Enhanced Sexual Performance through Yoga: Exploring its Potential Contributions
Unleashing the Steam: Does Yoga Really Boost Your Sex Life?
Let's dive into the steamy world of wellness and uncover the scorching truth about yoga and its impact on your bedroom escapades. From personal experiences to scientific studies, the Internet is bubbling with claims about improved sexual encounters after hitting the yoga mat. But does the research back up these unbridled assertions? Here's the steamy sock report!
Yoga emerges as a heat-seeking missile of wellness, promising an assortment of health benefits. It's said to combat not only stress and anxiety, but also metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. Recent research scratches beneath the surface and delves deeper: Discovering that yoga lowers inflammation, counters genetic expressions linked to stress, brings down cortisol levels, and raises proteins that keep your brain young and fierce.
Yoga goes beyond feeling good. When it comes to your sexual health, the sizzle factor seems impossible to ignore. Can yoga's sexy poses truly bring you closer to bliss? Let's find out.
Yoga ignites women's desires
One notable study, published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, brings us tantalizing news: Yoga can indeed boost sexual function, particularly in women over 45. This study had 40 women undertaking 12 weeks of yoga, self-reporting on their sexual function before and after the sessions. After the 12-week period, women's sexual function soared across the board on the Female Sexual Function Index: "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain." An astonishing 75% of the women reported an improvement in their sex lives after yoga training.
The women learned 22 poses, or yogasanas, including the popular trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). Get your full list of asanas here.
Yoga heightens men's satisfaction
Men aren't left out of the arena of yogic bliss. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men. At the conclusion of the trial, the participants noted significant improvements in their sexual function as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers observed improvements in all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: "desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, [and] orgasm."
Another captivating offshoot of this research found that yoga could serve as a non-pharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating premature ejaculation.
This study incorporated 15 yoga poses ranging from simple ones (like Kapalbhati) to the more intricate ones (such as dhanurasana, or the "bow pose").
The yogic mechanics of lust
But how does yoga sprinkle this magic dust on our sex lives? A review of existing literature from the University of British Columbia helps us crack the yogic code.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, leads the charge. Brotto and her colleagues reveal that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and controls – stimulating the part of the nervous system that tells your body to relax, rest, and induces self-healing processes.
In simpler terms, all of these effects are associated with improvements in sexual response. The researchers also point to psychological benefits, such as female yoga practitioners being more self-aware of their bodies and less likely to automatically sexualize themselves, leading to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness.
The charms of the moola bandha
While tales of unleashing blocked energy in root chakras and inciting kundalini energy ascensions sound a tad eccentric, other yogic concepts may appear more believable to the more discerning. The moola bandha is one such concept.
"Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and the autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, thereby enforcing parasympathetic activity in the body," explain Brotto and her colleagues in their review.
In essence, moola bandha reignites the pelvic area, improving blood flow, reducing period and childbirth pain, and potentially alleviating sexual difficulties in women. For men, moola bandha could offer a potent key to combating premature ejaculation and regulating testosterone secretion.
Moola bandha finds parallels in modern medical practices, where pelvic floor exercises are suggested to prevent urinary incontinence and help individuals enjoy sex for longer[4]. Many sex therapy centers encourage this yoga practice to help women become more aware of their genital sensations, thus boosting desire and sexual satisfaction.
Another pelvic floor-toning pose is bhekasana, or the "frog pose." Beyond its sexual benefits, this pose may provide relief for symptoms of vestibulodynia (peevishness in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles).
The degree of trustworthiness of the evidence
While the tantalizing promise of the sexual benefits of yoga sends the excitement levels skyrocketing, it's crucial to bear in mind the vast discrepancy between the quantity of empirical evidence – experimental evidence – and anecdotal evidence. The Internet boasts a veritable orgy of anecdotes, yet genuine, tried-and-tested research on the benefits of yoga for sexual function remains scarce[3].
Additionally, many of the studies mentioned above – which uncovered improvements in sexual pleasure and satisfaction for both men and women – encompassed modest sample sizes and lacked control groups. More recent studies, focused on sexual dysfunction in women with other health conditions, have yielded stronger evidence.
A randomized controlled trial examined the effects of yoga in women with metabolic syndrome, a population vulnerable to sexual dysfunction. For these women, a 12-week yoga program led to significant improvement in arousal and lubrication, while such advancements went unnoticed in the women who did not participate in yoga[5]. Additionally, a randomized trial found that yoga enhanced both physical abilities and sexual satisfaction in women with multiple sclerosis[6].
In conclusion, while the sexual benefits of yoga simmer with potential, more concrete scientific evidence is needed to definitively support these claims. Until future research addresses the question of whether "yogasms" are attainable, we suggest sampling yoga for yourself: This steamy affair could prove nothing short of ravishing – and your pelvic muscles will undoubtedly appreciate the affection.
[1] Impact of Yoga on Sexual Functioning in Male Subjects with Sexual Dysfunction. (2014). International Journal of ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4272055/[2] Comparative study on the effects of meditation and yoga on sexual function and satisfaction in men with ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4537159/[3] Mindfulness Approaches for Women's Sexuality: A Meta-analytic Review. (2018). Mindfulness (N Y) ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112433/[4] pelvic floor muscle training - an alternative treatment for sexual dysfunction: a systematic review. (2022). Journal of Sexual Medicine ... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34972498/[5] Effect of Yoga on Sexual Dysfunction and Metabolic Factors Among Women with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial. (2018). Sexual Medicine ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6033549/[6] A randomized, controlled study of the effects of yoga on the sexual function, physical activities, and anxiety in women with multiple sclerosis. (2021). Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry[7] Yoga for Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study. (2018). Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6032439/[8] A systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the effects of yoga on physical and mental health. (2015). BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4470235/
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga can boost sexual function in women over 45, particularly in aspects like desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav found that a 12-week yoga program significantly improved sexual function in men, as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient, including aspects like desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
- According to a review of existing literature, yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and stimulates the part of the nervous system that tells the body to relax, which improves sexual response, and may also lead to increased self-awareness, assertiveness, and sexual responsibility in women.
