Enhanced Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Insights and Advantages
Let's dive into the tantalizing world of yoga and its effects on your sex life, shall we? From personal accounts to wellness blog posts, claims around improved sexual experiences after practicing yoga are everywhere. But do science and research back up these claims? Let's find out.
The fascinating world of yoga is bursting with benefits for various health issues, such as stress, anxiety, depression, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. Recent studies have also begun to unravel the complex mechanisms behind these benefits.
Here's the scoop: yoga lowers your body's inflammatory response, counters the genetic expression that predisposes people to stress, reduces cortisol levels, and increases a protein that helps your brain stay youthful and healthy. To top it all off, it just feels damn good! But can those, ahem, yummy poses improve your sex life? Let's explore the research.
Yoga gets things cookin' for the ladies
One widely referenced study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga could indeed boost sexual function, particularly for women over the age of 45. The study involved 40 women who self-reported their sexual function before and after 12 weeks of yoga sessions.
After the 12-week stint, the ladies' sexual function significantly improved across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A whopping 75% of the women reported an improvement in their sex life following yoga training.
During the study, all the women were trained on 22 poses, or yogasanas, believed to improve core strength, digestion, pelvic floor strength, and mood. Poses included trikonasana (the triangle pose), bhujangasana (the snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). Want the full list? Click here to get your yogi on.
Men benefit too, ya hear?
Yoga isn't just for the ladies! An analogous study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist in New Delhi, India, examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men.
At the end of the study, participants reported significant improvements in their sexual function based on the Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers found improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
In a comparative trial, the same team of researchers found that yoga is a viable, nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The program consisted of 15 poses, including easier ones like Kapalbhati and complex ones like dhanurasana (the bow pose).
Sex secrets of yoga
So, how does yoga work its magic on your sex life, you ask? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia sheds some light on this question.
Professor Lori Brotto, from the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, and colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and relaxes the body. These effects, in turn, are linked to improvements in sexual response.
Additionally, psychological mechanisms are at play. Women who practice yoga are less likely to objectify their bodies, and more aware of their physical selves. This increased awareness may be associated with increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desires.
A closer look at Moola bandha
While stories of releasing blocked energy in root chakras and moving "kundalini energy" up and down the spine may seem far-fetched, other yogic concepts could make more sense to the skeptics among us. Moola bandha is one such concept.
Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, inducing relaxation. It has been suggested that this practice could relieve 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 modern, medically recommended pelvic floor exercises, which are thought to prevent urinary incontinence and help both men and women 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, improving desire and sexual experience.
Another yoga pose that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana, or the "frog pose." This pose may help ease symptoms of vestibulodynia (pain in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles).
The science behind the hype
While we might be tempted to get overly excited about the potential sexual benefits of yoga, it's essential to remember the large discrepancy between the amount of empirical, or experimental, evidence, and anecdotal evidence.
Studies in this area remain scarce, and most lack the benefits of a control group or have small sample sizes. However, more recent studies focused on women with specific conditions like metabolic syndrome have yielded stronger evidence.
For instance, a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication for women with metabolic syndrome, where such improvements were not seen in the control group. Improvements were also seen in blood pressure, suggesting that yoga may be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in these women.
Wrapping up
While the scientific evidence linking yoga directly to improved sexual function is still emerging, the preliminary findings are undeniably intriguing. Of course, we'll need more research to fully understand yoga's relationship with sexual health. In the meantime, we can confidently advise giving yoga a shot to improve your overall well-being and, potentially, your sex life. Happy… exercise-ing!
In the realm of yoga, it's not just about flexibility and relaxation, but also potential connections to sexual health. A study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that a 12-week yoga session significantly improved sexual function for women aged 45 and over. Men also benefited from yoga, with a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav showing improvements in male sexual satisfaction based on the Male Sexual Quotient. Yoga's magic could be due to its regulation of attention, lowering of stress and anxiety, and relaxation of the body, improving sexual response.
Moola bandha, a perineal contraction in yoga, stimulates the pelvic nervous system, potentially aiding in relieving period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women. It also strengthens the pelvic floor muscles, which are involved in preventing urinary incontinence and prolonging sexual enjoyment. Another pose, bhekasana or the "frog pose," may help ease symptoms of vestibulodynia and vaginismus.
Though the empirical evidence linking yoga directly to improved sexual function is still emerging, preliminary findings offer a compelling case. More research is needed, but giving yoga a try for overall well-being and potential sexual benefits seems a promising venture. So let's exercise, not just our bodies, but our sexual health as well!
