Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Exploring its Advantages
Yo, let's dive into the myth of yoga enhancing our bedroom escapades, all backed by some science.
Nowadays, there's a whole lotta chatter about yoga boosting health in every way, from chilling out anxiety to kickin' diabetes' ass. But can this ancient practice really make the spirits soar high during the sack? Let's investigate!
Yoga Gets the Juices Flowin' in Ladies
Remember that study about yoga in The Journal of Sexual Medicine? It found that the practice could, indeed, increase sexual function in women aged 45 and up. The participants self-reported improvements in desire, arousal, orgasms, you name it! A whopping 75% of 'em claimed their sexual lives had improved after 12 weeks of yoga. They learned and practiced 22 poses, including trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). Get the full list of poses right here!
Dudes Aren't Left Out Either
Not only does yoga benefit the ladies; Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India led a study that found improvements in male sexual satisfaction after 12 weeks of yoga sessions too.
The researchers discovered enhancements across desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasms. Impressive, right?! And in another study led by the same gang, yoga was shown to be an excellent non-pharmaceutical alternative to Prozac for treating premature ejaculation. They ran through 15 poses, easing from simpler ones (like Kapalbhati, a breath-focused pose) to complex ones (like dhanurasana, or the 'bow pose').
The Lowdown on Yoga's Sex-Boosting Mechanics
But how, you ask, does yoga whip our sex lives into shape? Research has uncovered some fascinating insights into yoga's sex-enhancing mechanisms. A study led by folks from the University of British Columbia, Canada, reviewed existing literature and found that yoga calms the mind, reduces stress, and enhances breathing, which are all linked to improvements in sexual response. Also, female yoga practitioners have been found to be less likely to body-shame and more aware of their physical selves, which could lead to increased sex drive and assertiveness.
The Moola Bandha's Magical Powers
Now, stories about unleashing blocked energy in root chakras and making kundalini energy dance up and down your spine so you can have orgasms without ejaculating sound more like a Hollywood fantasy than hard science. But Moola Bandha might change your mind. This yogic concept involves a perineal contraction that stimulates the pelvic region's nervous system. Practicing Moola Bandha can relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and controlling testosterone secretion in men. Plus, many sex therapy centers recommend this practice to help women become more aware of their genital arousal, boosting desire and sexual satisfaction.
How Trustworthy is the Evidence?
Though it's tempting to get carried away by yoga's potential sexual prowess, it's worth noting the ginormous gap between empirical (read: experimental) evidence and anecdotal evidence floating around online. Sure, there's a bajillion anecdotes out there, but research supporting yoga's benefits for sexual function still remains relatively scarce. Also, most of the studies mentioned earlier have a small sample size and lacked a control group. Nonetheless, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction alongside other conditions have provided stronger evidence, such as a randomized controlled trial that found "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication among women with metabolic syndrome who practiced yoga for twelve weeks.
So, although we don't have a mountain of evidence to prove that "yogasms" are a real, attainable thing, we reckon there's still plenty of reason to give yoga a shot as part of our daily routine. Who knows - our pelvic muscles might just thank us later!
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine study indicates that yoga can increase sexual function in women aged 45 and up, with improvements in desire, arousal, orgasms, and more.
- Yoga benefits men as well, as shown in a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, with improvements in male sexual satisfaction across desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, and orgasms.
- Yoga's sex-enhancing mechanisms seem to revolve around calming the mind, reducing stress, and enhancing breathing, as well as increased body awareness and assertiveness for women practitioners.
