Improved Sexual Performance through Yoga Practice: An Overview of Yoga's Advantages in Enhancing Sexual Health
The web buzzes with countless wellness blogs promoting yoga as a secret weapon for an enhanced sex life. People share stories of yoga's wonders, often claiming otherworldly outcomes. But does science back up these bold claims? Let's dive in.
Yoga, an ancient practice, has only recently gained momentum in modern healthcare. Conditions it's linked to include depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, thyroid problems, and more. Research reveals that yoga includes powerful mechanisms behind these health improvements.
By curtailing your body's inflammatory response, countering stress-inclined genes, reducing cortisol, and boosting brain maintenance proteins, yoga leaves you feeling not just healthier but also incredibly good. And yes, some folks even report a divine "coregasm" during yoga—apparently, it feels amazing.
Connecting with your body can lead to feelings of replenishment, restoration, and physical enjoyment. But can yoga's z Lisboa Arousing Poses really ignite our sex lives? Let's explore the evidence.
sexual-women
A noteworthy study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine discovered that yoga can, indeed, enhance sexual function in women, particularly those aged 45+.
The research focused on 40 women who reported increases in their sexual function following a 12-week yoga program. The women completed a Female Sexual Function Index, with improvements in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. An impressive 75% reported an improvement in their sex lives after yoga training.
During the study, all participants learned 22 yoga poses claimed to improve core muscles, digestion, pelvic floor strength, and mood. Among them were trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake pose), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist).
sexual-men
Not only does yoga work for women, but men also reap its benefits. A study conducted by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, demonstrated that a 12-week yoga program significantly improved male participants' sexual satisfaction, as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient.
The study revealed improvements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
Remarkably, a trial by the same research team discovered that yoga is a viable, non-pharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. This 15-pose yoga routine included easier poses like Kapalbhati and complex ones such as dhanurasana (bow pose).
YogaMechanisms
So, how does yoga work its magic on your sex life? A literature review led by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) endeavors to enlighten us.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of the review. Dr. Brotto and her colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention, breathing, alleviates stress, and normalizes the nervous system, all of which are associated with improved sexual response.
Additionally, psychological mechanisms play a role. Female yogis report being less likely to objectify their bodies and more conscious of physical sensations, potentially leading to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness.
ThePowerOfMoola
Although mythical tales about unleashing chakra energy andji mmm orgasms lack rigorous scientific evidence, other yogic concepts may strike a chord with skeptics. Moola bandha is one such concept.
"Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, thereby promoting parasympathetic activity in the body," write Dr. Brotto and colleagues.
"Moola bandha is thought to directly innervate the gonads and perineal body/cervix," explains the review. Practicing moola bandha might relieve menstrual pain, childbirth pain, or sexual issues in women, as well as impact testosterone secretion in men.
Incorporating moola bandha into pelvic floor exercises may even help alleviate symptoms of vestibulodynia and vaginismus in women, while effectively improving arousal and desire.
Another yoga pose that strengthens pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana (frog pose). As well as enhancing the sexual experience, this pose may offer relief for those suffering from vestibulodynia or vaginismus.
ReliabilityOfEvidence
Excitement about yoga's potential sexual benefits is understandable, but keep in mind the vast difference between empirical (rigorous) evidence and anecdotal evidence.
The internet is flooded with the latter, but the studies investigating the effects of yoga on sexual function have yet to reach critical mass. Most studies to date—those showing improvements in sexual satisfaction for both men and women—have small sample sizes and lack control groups.
However, more recent studies—focused on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions—have yielded stronger evidence. For example, a randomized controlled trial demonstrated "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication in women with metabolic syndrome following a 12-week yoga program.
Future research will help shed light on the extent to which "yogasms" are attainable, but present evidence suggests that incorporating yoga into our daily routines can boost our overall well-being, and our pelvic muscles will thank us for it.
- Yoga has been scientifically proven to enhance sexual function in women, particularly in those aged 45 and above, based on a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist, found that a 12-week yoga program significantly improves male participants' sexual satisfaction, as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient.
- Research led by Dr. Lori Brotto at the University of British Columbia suggests that yoga's mechanisms for improving sexual function are rooted in its ability to regulate attention, alleviate stress, normalize the nervous system, and make individuals more conscious of physical sensations.
