Improved Sexual Performance through Yoga Practice: Uncover the Beneficial Effects
Yoga, an ancient practice with numerous health benefits, has gained attention in contemporary research for its possible impact on sexual function. While anecdotal evidence and personal accounts laud yoga's ability to enhance sexual experiences, scientific studies offer a more substantial understanding of these claims.
Researchers have explored a variety of physical and mental health conditions that yoga may ease, including stress, depression, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. Below is a closer look at the specific ways yoga might improve sexual health.
Sexual Function in Women
Research from "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" demonstrates that yoga can indeed boost sexual function, particularly among women aged 45 and older. Study participants were asked to self-report on their sexual function at regular intervals before and after a 12-week yoga program involving 22 poses.
After the 12 weeks, participants' sexual function improved across all aspects, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A remarkable 75% reported an improvement in their sex lives after the yoga training.
The 22 poses emphasized core abdominal muscle strengthening, improved digestion, pelvic floor strengthening, and mood improvement. Notably, popular poses such as trikonasana, bhujangasana, and ardha matsyendra mudra were among those used.
Sexual Function in Men
Yoga’s male-specific sexual benefits have also been studied. A research group led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist in New Delhi, India, investigated the effects of a 12-week yoga program on men’s sexual satisfaction. After the study period, the participants reported significant improvements in their sexual function via the Male Sexual Quotient evaluation, with improvements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
Researchers in this study additionally found that yoga is a viable, nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. This trial involved 15 yoga poses, including easier ones like Kapalbhati and more complex ones like dhanurasana (the "bow pose").
Mechanisms of Improvement
A review of existing literature from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, illuminates some of the sexual-enhancing mechanisms at work in yoga. The review, led by Dr. Lori Brotto, explains that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to relaxation.
These effects are associated with improvements in sexual response, implying a plausible connection between yoga and sexual health. Furthermore, women who practice yoga may develop a greater awareness of their physical selves, which could potentially lead to increased sexual responsibility, assertiveness, and desire.
Moola Bandha and Pelvic Health
Moola bandha, a yogic concept, may play an essential role in improving sexual health. Moola bandha is a contraction of the perineal muscles that stimulates the nervous system in the pelvic region, promoting parasympathetic activity in the body. Research suggests that practicing moola bandha can aid in treating sexual difficulties in women and premature ejaculation in men.
Many sex therapy centers recommend moola bandha to help women become more attuned to their sensations of arousal, thus enhancing desire and sexual experience. Other poses that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, such as bhekasana (the "frog pose"), may help ease symptoms of vaginismus and vestibulodynia, improving sexual health for women.
Assessing the Evidence
Though the potential sexual benefits of yoga garner excitement, it's important to bear in mind the limited empirical evidence compared to anecdotal accounts. Reliable research on yoga and sexual function remains relatively scarce, and existing studies often feature small sample sizes without control groups. More recent studies examining women with sexual dysfunction and other health conditions, however, show stronger evidence in support of yoga's sexual benefits.
For example, a randomized controlled trial with women with metabolic syndrome demonstrated significant improvements in arousal and lubrication after participating in a 12-week yoga program. Another study concluded that yoga techniques may improve physical abilities and sexual satisfaction function in women with multiple sclerosis.
While solid research remains crucial, the existing evidence suggests that incorporating yoga into one's daily routine may offer a viable way to enhance sexual health and the overall pelvic region. An objective evaluation of the evidence may warrant giving yoga a try to reap its various benefits.
- The study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine discovered that a 12-week yoga program, focusing on 22 poses, significantly improved sexual function in women aged 45 and above, enhancing aspects like desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
- A 12-week yoga program, led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, demonstrated improvements in male sexual satisfaction, manifesting in improvements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm. This study also suggested yoga as a nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine for treating premature ejaculation.
- Dr. Lori Brotto's review from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, explains that yoga's mechanisms of improvement are tied to its ability to regulate attention and breathing, lower anxiety and stress, and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, all of which contribute to sexual response enhancements and a plausible connection between yoga and sexual health.
