Enhanced Sexual Function Through Yoga Practice: Exploring Yogic Techniques for Boosting Intimacy and Satisfaction
The interweb is overflowing with health and wellness blogs praising yoga for enhancing bedroom action, and people swearing by this ancient practice for boosting their sexual experiences. But is there any truth to these claims? Let's dive in and find out!
These days, science is shedding light on numerous health benefits that come with practicing yoga. From alleviating depression, lowering stress and anxiety, to managing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems – yoga seems to offer quite the punch!
Recent studies have also uncovered some intricate mechanisms behind these benefits. It turns out that yoga:
- Lowers inflammation throughout the body
- Counters stress-inducing genetic expression
- Reduces cortisol levels
- Boosts production of a protein that helps the brain grow and stay young and healthy
And judging by the buzz around the mythical "coregasm" during yoga – it feels pretty awesome, too! So, can yoga's yummy poses level up our love lives? Let's see what the research says.
Yoga Unlocks Sexual Satisfaction for Women Over 45
An often-cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine looked at the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women aged 45 and older. The participants self-reported on their sexual function pre- and post-yoga sessions.
After the 12-week period, these women's sexual function significantly improved across all aspects of the Female Sexual Function Index, namely:
- Desire
- Arousal
- Lubrication
- Orgasm
- Satisfaction
- Pain
As many as 75% of the women reported improvements in their sexual experiences after yoga training. The 12-week program focused on 22 yogasanas (poses) designed to strengthen core muscles, improve digestion, fortify the pelvic floor, and boost mood – examples include the triangle pose (tritionkasana), the snake pose (bhujangasana), and the half spinal twist (ardha matsyendra mudra).
Yoga Boosts Sexual Satisfaction for Men, Too
You might think this is a women's thing, but think again! A research project led by neurologist Dr. Vikas Dhikav from the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, examined the impact of a 12-week yoga program on male sexual satisfaction.
At the end of the study, participants reported significant improvements in their male sexual satisfaction, as evaluated by the Male Sexual Quotient. Improvements were noted across all facets of sexual satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
The same team of researchers also carried out a comparative trial finding that yoga is a viable, non-pharmaceutical alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The program consisted of 15 yoga poses, ranging from simple poses like Kapalbhati (which involves sitting with your legs crossed, chest open, abdominal muscles contracted, eyes closed, and hands on knees) to more complex poses like dhanurasana (the "bow pose").
Yoga's Secret Weapon for Better Sex
So how does yoga up our love life game exactly? Research led by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, helps explain some of its sexual-enhancing mechanisms.
The study found that yoga:
- Regulates attention and breathing
- Lowers anxiety and stress
- Activates the part of the nervous system that encourages relaxation
These effects, in turn, have been linked to improvements in sexual response. The reviewers also point out that female yoga practitioners tend to be less likely to objectify their bodies and more aware of their physical selves – characteristics that may foster increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desires.
The Power of Moola Bandha
While tales about releasing blocked energy in root chakras and moving "kundalini energy" up and down the spine to induce ejaculation-free male orgasms lack scientific merit, other yogic concepts seem more coherent to skeptics. Moola bandha is one such concept.
Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the pelvic region, increasing parasympathetic activity in the body. Studies have suggested that practicing moola bandha could help treat symptoms of period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as premature ejaculation and testosterone secretion in men.
It's worth noting that many sex therapy centers recommend moola bandha to help women become more aware of sensations of arousal in the genital area, encouraging improved pleasure and overall sexual satisfaction. Another yoga pose that boosts pelvic floor muscles – and may even help ease symptoms of vaginal pain and vaginismus – is the frog pose (bhekasana).
So, How Reliable is the Evidence?
While it's easy to get carried away by the possible sexual benefits of yoga, it's essential to consider the stark contrast between the amount of empirical, or experimental, evidence and that of anecdotal, or non-scientific, evidence.
Though the Internet is bursting with anecdotal evidence, legitimate studies testing the impact of yoga on sexual function remain scarce. Most of the studies mentioned above focused on women and had relatively small sample sizes, not including control groups. Nevertheless, more recent research focusing on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other health issues has yielded stronger evidence.
For example, a randomized controlled trial looked at the effects of a 12-week yoga program on women with metabolic syndrome – a group with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction overall. For these women, practicing yoga led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication – improvements not observed in women who did not practice yoga.
Another randomized controlled trial examined the sexual benefits of yoga for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). After 3 months of yoga training, participants underwent weekly sessions and demonstrated improvement in physical ability and sexual function – a stark contrast to the control group, whose symptoms worsened.
While there is some evidence that yoga can enhance various aspects of sexual function, particularly in reducing anxiety and enhancing pleasure for women, the scientific backing remains limited. Further research is needed to fully understand and support the role of yoga in improving our intimate experiences. Until we discover the elusive truth behind "yogasms," there's enough reason to dive headfirst into the wonderful world of yoga – and our pelvic muscles will certainly thank us for it!
- In addition to its broad spectrum of health benefits, yoga has been found to significantly improve sexual experiences for both men and women.
- A study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that after 12 weeks of yoga, 75% of women aged 45 and over reported improvements in their sexual function.
- A research project led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav found that a 12-week yoga program led to significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction.
- Research from the University of British Columbia explains that yoga's effects on attention, breathing, anxiety, and stress may lead to improvements in sexual response.
- The moola bandha, a yoga technique that involves contracting the perineal muscles, may help alleviate sexual difficulties for both men and women.
- Though empirical evidence supporting yoga's sexual benefits is limited, studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction and other health issues have yielded stronger evidence for its effectiveness.
