Improved Sexual Function: A Look at Yoga's Positive Effects

Enhanced Sexual Performance through Yoga: Insights into its Advantages

Revised Article:

Shall we dive into the dirt on the internet where wellness bloggers tout yoga as the secret sauce to a sizzling sex life? It's a juicy claim, but does the research stand up? Let's shed some light on that, shall we?

Nowadays, the health benefits of yoga are popping up like daisies, helping folks tackle issues such as depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid troubles.

And it doesn't stop there, my friends. New studies have uncovered some intriguing mechanisms behind these benefits. As it turns out:

Yoga lowers the body's inflammatory response
Counters stress-predisposing genetic expression
Lowers cortisol levels
Boosts a protein that encourages brain growth and keeps it healthy

Plus, who can deny the delicious feeling yoga gives you? All that's missing from the hype surrounding the notorious "coregasm" during yoga is confirmation.

Connecting with our bodies offers a replenishing, rejuvenating, and well, downright pleasurable experience. So, can a few yogic poses heat things up in the bedroom? Let's investigate.

Yoga and a Pyrotechnic Pandemonium in Women

There's a study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine that suggests the answer is, well, yes-Indiana-Jones-era-and-above. The research focused on 40 women aged 45 and older. They reported on their sexual function before and after undergoing 12 weeks of yoga.

Guess what? Their sexual function notably improved on all aspects of the Female Sexual Function Index – desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. An astounding 75% of these ladies reported an enhancement in their sex life after yoga training.

For this study, all participants were guided through 22 poses, or yogasanas, claimed to improve core abdominal muscles, boost digestion, bolster pelvic floor strength, and elevate mood. Included were trikonasana, bhujangasana, and ardha matsyendra mudra. Find the full list of asanas right here.

Yoga's Prescription for Men's Medication

Don't think this miracle practice is all about the ladies, buckaroo. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, examined the effect of a 12-week yoga program on male sexual satisfaction.

At the study's conclusion, the participants reported a significant boost in their sexual function, as per the Male Sexual Quotient.

Skimmers can rejoice, for I've plucked out the deets. Researchers found improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.

And in a fascinating twist, a comparative trial conducted by the same researchers found that yoga is a viable and drug-free option to treat premature ejaculation. The 15 yoga poses involved ranged from simple (such as Kapalbhati, which entails sitting with your back straight, hands on knees, and tightened abdominal muscles) to complex (like dhanurasana, or the "bow pose").

Older women may find enhancement in sexual function through practicing the triangle pose, according to recent demonstrations.

Yoga's Secret Sauce: An Insightful Glimpse

So, exactly how does yoga ignite the flames of passion? A review of existing literature, led by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, sheds some light.

Lead author, Dr. Lori Brotto of the same department, and her colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, calms anxiety and stress, and balances metabolic processes that promote relaxation in the body.

This ensemble of effects could, in turn, enhance sexual response and, thus, sexual health. Of course, the yogic path also presents psychological mechanisms that could spark our erotic desires.

"Female practitioners of yoga have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies, and to be more aware of their physical selves," write Dr. Brotto and her team.

"This keen self-awareness could foster sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and, finally, desires."

The Voice of the Root Chakra: Moola Bandha

Let's nip those stories about unleashing blocked energy in root chakras and powering up that "kundalini energy" in your spine freeing men from ejaculation-fueled orgasms in the bud.

As far as scientific evidence goes, that concept needs to be put to bed with the rest of the ghosties and ghouls.

Yet, other yogic ideas might strike a somewhat more tolerable note with the skeptics of our world. Moola Bandha is one such concept.

"Moola Bandha is a perineal contraction that activates the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region," explain Dr. Brotto and her colleagues in their review.

"It could, specifically, directly stimulate the gonads and perineal body/cervix." The video below offers a practice for pelvic floor muscles that incorporates Moola Bandha.

Some studies cited by the researchers have pointed to Moola Bandha relieving period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and governing testosterone secretion in men.

In essence, Moola Bandha boils down to practices recommended by sexual therapy clinics to help women become more attuned to their feelings of arousal in the genital area. In short, leading to a better sex life.

Another yoga pose that strengthens pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana, or the "frog pose." It may alleviate symptoms of vestibulodynia, a type of pain in the vagina, as well as vaginismus, a condition characterized by involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles that hamper penetrative sex.

Yoga's Bow Pose Could Potentially Enhance Sexual Function in Men.

The study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals that yoga, specifically poses like trikonasana, bhujangasana, and ardha matsyendra mudra, can significantly improve sexual function in women, particularly in aspects such as desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav found that a 12-week yoga program can lead to a significant boost in male sexual satisfaction, improving aspects like desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
A review of existing literature suggests that yoga's regulatory effects on attention, breathing, anxiety, stress, and metabolic processes could enhance sexual response, thereby improving sexual health and fostering sexual desires.
Moola Bandha, a perineal contraction in yoga, could directly stimulate the gonads and perineal body/cervix, potentially relieving period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, and treating premature ejaculation and governing testosterone secretion in men.