primarily energetic and emotional in nature) are otherwise very good and effective. So I'm torn.. If the author had been more inclusive, this would have been a 5 star review from me. As it wasn't, I feel uncomfortable wanting to buy the text in order to reference the exercises in the future. (This was a library ebook read).

[Aubree Deimler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tami is a pelvic floor therapist. I appreciated the detailed instructions she gives in the book on how to utilize this technique on yourself to release tension in your pelvic floor. She includes lots of other exercises in the book including visualizations and meditations to help reconnect to your root, the center of feminine and natural creative energy. She shares many stories of women she's worked on and how powerful it is to reconnect to this sacred place. Lots of takeaways from this one, though I do agree with other reviewers that the woo-woo language is a bit over the top. That has to be overlooked to get to her primary message.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW THIS BOOK IS DENSE.

As a work of literature, it's winding, it's overwrought, it's dense, and needs a big edit.

BUT...

As a workbook, and as a guided discussion, this book is an amazing part of a woman's circle. There is zero reason to read all of this book, or do all the exercises. It's too much. But if you have a sherpa and women to work through this with, it is truly deeply impactful. The concepts and inspirations have changed my life perspective. But without the guided discussion, I would have never made it through this. It's just too much.

[Kaylene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange and wonderful book. 5 stars because I hope all those who need its message will find their way to reading it.

[Lydia's Bookshelf · Rating 1 out of 5]

DID NOT FINISH. Could not get into this book to save my life.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 I feel like there’s a lot of great information in this book and it’s interesting to read about pelvic health from a recontextualized spiritual perspective. However, the cis-normative language gave me major ick and made me feel really alienated as an afab enby. I think it’s worth cherry picking relevant info for self reflection, but I’d take the rest with a bucket of salt.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's such wealth in wisdom in this book, I feel I've only begun to scratch the surface on integrating the transformative potential it carries. I intend to return back to the exercises and journal questions again and again as I learn to embody my root and womb space. Very grateful to the author.

[Katerina Arch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't go more than a few pages of this non-sense

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The left ovary is the energetic place of receiving whatever a woman desires for her feminine self"

"... pelvic energetic boundaries..."

"If you are not menstruating, due to lactation or menopause, it is especially important to perform a monthly uterine releasing exercise to prevent energetic imbalances resulting from the lack of a regular period of release"

I could not read this book in its entirety.

Now I am an open-minded, "spiritual"(though its books like these that have turned me off that term) person but this is just absolute mumbo jumbo. The kind of mumbo jumbo so typical of those patchwork pant-wearing folks that are really all part of just another mindless, cut-copy, subculture of other fingerpainters who just got back from a pilgramage to a very cliche spiritual destination, despite purporting that the universe and Truth is within all of us. Mumbo jumbo that really makes life more convoluted than it needs to be and I suspect actually takes one further away from any real truth and harmony due to it being yet another "spiritual" book throwing more problems, details, complexities and should do's on the readers path that they would never have otherwise encountered, and offering solutions to problems the reader probably never knew they had. A perfect example of that sector of spirituality that shows itself to be so evolved, progressive, positive, at peace with all, but if you think about it for more than three minutes is actually incredibly toxic, has a tendency to gaslight and stifle authenticity, be hypocritical, and actually take you further away from what they propose they're all about.

However if you would like life to be more confusing than it already is, this book will allow you to get lost in the quintessentially spiritual hypocritical realm of being told how to just be, stay grounded, follow only your inner voice... but also, which you'd never have found to be a problem otherwise, that you have an energetically blocked left ovary(typical of your matrilineal lineage) and that thats probably because youve gone through the menopause without doing the necessary visualisation exercises! Oh and if you have any resistance to books such as these and their ideas, its probably proof of how much you actually need them, not that they, themselves, are absolute twaddle.

One star because it borders the realm of speaking about the physical and non-physical nature of being in a female body... 4 stars deducted because it goes too far off with it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I’ve never met her, I discovered Tami Lynn Kent at a Grounded At Home Becoming Bohemian Retreat during quarantine. One of the breakout sessions was called Women’s Wellness - Finding your Root Voice and Wild Feminine with Janet Dailey Butler, wellness educator, healer, sacred sound vocalist, and founder of Dailey Wellness. She invited us to close soften our eyes and tap in to I Am (That I Am) by Renee Skuba and welcomed us into womb healing.

