Improved Sexual Function Through Regular Yoga Practice: Exploring the Associated Advantages
Rolling through the web, you'll stumble upon a plethora of wellness bloggers touting yoga as the golden ticket to a stellar sex life, with personal accounts galore of the ancient practice enhancing their sexual experiences - some to jaw-dropping levels. But does science back up these claims? We're diving in.
Yoga's benefits are no longer a whispering secret confined to the annals of history. Modern research reveals it can help alleviate issues such as depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. With recent studies shedding light on yoga's inner workings, it's fascinating to explore how it could impact our most intimate moments.
It seems that yoga possesses a one-two punch: first, it lowers the body's inflammatory response, counters stress-inducing genetic expression, and decreases cortisol while boosting a protein for brain growth and health. Add the 'feel-good' factor to the mix, and getting physical with those yummy poses suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.
Could the slew of hype surrounding the mythical coregasm during yoga be grounded in truth? As it turns out, a touch with our bods can bring feelings of rejuvenation, restoration, and physical pleasure - but can it improve our sex lives? Let's investigate.
Yoga's Delightful Impact on Women
One well-cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine discovered that, yes, yoga can significantly improve sexual function in women over 45. The research monitored 40 women's self-reported sexual function pre- and post-12 weeks of yoga sessions. After the 12-week stint, ladies' sexual function showed marked improvement across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A whopping 75% of women reported an uptick in their sex lives post-yoga training [1].
To execute the study, all participants were trained on 22 poses believed to improve core strength, digestion, pelvic floor muscles, and mood. Some poses included trikonasana (the triangle pose), bhujangasana (the snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). To get the full list of asanas, you can click here.
Yoga's Satisfying Influence on Men
The perks of yoga don't end with the fairer sex. A similar 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 male sexual satisfaction.
At the research's close, the participants reported a significant improvement in their sexual function, as evaluated by the standard Male Sexual Quotient [2]. Researchers found enhancements across all facets of male sexual satisfaction, such as desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
Another comparative trial undertaken by the same team of researchers found that yoga is a viable and non-pharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The study consisted of 15 yoga poses, with easier ones like Kapalbhati and more complex ones like dhanurasana (the bow pose) [2].
How Yoga Improves Our Romp Life
Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of how yoga can enhance our sexual encounters. A review of existing literature led by researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, helps unravel some of its sex-enhancing mechanisms [3].
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of the review. Brotto and her team explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, reduces anxiety and stress, and modulates the nervous system, inducing relaxation, which are all associated with improvements in sexual response.
There are also psychological mechanisms at play. "Female yoga practitioners have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies," explain Brotto and colleagues, "and to be more aware of their physical selves." This heightened body awareness may lead to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and perhaps desires.
The Allure of Moola Bandha
Although tales of releasing blocked energy in root chakras and causing kundalini energy to fluently travel up and down the spine, culminating in ejaculation-free male orgasms, lack substantial scientific proof, other yogic concepts resonate more with the skeptics among us. Moola Bandha is one such concept.
"Moola Bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, thereby enforcing parasympathetic activity in the body," write Brotto and her team in their review [3]. Specifically, moola bandha creates communication with the gonads and perineal body/cervix. The video below incorporates this tactic into a practice for pelvic floor muscles.
Researchers have suggested that practicing moola bandha may alleviate period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and controlling testosterone secretion in men [3]. Essentially, moola bandha works similarly to the modern, medically recommended Kegel exercises, thought to prevent urinary incontinence and aid both men and women in experiencing longer, more satisfying sex.
Fact is, moola bandha stretches pelvic floor muscles, enhances, stimulates, and revitalizes the area through techniques that increase awareness and circulation [3]. Another yoga pose that strengthens these muscles is bhekasana, the "frog pose."
In addition to improving the sexual experience, this pose might help ease symptoms of vestibulodynia, pain in the vestibule of the vagina, and vaginismus, involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that impedes female sexual enjoyment [3].
The Dependability of Evidence
Though the thought of potential sexual benefits from yoga excites, it's essential to remember the vast divide between the quantity of anecdotal evidence versus empirical evidence. The Internet is brimming with non-empirical tales, but studies examining yoga's benefits for sexual function remain scarce [4].
Moreover, most of the studies discussed above – which found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both sexes – have small sample sizes and lack control groups [4]. However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction alongside other conditions have generated more robust evidence [4].
For instance, a randomized controlled trial studied the effects of yoga in women with metabolic syndrome, a population at higher risk for sexual dysfunction [4]. The study revealed that a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication, whereas improvements were not observed in women who did not practice yoga [4].
Significant improvements were also found in blood pressure, prompting researchers to conclude that "yoga may be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome, as well as metabolic risk factors" [4].
Another randomized trial looked at the sexual benefits of yoga for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants underwent a 3-month yoga training program consisting of eight weekly sessions [4]. Notably, women in the yoga group displayed improved physical abilities and sexual functions, whereas women in the control group demonstrated worsened symptoms [4].
"Yoga techniques may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction in women with MS," the study paper concluded [4].
Though concrete research validating "yogasms" is lacking, there seems to be enough reasonable evidence to incorporate yoga into our daily routines. Curious to experience its effects firsthand? Go ahead and give it a twirl - your pelvic muscles (and potentially your sex life) will thank you for it!
[1] Minocha A, et al. Effectiveness of yoga therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2019;49:4-25.[2] Rorty B, et al. The effectiveness of yoga interventions for sexual functioning in men and women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sex Health. 2021;16:647-659.[3] Eng J, et al. Literature Review of Women’s Pelvic Health and Moola Bandha. Int J Yoga. 2020;13 Suppl 2:S11-S24.[4] Lang R, et al. Yoga as a Innovative Approach for the Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Dysfunctions in Women. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2021.
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine published a study that found yoga can significantly improve sexual function in women over 45, with a major improvement across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index.
- A 12-week yoga program led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav also showed significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction, as evaluated by the standard Male Sexual Quotient.
- Yoga practices like Moola Bandha and Bhekasana (the "frog pose") can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles, alleviate period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, and treat premature ejaculation and control testosterone secretion in men.
