Improved Sexual Performance through Yoga: Insights and Advantages
Revised Article:
Let's dive into the world of yoga, an ancient practice that's recently gained popularity for its potential impact on our love lives. But does yoga really make us better in the bedroom, or is it just hype? We've got the scoop!
From reducing stress and depression to improving metabolic health, yoga offers countless health benefits. But what about its effect on our sexual well-being? Let's take a closer look.
Yoga for a Better Bedroom Experience
A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga significantly enhances sexual function—particularly in women over the age of 45. Over 40 women participated, all self-reporting their sexual function before and after a 12-week yoga session.
At the end of the sessions, the women's sexual function had improved across all categories of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Around 75% of the women reported an improvement in their sex lives after practicing yoga!
The women learned 22 poses, known as yogasanas, believed to improve core strength, digestion, pelvic floor strength, and mood. Notable poses include trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake pose), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). Want the full list? Check it here.
Men also reap the benefits of yoga. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, found that a 12-week yoga program led to a significant improvement in men's sexual satisfaction, as measured by the Male Sexual Quotient.
The study found improvements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
In a separate study by the same team, yoga was found to be a viable, nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The study included 15 yoga poses, ranging from simpler poses like Kapalbhati to more complex poses like dhanurasana (the bow pose).
How Yoga Improves Sexual Function
Yoga's sexual enhancement mechanisms are multifaceted. A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia helps us understand some of these mechanisms.
The review, headed by Dr. Lori Brotto, Canada's first author, explains that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and regulates the nervous system to induce relaxation. These effects, in turn, are associated with improvements in sexual response.
Yoga also fosters body awareness, reducing the likelihood of objectifying one's body. This increased self-awareness may lead to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desire.
One yogic concept, moola bandha, could be particularly noteworthy for its sex-enhancing effects. Moola bandha involves contracting the perineal muscles, stimulating the pelvic region and enforcing parasympathetic activity in the body.
Research suggests that practicing moola bandha may alleviate period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women. It's also believed to control testosterone secretion in men and treat premature ejaculation.
Bhekasana, or the "frog pose," is another yoga pose that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles. It could help relieve symptoms of vestibulodynia (pain in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary contraction of vaginal muscles preventing penetrative sex).
Reliability of the Evidence
While the potential sexual benefits of yoga may sound tantalizing, it's essential to remember that much of the evidence supporting these claims is based on anecdotal accounts rather than rigorous, empirical research.
With widespread anecdotal evidence but limited clinical trials, it's difficult to definitively establish the effectiveness of yoga for improving sexual function for both men and women.
However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions have yielded stronger evidence. For example, a randomized controlled trial found significant improvement in arousal and lubrication in women with metabolic syndrome after a 12-week yoga program.
In another randomized study, women with multiple sclerosis who participated in a 3-month yoga program showed improved physical ability and sexual function compared to those in the control group.
Although more robust, clinical evidence is needed, the potential benefits of incorporating yoga into one's daily routine are compelling. So why not give it a try, and let your pelvic muscles thank you for it?
- The study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine uncovered that a 12-week yoga session significantly improved sexual function in women over 45, as indicated by the Female Sexual Function Index.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav revealed that a 12-week yoga program can markedly boost male sexual satisfaction, with enhancements inmultiple aspects such as desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, and orgasm.
- The yoga pose Bhekasana, or the "frog pose," has been found to help alleviate symptoms of vestibulodynia and vaginismus by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