My root is a vibrant place
I create what I want
I am a radiant woman
I love my female form
I am a divine creation of the universe

I was struck by the Biblical parallel of Mary and Martha, who serve as relational representations of the biological ovaries. On the left side Martha symbolizes constructive activity, on the right Mary symbolizes creative rest. Martha is doing, Mary is being, and both are united in Christ!
When Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with expensive ointment and wipes his feet with her hair, Jesus affirms the beauty of menstruation as poured out perfume, the lifeblood of both body and femininity poured out as an instinctual offering at the altar of his feet and this not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, lest any woman boast!

Our reproductive rainbow is a treasure trove of precious gemstones;
We draw in the rainbow one color at a time, circulate, and release to the earth.
Garnet is not tarnished ruby, but a monthly remembrance of His blood poured out for me
and my powerful femininity.
Orange is the orb in the celestial vault, sunrise and sunset on the horizon,
and there was morning and there was evening and God saw that it was good.
Yellow sunshine kisses the sky and caresses the grass, painting the rich brown dirt
Emerald green, fecund fertility.
Cerulean blue rains cleansing release to the earth.
Regal purple cloaks me in royalty.
Sequins of silver sparkle.
Rose gold shimmers.
I step into my soul furnace:
dancing,
singing,
writing,
reading,
creating.

The book club guide at the end provides the perfect spark to start your own discussion! Ignite your feminine fire and pick up your copy of Wild Feminine today!

[Jen Winckler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am all in on the concept and theory she discusses in the book, but as a book I didn't enjoy the repetitiveness. In fact I only read about half of it and felt like I got the point. There is definitely something to be said about holding on to emotions in our tissues, and I think pelvic floor work should be something all women take some time to work on and something our society embraces with less judgement and shame.

[Kate Gresham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on women’s bodies, creativity, and our connection to nature. Getting past some of the issues with repetition and language, I thought the book contained fascinating insights in to the female experience. Not my usual cup of tea, but I strangely enjoyed it.

[Catrinel Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights on feminine energy and How to feel more in your body.

This book shall be shared as a manual for women health!

[Kindra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it very much. While at first I really didn't understand much of what she was talking about, having no background with "energy work" or things of that nature, there was a point about mid way through when it started to all click. Once it started clicking, everything she said started finding its way right into my heart. I can easily say I've never read a book like this before-specific instructions for vaginal massage, and talking about energy work of the reproductive organs, are you kidding me? And yet in spite of the many reasons why I normally wouldn't give the book more than a glance, so many things she said resonated deeply within me-legacies of pain in your family lineage that can be carried and subsequently healed in your body, your body holding tensions and relational discomfort in a tangible, physical way, etc. These and many other concepts I found very poetically said. I found the practical exercises very intriguing, and I would like to try many of them.

I would probably recommend it for those interested in 'energy' of the female body, of postpartum vaginal/muscular healing, or someone curious about femininity from a New Age-y perspective.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this, especially as femininity is largely looked down upon in modern American society. As Ms. Kent rightly points out, the women’s right movement has largely created the strong modern woman to embody male attributes rather than valuing the feminine. I loved reading the delight in being a woman and enjoying traditional womanly delights. However, the book spent only 20% on this topic and the rest was about connecting with “the feminine spirit” and creating your own rituals for this practice. It is very New Age with little to know scientific evidence about these practices. Do not recommend.

[Sara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me a while to get into. Slow start. I have found that many of her pelvic floor myofascial release techniques have worked. I enjoyed her ideas around creativity. She's my kind of people.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every woman should read this book

[Jodie Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many women I work with are split off from and/or over identified with their bodies - this book is a great one to help women befriend their bodies.

[Sarah D]

A few helpful gems in here, especially regarding the impacts that stress has on our bodies. Other bits I largely only skimmed and did not find worthwhile at all.

[Samantha Sousa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped reading at page 168.
This book was good, but not for me right now

[books4chess · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Identify every remnant of shame associated with your female body in order to fully reclaim your wild feminine. Shame interferes with your ability to honor yourself. Shed this shame and prepare to receive your own sacred femininity.”

Trigger warning for the book: miscarriage, rape, emotional abuse, shame

~ Tami unlocks the spiritual elements of our pelvic floor through an insightful, holistic approach focused on energy held there., For people with vaginas, our pelvic floor is often unknown to us. With or without prior pelvic floor injuries or experience, the book is extremely educational, filled with anecdotes, exercises we can do at home for ourselves and a refreshing perspective on how to reclaim our bodies and sexuality.

