Enhanced Sexual Function Through Yoga Practice: A Comprehensive Overview
Yo, let's dive into the weird and wild world of yoga and its supposed effects on your sex life!
The interweb is chock full of wellness blogs shouting about how yoga will make you bang better, and folks sharing their personal stories of yogic bliss. But does science back up these claims, or are we just getting stretched out of shape? Let's find out.
These days, scientists are cracking the code on yoga's numerous health advantages. It's been linked to beating down stress, depression, anxiety, fighting metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. And it turns out, yoga's got some seriously sexy side effects, too!
Research shows that yoga brings down your inflammatory response, messes with the genes that make us stress-monsters, lowers cortisol, and bumps up a protein that keeps the brain young and fantabulous. That's on top of just feeling damned good - with some folks even claiming to experience the legendary "coregasm" - geez, catch a break, body!
So can yoga's funky poses help you get it on better? We're taking a ride through the research to find out.
Yoga for pleasurable times with the ladies
In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers took a look at whether yoga could improve a lady's sexual function - and found some solid results.
They had 40 sexy seniors (over 45) hit the mat for 12 weeks, practicing 22 poses meant to temper stress, strengthen core muscles, boost mood, and improve digestion and pelvic floor function.
After the sessions wrapped up, these ladies reported major improvements across the board in sexual function areas like desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Seven and a half out of ten participants even said their sex lives had improved - wowzer!
Yoga for the boys disturbing the peace
Not to leave the lads hanging, a similar study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, checked out how yoga affected a group of gents' sexual satisfaction.
By the end of a 12-week program, the participants reported significant improvements in all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
And get this - a comparative trial carried out by the same team of researchers found that yoga is a totally solid non-pharmaceutical alternative to fluoxetine (a.k.a Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
How yoga works its magic in bed
But how, you ask, does yoga fix your sex life? A review of existing literature led by scientists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, helps us piece together some pieces of the puzzle.
Lead author, Professor Lori Brotto from the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, and her team explain that yoga focuses the mind, keeps your breathing clean, reduces anxiety and stress, and calms your nervous system. All these effects are associated with improved sexual response - so it's reasonable to assume yoga might also help you in the sack.
There are psychological mechanisms, too. Women who practice yoga tend to be less likely to objectify their bodies and more tune in to their physical selves. This may lead to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and, perhaps, desire.
The moola bandha trick
Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it! Some yogic concepts might make more sense to the unbelievers among us. Moola bandha is one such concept.
This procedure involves contracting the muscles in your pelvic region to stimulate the nervous system. It's thought to directly impact the gonads and pelvic area, potentially helping with sexual difficulties and relieving period pain, childbirth pain, and testosterone secretion in men.
In fact, many sex therapy centers recommend moola bandha to help women become more aware of their genital sensations, which can heighten desire and sexual pleasure.
So how trustworthy is the evidence?
While it's easy to get excited about the potential sexy benefits of yoga, remember that the difference between empirical (experimental) evidence and anecdotal (personal) evidence is pretty darn huge.
There's a metric crap-ton of personal stories on the interwebs, but studies that have actually tested yoga's effects on sexual function are rare. And most of the ones we found had a small sample size and didn't include a control group.
However, newer research focusing on women with conditions associated with sexual dysfunction, like metabolic syndrome and multiple sclerosis, has provided stronger evidence.
So while we need more hard evidence to prove that "yogasms" are the real deal, the foundations are there. Until more research confirms whether these delectable orgasms are achievable, we say, give yoga a shot - our pelvic muscles will thank us for it!
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that yoga can improve a woman's sexual function, as 40 seniors reported major improvements in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain after practicing 22 poses for 12 weeks.
- In a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, yoga was found to significantly improve all aspects of male sexual satisfaction for participants, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
- According to a review of existing literature led by scientists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, yoga focuses the mind, keeps your breathing clean, reduces anxiety and stress, and calms the nervous system, all of which are associated with improved sexual response.
