Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practice
Get ready to roll out your yoga mat, 'cause we're about to dive deep into the tantalizing world of yoga and its effects on your sex life!
These days, the internet is overflowing with wellness blogs that swear by yoga for a better bang (or orgasm, if you're feeling prude). Personal accounts sprout like wildfire, sharing jaw-dropping improvements in their between-the-sheets escapades after diving headfirst into downward dog. But does the science back up these mind-blowing claims? Let's explore.
In the realm of ancient wellbeing practices, yoga is quickly making a name (and a body) for itself as the jack-of-all-trades, helping with everything from depression and stress to anxiety, diabetes, and even thyroid problems. But let's focus on the main event: sex.
Recent studies have found that yoga works some serious magic to lower your body's inflammatory response, counter stress-promoting genes, lower cortisol, and revamp a protein that keeps your brain like a fine wine. Oh, and it just feels damn good!
If you're curious if yoga's yummy poses can up your game in the boudoir, we've got the tea on the research.
Yoga's Wicked Women
In a legendary study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, experts discovered that yoga can, in fact, revolutionize a woman's sex life, particularly those aged 45 and older. The study rounded up 40 women who self-reported on their sexual function before and after a grueling 12-week yoga session.
After the heart-pumping program, the ladies' sexual function had significantly improved in all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index: "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain." A whopping 75 percent of the women reported a noticeable improvement in their sex lives!
To reap the rewards, the women were trained on a soulful selection of 22 poses (yogasanas) believed to strengthen core muscles, improve digestion, boost the pelvic floor, and douse mood all over. To name a few, there's trikonasana (the triangle pose), bhujangasana (the snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). The complete list can be found here.
Yoga's Lusty Lads
You may think that yoga is all about women, but you'd be sorely mistaken! A similar study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, found that yoga brings a bounty of benefits to the bedroom – for men, too!
The study surveyed the sexual satisfaction of men after a 12-week yoga marathon. At the end of the sweat-drenched trial, the mEN forcibly reported significant improvements in their sexual function, as assessed by the Male Sexual Quotient.
The researchers discovered improvements in all departments of male sexual fulfillment: "desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, [and] orgasm."
Yoga's Mystical Mechanisms for Better Sex
But how, pray tell, does yoga wangle its way into your love life? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology sheds some light on the mystery.
The review, authored by Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the department, explains that yoga regulates attention, breathing, and fizzles out anxiety and stress – all factors pivotal to a roll-in-the-haybales.
"All these effects are associated with improvements in sexual response," write the researchers, "so it is reasonable that yoga might also be associated with improvements in sexual health."
There's also some psychological fun at play. According to the study, female yoga practitioners are less likely to fetishize their bodies and are more aware of their physical selves. This heightened self-awareness may foster sexual assertiveness and, subsequently, fire up their desires.
The All-Powerful Moola Bandha
The nutty yogic stories about unleashing blocked energy in root chakras and moving "kundalini energy" up and down the spine to the point that it produces ejaculation-free male orgasms may be highly fantastical. But other yogic concepts have the potential to satisfy skeptics. Moola bandha, for example.
"Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, and thus activates the parasympathetic nervous system in the body," write Dr. Brotto and her colleagues in their review.
"Specifically, moola bandha targets the gonads and perineal body/cervix. In essence, moola bandha strengthens the pelvic floor muscles." The video below integrates the movement into a practice for pelvic floor strength.
Some studies mentioned by the researchers suggest that practicing moola bandha can relieve painful menstruation, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and regulate testosterone secretion in men.
How Trustworthy is the Evidence?
While the potential sexual benefits of yoga may seem like manna from heaven, it's crucial to keep in mind the significant gap between the mound of anecdotal evidence (read: Internet myths) and the scant pile of actual, empirical evidence.
However, more recent studies – investigating impaired sexual function in women with other conditions – boast stronger evidence.
For instance, a randomized controlled trial examined the effects of yoga in women with metabolic syndrome, a group with a higher probability of sexual dysfunction.
For these women, a 12-week yoga program yielded "significant improvements" in arousal and lubrication, while such improvements were not observed in the non-yoga crew.
Improvements in blood pressure were also noted, prompting researchers to conclude that "yoga might be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome, as well as for metabolic risk factors."
Another randomized controlled trial analysed the sexual advantages of yoga for women with multiple sclerosis (MS). The participants went through a grueling 3-month yoga boot camp, consisting of eight weekly sessions.
Crucially, women in the yoga group "demonstrated improvements in physical ability" and sexual function, while women in the control group showed worsening symptoms.
"Yoga techniques may enhance physical activities and sexual satisfaction for women with MS," the study concluded.
While awaiting further scientific evidence to confirm whether "yogasms" are the real deal or just a tall tale, it's safe to say that there's more than enough reason to strain our limbs and incorporate yoga into our daily routines.
You might as well give it a shot – who knows? It might just result in the sexual experience of a lifetime! And don't forget to thank your pelvic muscles for all the hard work later.
- The realm of fitness-and-exercise and health-and-wellness is brimming with blogs touting yoga's positive effects on sexual function, claiming improved orgasms through consistent practice.
- In the realm of ancient practices, yoga has gained recognition as a multi-faceted solution, helping various health conditions from diabetes to stress, but let's focus on its impact on sexual health.
- Recent studies have shown that yoga can contribute significantly to lowering the body's inflammatory response, mitigating stress, and improving mental health.
- A study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga can revolutionize a woman's sex life, particularly for those aged 45 and older, reporting improvements in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
- Yoga's benefits aren't gender-exclusive; another study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav found that men also experienced improvements in sexual function after a 12-week yoga session.
- Yoga may improve sexual health through its regulation of attention, breathing, and reduction of anxiety and stress, which are all significant factors in sexual response and satisfaction.
- A review by the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology highlighted that practices like Moola Bandha strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which may improve sexual function in both men and women.
- Despite anecdotal evidence, more recent studies investigating the effects of yoga on women with conditions like metabolic syndrome or multiple sclerosis have exhibited promising results, indicating yoga's potential as a sexual health booster.
- As research continues to accumulate, it's evident that incorporating yoga into personal growth and education-and-self-development routines could yield significant benefits, not only for overall health but also for mental-health, mens-health, and womens-health, making it worth exploring.