~ My own pelvic floor therapist is numbers-based. She presents the science, we apply it, it works. But our bodies aren’t a one size fits all and neither should our education be. She recommended this book, calling it ‘a little woo woo’ and encouraged learning from another angle. The book left me with lots of questions I would then take to each session, allowing me to use the time to learn more about how to look after my body. I typically stay away from holistic learning but I’m grateful I listened.

~ I’ll be honest. Even with my sessions, I wasn’t aware of what else a pelvic floor therapist can do. Spoiler: a lot. To name a few things: they can help before giving birth and after miscarriage, to assist someone overcoming a non-consensual encounter or sexual dysfunction. The list is endless and we need to discuss them more, so that people are aware of their options.

~ Tami covers how to overcome shame and at a minor level, examine and relax our own pelvic floors. For someone who hasn’t previously, it’s a good guide but reach out to a professional for advice catered specifically to your body too. I absolutely recommend.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the very pseudoscience-y, “woo-woo” feel of this book, I got great value from it. The idea of creating purposeful, directed and loving thoughts for my female body was not new to me, but the methods and practices the author purposed were new to me. So much of this world degrades my own perception of my body. It was very healing to consider the power and radiance of my female body. Miraculously, I noticed that my menstrual cycle improved once I tried some of the practices the author suggested for nurturing myself. Literally as simple as holding my hand over my lower abdomen and cultivating thoughts of gratitude and love for my biology. It truly is transformational. I would recommend this book to any woman who has an open mind and wants to create a better relationship with themselves.
I removed one star because the amount of pseudoscience mumbo jumbo was really hard to wade through and the organization of the book was a bit hard to follow. The language used was almost comically woowoo. But, interestingly to me, if I stopped trying to understand every word, I got the gist of what she was saying. Haha. I think of this book kind of like squinting your eyes to look at an impressionist painting. If you zoom in and pick every detail apart, you miss the whole picture. It’s only when you step back and relax your eyes that you see what the artist intended to portray.

[Zea Gyarmati · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about a spiritual understanding of the feminine through women body experiences. I received it as a gift when I had some health issues a few months ago. I was very skeptical and had my reservations about the author who reads energy patterns and so on, but one evening, when I was feeling a bit anxious about my health again, I picked up the book. Reading the book made me understand quite a lot that the pressure to perform, the constant chasing of success and the giving of energy outwards to constantly create or satisfy others has contributed to the deterioration of my pelvic health and if I want to be well I need to live more slowly, more softly and absorbing energy. I think that there is a lot of truth to be found in the book, we can get closer to the root of psychosomatic problems, but I remain sceptical and I still have reservations about the kind of mappings like the right-left side as a female-male side, the strict physical location of different energy pathways, etc. These, I think, only make the subject more tangible to the person less capable of abstract thinking, but this is where the book cuts itself off from science.

[Lærke Kersten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depending on where you are on your healing journey as a female, this book will be transformative to different degrees. For me personally, as I believe is the case with many books, this book landed in my life at the right time - the time where I was open to really receive the information and the paradigm-shift inside the pages of this book. Tami brings the spirituality that always felt alien, disconnected and lofty for me right into the female body, and it transformed me and the way I see and take care of myself. She really knows what she is talking about - her book is grounded in the many years she has worked with many women and the tensions and or disconnections they experienced in their bodies. This is not just a book with a theory, drawing on other books; this is a deeply original book drawn from direct experience and work with women and their pelvic floor. I fell in love with this book and I fell in love with my ovaries, my pelvic floor and my heart while reading it. Please give yourself that gift too. Thank you Tami <3

[Katrina Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to work through this book. Right when I began reading it I experienced a period of six months with recurring ruptured ovarian cysts and other complications related to endometriosis, so I had a hard time engaging with the material consistently. After surgery in July I picked it up again. I know for certain after reading it I will pursue pelvic PT and I will bring some of the questions posed in the book to my therapy sessions.
3 stars because some ideas felt outdated (neuromyth of right vs left brain and what they mean) and because, as a nonbinary person, the constant reference to woman/women was challenging. I’m not sure how else the book could be written, but I’m sure there is a way to do so with more inclusive language.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might just be life changing…

Started this book with trepidation. ‘Spirit in your root’? what is she on about? After reading it, I still find some of her claims unbelievable. But. The core of the book, focused on connecting to your pelvis and your femininity, is something extremely valuable and untouched in standard education.

The author combines her own knowledge from her practice, stories from clients and exercises to explain concepts clearly and gives clear guidance to the reader. I did find that the last two chapters were lamenting her point a bit too much however and these chapters could have been skipped or skimmed over. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5.