Enhanced Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Insights and Advantages
Validate your loins, queens and kings, 'cause we're about to dive deep into the world of yoga and its supposed link with sexual satisfaction.
Now, the interweb is filled to the brim with wellness blogs raving about the joys of yoga for a better smexy life. Some personal narratives sing its praises, while modern research is just starting to uncover the juicy health benefits of the ancient practice.
But you want more than just hearsay, don't ya? You want solid evidence to back up those scandalous claims. Here's the lowdown.
Men and women, gather round, because the benefits of yoga ain't just limited to mental health. It seems to have a zesty impact on your bedroom escapades, too.
Researchers have found that a 12-week yoga session can significantly improve sexual function for women, particularly those over the big 4-5. In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, they found a string of improvements across various aspects of female sexual health – desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A whopping 75 percent of these ladies reported a mind-boggling improvement in their love life post-yoga training.
The study involved teaching these women a variety of 22 poses, or yogasanas, that are thought to strengthen the pelvic floor and core muscles, improve digestion, and boost mood. Some of these poses include the triangle pose, snake, and half spinal twist. You can get the full list here.
Now, you might be thinking, "But what about the fellas?" Fret ye not, my friend, for yoga ain't playing favorites. Another study carried out by the esteemed Dr. Vikas Dhikav (a neurologist at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India) examined the impact of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of guys.
The results? A statistically significant improvement in male sexual satisfaction, as evaluated by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. This improvement was found across all aspects of male satisfaction, including sexual confidence, partner synchronization, and orgasm.
But just how does yoga tickle your fancy in the bedroom? A review of existing literature by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, sheds some light.
It turns out that, much like in a romantic rendezvous, the key lies in building connection, trust, and communication. Yoga helps regulate attention, breathing, and reduces stress, all of which indirectly contribute to enhanced sexual response. There's also the psychological aspect; female yogis have been found less likely to objectify their bodies and more in tune with their physical selves, which can enhance sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desires.
One of the concepts that could scratch that skeptics' itch is Moola bandha, a perineal contraction technique believed to directly activate the nervous system in the pelvic region, boosting parasympathetic activity in the body. Studies suggest that this contraction may help relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and control testosterone secretion in men.
Of course, we can't forget those infamous claims of blocked energy in root chakras and moving "kundalini energy" up and down the spine for some mythical, spine-tingling orgasms. Alas, those stories lack the peer-reviewed oomph needed to satisfy our scientific standards.
But Moola bandha, along with other yogic practices like strengthening the pelvic floor muscles through the "frog pose" and easing symptoms of vestibulodynia and vaginismus, give us some solid ground to stand on. Many sex therapy centers even recommend these yoga practices to help women understand their sensations of arousal, thus improving desire and overall sexual experience.
Now, before you get too carried away with the idea of maintaining that yogi flow day and night, it's worth noting that the research is not always large-scale or controlled enough to make sweeping claims. Individual results can vary based on factors like baseline health, type of yoga practice, and adherence. So while yoga may provide some smokin' hot benefits in the bedroom, it's not a cure-all or replacement for medical treatments.
But for now, we'll let the tantalizing potential of yogasms remain a tantalizing mystery. In the meantime, embrace the benefits of yoga and watch your pelvic muscles thank you for it.
- The world of yoga, when practiced consistently, may significantly enhance sexual health, especially in women over 45, as indicated by a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
- A 12-week yoga program led to improvements in various aspects of female sexual health, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain, with 75% of participants reporting a striking enhancement in their love life post-yoga training.
- Men aren't left out of the benefits either; a 12-week yoga program also showed a statistically significant improvement in male sexual satisfaction, as evaluated by the Male Sexual Quotient, across aspects like sexual confidence, partner synchronization, and orgasm.
- Yoga's benefits in the bedroom might be linked to its abilities to build connection, trust, and communication, regulate attention, reduce stress, and psychologically empower individuals, leading to enhanced sexual response.
