Improved Sexual Health Through Yoga: Unveiling Its Surprising Advantages
Across the cyber world, you'll find countless blogs swearing by yoga as the key to a superior sex life. reignite passion and satisfaction – or so it seems. But does the research back up these claims? We're diving in to find out.
Current research is exploring the numerous advantages of the ancient practice of yoga. Some benefits that have been discovered include helping with issues like depression, stress, and anxiety, as well as addressing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems.
New studies are also examining the underlying mechanisms of these benefits. It turns out that yoga reduces the body's inflammatory response, deals a blow to stress-inducing genetic expression, lowers cortisol, and boosts a brain-nourishing protein. And there's no denying that it just plain feels good. Some even mention the tantalizing prospect of the elusive coregasm during yoga.
Given all these perks, you might wonder if yoga's tantalizing poses can spark passion between the sheets. Let's take a look at the science.
Yoga Improves Sexual Function in Women
A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine sheds some light on this question. The study focused on the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual function of 40 women over the age of 45.
These women self-reported on their sexual function before and after the yoga sessions, revealing significant improvements in every category of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
An astonishing 75 percent of the women reported an improvement in their sex lives following yoga training. Their practice included 22 poses, or yogasanas, believed to enhance core abdominal muscles, improve digestion, strengthen the pelvic floor, and boost mood. Some poses included the triangle pose, the snake pose, and the half spinal twist. You can find the full list here.
Yoga Improves Sexual Function in Men
Gentlemen, yoga isn't just for the ladies. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, investigated the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men.
By the end of the study period, participants reported significant improvements in their sexual function, as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers discovered improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
In addition, a comparative trial conducted by the same team of researchers found that yoga is a viable, nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
It included 15 yoga poses, ranging from the simpler Kapalbhati (involving sitting with a straight back, crossed legs, an open chest, closed eyes, and contracted abdominal muscles) to more complex ones like the dhanurasana, or the "bow pose."
Yogic Mechanisms for Better Sex
But just how does yoga improve your sex life? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from the University of British Columbia helps us understand some of the sex-enhancing mechanisms.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of the review. She and her colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, reduces anxiety and stress, and relaxes the body.
"All of these effects are associated with improvements in sexual response," write the reviewers, so it's "reasonable that yoga might also be associated with improvements in sexual health."
There are also psychological mechanisms at play. "Female practitioners of yoga have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies," explain Dr. Brotto and her colleagues, "and to be more aware of their physical selves." This awareness could potentially lead to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, as well as sexual desires.
The Power of the Moola Bandha
Let's address the rumors about unleashing dormant energy and inducing orgasms that the yogis claim can breach normal limits. While rigorous scientific evidence for these claims is lacking, other yogic concepts might make more sense to the skeptics among us.
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, and therefore enforces parasympathetic activity in the body," write Dr. Brotto and her colleagues in their review. "Specifically, moola bandha is thought to directly innervate the gonads and perineal body/cervix."
Some studies quoted by the researchers 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.
Moola bandha is similar to the medically recommended Kegel exercises, which are thought to prevent urinary incontinence and help both women and men enjoy sex for longer. In fact, many sex therapy centers recommend this yoga practice to help women become more aware of their sensations of arousal in the genital area, thus improving desire and sexual experience.
Another yoga pose that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana, or the "frog pose."
Aside from improving sexual experience, this pose may alleviate symptoms of vestibulodynia (pain in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary contraction of vaginal muscles that prevents women from enjoying penetrative sex).
The Reliability of the Evidence
While it's enticing to embrace the potential sexual benefits of yoga, it's important to keep in mind the substantial difference between the empirical, or scientific, evidence and the anecdotal evidence.
The internet is brimming with anecdotal claims, but the trials that have tested the benefits of yoga for sexual function remain sparse. Additionally, most of the studies mentioned above – which found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women – have a small sample size and lack a control group.
However, more recent studies, which focused on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions, have provided stronger evidence.
For example, a randomized controlled trial examined the effects of yoga in women with metabolic syndrome, a population with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction overall. For these women, a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication, whereas such improvements were not seen in the women who did not practice yoga. Improvements were also found in blood pressure, prompting the researchers to conclude that "yoga may be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome as well as for metabolic risk factors."
Another randomized controlled trial looked at the sexual benefits of yoga for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The participants underwent 3 months of yoga training, consisting of eight weekly sessions. Importantly, women in the yoga group "showed improvement in physical ability" and sexual function, while women in the control group "manifested exacerbated symptoms."
"Yoga techniques may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction function of women with MS," the study paper concluded.
So, while we need more scientific evidence to confirm yoga's potential to deliver "yogasms," the foundation is there. Until our future studies clarify whether these"explosive yoga orgasms" are a reality, there's enough reason to give yoga a try. Doing so could prove incredibly rewarding – and our pelvic muscles will definitely appreciate it.
- The ancient practice of yoga has been discovered to offer numerous health advantages, including improving sexual function in both men and women.
- A study on women over the age of 45 revealed that a 12-week yoga program significantly improved every category of the Female Sexual Function Index, leading to enhanced sexual satisfaction for 75% of the participants.
- Men reported significant improvements in their sexual function after participating in a 12-week yoga program, according to a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav.
- The study conducted by Dr. Vikas Dhikav discovered improvements in all aspects of male sexual satisfaction, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
- Yoga poses, like the triangle pose, the snake pose, and the half spinal twist, are believed to enhance core abdominal muscles, improve digestion, strengthen the pelvic floor, and boost mood.
- Yoga has been found to regulate attention and breathing, reduce anxiety and stress, and relax the body, all of which are associated with improvements in sexual response.
- Female practitioners of yoga have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies and be more aware of their physical selves, which could potentially lead to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, as well as sexual desires.
- Moola bandha, a concept in yoga, stimulates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region and enforces parasympathetic activity in the body, which might improve sexual health.
- Studies have suggested that practicing moola bandha relieves period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, and treats premature ejaculation and controls testosterone secretion in men.
