Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Discover the Beneficial Effects of Yoga on Sexual Health
The digital landscape is brimming with wellness blogs praising yoga as a key to improving sexual experiences, boasting anecdotal accounts of incredible transformations. But does rigorous science backing up these claims? We're diving in to find out.
Modern research is unlocking the door to numerous health advantages of the ancient practice of yoga. Conditions such as stress, depression, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems, are among the many that yoga reportedly addresses.
New studies shine a light on the complex mechanisms behind these benefits. For instance, yoga is known to lower the body's inflammatory response, diminish stress-inducing genetic expression, decrease cortisol levels, and boost a protein that aids in brain growth and health. With all these perks in tow, it's not surprising that yoga feels fantastic. Some even claim it can lead to so-called "coregasms" - a mind-blowing sensation during certain poses.
So, can yoga's tantalizing postures enhance our love lives? Let's investigate.
Enhanced Sexual Function for Women
A noteworthy study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine implies that, yes, yoga can indeed improve sexual function, particularly in women over 45 years old. The research studied the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women who reported on their sexual function before and after the sessions.
Following the 12-week period, the women's sexual function significantly improved across all aspects of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. In fact, 75 percent of the women said their sex lives improved after yoga training.
The women were taught 22 poses, or yogasanas, that are said to strengthen the pelvic floor and core abdominal muscles, improve digestion, and boost mood. Examples include the triangle pose, the snake, and the half spinal twist.
Enhanced Sexual Function for Men
Men can also reap yoga's rewards. An investigation 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.
By the study's end, the participants reported a notable improvement in their sexual function, as assessed by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers found improvements across all facets of male sexual satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
A trial conducted by the same team found that yoga is a viable and non-pharmaceutical alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The routine consisted of 15 poses, ranging from the simpler Kapalbhati to the more complex dhanurasana, or "bow pose."
Yoga's Sex-Enhancing Mechanisms
But how does yoga improve one's sex life? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) helps clarify its sexual benefits.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the review's first author. Brotto and colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, reduces anxiety and stress, and governs the nervous system processes that induce relaxation. These effects are all associated with improvements in sexual response.
Moreover, there are psychological factors at play. "Female practitioners of yoga have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies," write Brotto and colleagues, "and to be more aware of their physical selves." This awareness may be linked to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desires.
The Power of the Moola Bandha
Legends of awakening dormant energy and experiencing orgasm-induced paroxysms without ejaculation may lack solid scientific backing, but other yogic ideas are more convincing. The moola bandha, for instance, boasts evidence from scientists.
"Moola bandha is a pelvic contraction that stimulates the nervous system in the pelvic region, thereby enforcing parasympathetic activity in the body," write Brotto and colleagues in their review. The exercise, they explain, directly affects the gonads and perineal body/cervix. Studies have suggested that practicing moola bandha relieves period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and controlling testosterone secretion in men.
The benefit of moola bandha resembles that of the contemporary, medically recommended kegel exercises, which are thought to help prevent urinary incontinence and make sexual experiences longer for both men and women. In fact, many sex therapy centers recommend this yoga practice to increase women's awareness of their sensations of arousal in the genital area, thereby improving their desire and sexual experience. Another yogic pose—the "frog pose" or bhekasana—also strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and may help alleviate symptoms of vestibulodynia or vaginismus.
The Reliability of the Evidence
While the potential sexual benefits of yoga may pique curiosity, it's important to note the sizeable gap between empirical (experimental) evidence and anecdotal (non-empirical) evidence. The digital sphere is teeming with anecdotal accounts, but the number of actual studies tackling the benefits of yoga for sexual function remains scarce.
Most of the studies mentioned above, which found improved sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women, have relatively small sample sizes and lack control groups. However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction and other health issues have produced stronger evidence.
A randomized controlled trial, for instance, examined the effects of yoga on the sexual experiences of women with metabolic syndrome, a demographic with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction. After a 12-week yoga program, these women experienced "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication. Another randomized trial found that yoga improved the physical abilities and sexual function of women living with multiple sclerosis, while a control group exhibited worsened symptoms.
So, while scientists still need to conduct more research to cement yoga's benefits for our sex lives, there appears to be a promising foundation. In the meantime, experimenting with yoga may prove exceptionally rewarding—and our pelvic muscles will certainly thank us.
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine indicates that practicing yoga can significantly improve sexual function in women, particularly those over 45 years old, as evidenced by the Female Sexual Function Index.
- In a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a 12-week yoga program was found to improve sexual function in men, as assessed by the Male Sexual Quotient, by addressing aspects such as desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, and orgasm.
- A review of existing literature on the sexual benefits of yoga, led by researchers at the University of British Columbia, reveals that yoga can regulate attention, reduce anxiety and stress, and govern nervous system processes related to relaxation, all of which are associated with improvements in sexual response. Additionally, the study highlights the moola bandha as a practice that directly affects the gonads and improves sexual difficulties in both men and women.
