Improved Sexual Performance Through Yoga Practice: Unveiling Its Benefits
The digital realm brims with wellness blogs touting yoga as the secret to a dynamite sex life. Personal testimonies, often pretty wild, back this claim - but does the science stack up? Dive in with us.
Many modern researchers are probing the intricate health benefits hidden within the ancient art of yoga. It's emerging that this practice can help alleviate symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems, among others.
Poring over the fine print, it seems that yoga does some awesomely clever stuff to benefit your health, such as lowering inflammation, tweaking genetic expressions linked to stress, slicing down cortisol levels, and revving up a protein vital for brain growth and health. And yeah, it just plain feels good!
There are rumors about some mind-blowing, so-called coregasms during yoga, too. Connecting with our bodies can bring about feelings of replenishment, restoration, and physical pleasure - but will it boost our romping skills? Let's scrutinize the science.
Yoga brings the heat for women
One frequently cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine unearthed that yoga can indeed enhance sexual function, particularly in women over 45.
The investigators looked at the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women and had them self-report on their sexual function before and after the yoga sessions.
Twelve weeks later, the women's sexual function had significantly improved across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index: "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain."
Wow, 75% of the women even reported an improvement in their sex life after doing yoga! The yoga training encompassed 22 poses, or yogasanas, known to strengthen core muscles, improve digestion, boost the pelvic floor, and elevate mood. Poses like trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist) were among them. Check out the full list right here.
Yoga brings the heat for men
Dudes aren't left out! An analogous study conducted by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, uncovered the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men.
By the end of the investigation period, the chaps reported a substantial improvement in their sexual function, as evaluated by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers found improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: "desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm."
Bonus: A comparative trial led by the same team discovered that yoga is a legitimate and non-pharmaceutical alternative to Prozac for treating premature ejaculation. It included 15 yoga poses ranging from straightforward ones (Kapalbhati, which involves sitting in a relaxed lotus position, eyes closed, abdominal muscles contracted) to more complex ones (dhanurasana, or the bow pose).
Mechanisms behind yoga's sex appeal
So, how does yoga get down and dirty, exactly? A literature review led by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology sheds light on some of yoga's sexual pepperspray.
Professor Lori Brotto, who heads up the department, is the paper's first author.
Brotto and the team explain that yoga regulates focus, breathing, and anxiety while easing stress. The effects of these factors on sexual response are promotive, making it "reasonable to assume that yoga might also be associated with improvements in sexual health."
Furthermore, there are psychological mechanisms at play. "Female yoga practitioners have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies," explain Brotto and colleagues, "and more inclined to develop an awareness of their physical selves."
This tendency may be associated with increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, leading to enhanced sexual desires.
Putting the pedal to the moola
It's fair to say that tall tales about unlocking blocked energy, moving "kundalini energy" up and down the spine, and producing ejaculation-free male orgasms lack solid scientific support.
However, other yogic concepts may pique the curiosity of naysayers. Moola bandha is one such concept.
"Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that sparks the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region," write Brotto and her team in their review.
"Specifically, moola bandha engages the pelvic floor muscles and associates with parasympathetic nervous system activity in the body."
Some studies have suggested that practicing moola bandha relieves menstrual pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and regulating testosterone levels in men.
Moola bandha is similar to the medically recommended Kegel exercises, which help prevent urinary incontinence and increase sexual endurance for both women and men. In fact, many sex therapy centers suggest this yoga practice to help women heighten their sensations of arousal in the genital area, resulting in improved desire and sexual performance.
Another yoga pose that strengthens pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana, or the "frog pose." Not just for flexing your digits in a childish way, this pose can ease symptoms of vestibulodynia (pain in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary vaginal muscle spasms) in women.
So, does the science support yoga's randy reputation?
While it's easy to get carried away by yoga's alleged sauce potential, it's essential to keep in mind that the difference between experimental, solid evidence, and anecdotal accounts is vast in this realm.
The internet is brimming with the latter, but high-quality studies supporting yoga's sexual benefits are scarce. Most of the studies referenced above – which reported improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women – have small sample sizes and lack control groups.
However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions have yielded stronger evidence.
For instance, a randomized controlled trial focused on women with metabolic syndrome, a group at higher risk for sexual dysfunction overall. The women practicing yoga for 12 weeks experienced "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication, while such improvements were not seen in the control group who did not practice yoga.
Improvements were also noted in blood pressure, making the researchers conjecture that "yoga may be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome, as well as for metabolic risk factors."
Another randomized trial examined the sexual benefits of yoga for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The women practicing yoga for three months experienced "improvement in physical ability" and sexual function, while control group women demonstrated worsened symptoms.
"Yoga techniques may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction for women with MS," concluded the study.
While there's no definitive proof regarding "yogasms," there are enough compelling reasons to get on the mat and see for ourselves. Your pelvic muscles will definitely appreciate it!
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga can enhance sexual function, particularly in women over 45.
- After 12 weeks of yoga, women's sexual function had significantly improved across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index.
- Similar studies suggest that yoga is a legitimate and non-pharmaceutical alternative to address sexual dysfunctions in men, such as premature ejaculation.
- Yoga may regulate focus, breathing, and anxiety while easing stress, which could lead to improvements in sexual health.
- Psychological mechanisms involved in yoga practice may boost assertiveness and increase sexual desires in women.
- More recent studies focusing on women with metabolic syndrome or MS have yielded stronger evidence supporting the sexual benefits of yoga.
