Improved Sexual Performance through Yoga: A Closer Look at Its Advantages
Unleash the power within and explore the tantalizing connection between yoga and your sack sessions! The interwebs are flooded with wellness bloggers advocating for adding Downward Dog to your sexual arsenal, claiming incredible sexual enhancements. But does the science back it up, you ask? Let's dive in and find out!
Modern-day science is just scratching the surface of the multitude of health benefits that date back to the ancient practice of yoga. From aiding depression and calming the nerves to mitigating metabolic syndrome and diabetic struggles, it's clear that this timeless practice deserves a closer look.
Recent research has even uncovered some intriguing mechanisms behind these benefits. Perform a few sun salutations, and you'll find your body exhibiting lower levels of inflammation, revamping stress genes, lowering cortisol, and boosting the immune system's secret weapon - a protein that keeps the brain young and healthy. Ain't that a kick in the pants?
With all these out-of-this-world benefits on the table, it's time to wonder: does yoga's yogi flow boost our bedroom dance floor? Let's delve a bit further.
Boosting Your buzz: Women edition
Spreading like wildfire on the Internet is a study that hit The Journal of Sexual Medicine, examining the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 ladies over 45 who dished on their sexual escapades before and after their flexible fusion.
Post-yoga sessions, the ladies reported a significant increase in their sexual encounters across the board, as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasms, satisfaction, and pain tolerance.
A whopping 75 percent of these women got down and witnessed a change in their bedroom shenanigans after their yoga education, which involved mastering 22 poses known for strengthening core muscles, improving digestion, strengthening pelvic floors, and revving up the mood.
Heating Things Up: Men edition
Yoga isn't just for the ladies. There's a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, digging into the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the man-jerks' satisfaction.
Post-period of intense yoga practice, the participants reported a considerable improvement in their sexual satisfaction, as diagnosed by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers discovered enhancements in all aspects of male satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection control, and orgasm.
In a mind-blowing twist, a comparative trial carried out by the same team found that yoga was a practical and non-Pharmacological alternative to the infamous Prozac (aka Fluoxetine) in treating premature ejaculation.
The Magic Behind the Mat
How exactly does yoga create some silky smooth wriggling? A literature review cooked up by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver sheds some light on the matter.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UBC, is the star scientist behind this review. She and pals break it down, indicating that yoga modulates attention and breathing, reduces anxiety and stress, and activates the part of the nervous system responsible for relaxation.
All of these effects are associated with improvements in the bedroom scenario, leading us to assume that yoga could contribute to improved sexual health. There are also psychological mechanisms at play.
"Female yoga enthusiasts have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies and to be more aware of their physical selves," share Dr. Brotto and her colleagues. "This consciousness may lead to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and perhaps desires."
The Power Within: Moola Bandha
While stories of unlocking the ancient power of the root chakra and guiding "kundalini energy" to the point of producing an orgasm sans ejaculation may be short on scientific evidence, other yogic concepts speak more to the skeptics.
Moola Bandha is a prime example.
"Moola Bandha is a form of perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region," state Dr. Brotto and colleagues.
"This technique directly targets the gonads and perineal body/cervix." Check out the video below to learn how to apply this powerful practice to strengthen your pelvic floor.
A handful of studies cited by the researchers have hinted at sex-enhancing properties for moola bandha, alleviating period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, while exerting control over testosterone in men.
Moola Bandha is much like pelvic floor exercises recommended by sex therapists to heighten women's sensations of arousal, thereby improving desire and overall sexual pleasure.
Another yoga pose that promises to toughen up the pelvic floor is bhekasana, a.k.a. the frog pose. This pose may lend a helping hand to ease symptoms of vestibulodynia, or pain in the vaginal vestibule, as well as vaginismus, an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that hinders women from enjoying intercourse.
The Reliability Factor
While it's easy to get carried away by the orgasmic potential of yoga (excuse the pun), it's essential to remember the significant gap between the voluminous anecdotal evidence and the empirical evidence backing yoga's benefits for sexual prowess.
The Internet swarms with tales of sensual enhancement, but studies that have actually tested these claims remain few and far between. Additionally, most of the studies mentioned above – which discovered improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women – have relatively small sample sizes and did not include a control group.
However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction have yielded stronger evidence. For example, a randomized controlled trial probed the effects of yoga on women with metabolic syndrome, a population at an elevated risk for sexual dysfunction.
For these women, a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication, whereas such improvements were not observed in the women who did not partake in yoga.
Improvements were also seen in blood pressure, prompting the researchers to conclude that "yoga may be an efficient treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome, as well as for metabolic risk factors."
Another randomized controlled study examined the sexual benefits of yoga for women battling multiple sclerosis (MS). The participants embarked on three months of yoga instruction, consisting of weekly sessions.
Notably, women in the yoga class displayed improvement in physical ability and sexual function, while women in the control group faired worse.
"Yoga methods may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction of women with MS," the study posited.
While we're not quite at the point of claiming with certainty that "yogasms" are attainable, the science is moving in the right direction. Stay tuned for more exciting research results on yoga's impact on sexual health, and maybe there'll be a whole new meaning to Namaste.
Until further research illuminates the transformative effects of yoga on our bedroom games, give it a shot and reap the amazing benefits for yourself. Your pelvic muscles will knead you with gratitude.
- Modern-day science suggests that the ancient practice of yoga, known for its health benefits such as aiding depression and boosting the immune system, might also enhance sexual health.
- A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women aged 45 and above experienced increases in sexual encounters after 12 weeks of yoga sessions, which involved mastering 22 poses known for improving pelvic floor strength and revving up the mood.
- Another study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav discovered that a 12-week yoga program improved sexual satisfaction in men, reporting enhancements in all aspects of male satisfaction, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, and orgasm.
