Enhanced Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Exploring the Advantages
The web is brimming with wellness blogs advocating for yoga to boost one's love life, supported by personal accounts claiming improved sexual experiences after practicing yoga. But do the studies back up these amorous endorsements? Let's find out.
The benefits of yoga have been on researchers' radar for quite some time now, with improvements seen in conditions such as depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid issues. Recent studies have delved deeper into the underlying mechanisms behind these reported health enhancements.
It appears that yoga helps reduce the body's inflammatory response, counteracts stress-related genetic expression, lowers cortisol, and boosts a protein friendly to the brain. Even better, it just feels delightful, and some even claim it can trigger a fantastic sensation known as the 'coregasm' during yoga.
A harmonious relationship with the body can bring a sense of rejuvenation, restoration, and physical pleasure. But can yoga's pleasing poses bring joy to our encounters between the sheets? Let's examine the research.
Orgasmic experiences for women over 45
One frequently cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine indicated that yoga could, indeed, elevate sexual function, particularly in women over 45. This research surveyed 40 women who reported on their sexual experiences before and after 12 weeks of yoga training.
By the end of the period, the women's sexual function scores significantly improved across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. A whopping 75 percent reported improvements in their sex lives after yoga training.
The regime comprised 22 poses believed to enhance core abdominal muscles, improve digestion, strengthen pelvic floor muscles, and boost mood. Examples include the triangle pose, the snake, and the half spinal twist. The full list of poses can be found here.
Improvements for men
Men aren't left out of the loop either. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, looked at the impact of a 12-week yoga program on male sexual satisfaction.
By the study's end, participants reported significant improvements in their sexual experiences, as evaluated using the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The study found enhancements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
In a separate comparative trial by the same research team, it was discovered that yoga is a viable, nonpharmaceutical alternative to Fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The routine included 15 yoga poses, ranging from the easy Kapalbhati to the complex dhanurasana (the bow pose).
Mechanisms behind these improvements
But how does yoga bring a spark back to our love lives? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia (UBC), offers some insight into these sexual health benefits.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of the review.
Dr. Brotto and her colleagues explained that yoga regulates attention, breathing, reduces stress and anxiety, and activates the part of the nervous system that initiates relaxation. "It is reasonable that yoga might be associated with improvements in sexual health," they concluded.
Furthermore, yoga stimulates psychological mechanisms that can boost sexual experiences. Female yoga practitioners have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies and more aware of their physical selves, which has been associated with increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness.
The power of moola bandha
While tales about delivering unleashed energy in root chakras and moving 'kundalini energy' through the spine, culminating in ejaculation-free male orgasms, lack rigorous scientific backing, other yogic concepts might appeal to skeptics. Moola bandha is one such concept.
"Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the sensory-motor and the autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, thereby enforcing parasympathetic activity in the body," explain Dr. Brotto and her associates.
"Moola bandha is thought to directly innervate the gonads and perineal body/cervix," they add, citing studies that suggest it can relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and manage testosterone secretion in men.
Moola bandha is similar to the modern, medically recommended Kegels, used to prevent urinary incontinence and help men and women enjoy sex for longer. In fact, sex therapy centers often recommend this yoga practice to help women become more aware of their genital arousal sensations, thus improving their desire and overall sexual experience.
Another yoga pose that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles is bhekasana, or the 'frog pose.' Apart from enhancing the sexual experience, this position could aid in easing symptoms of vestibulodynia (pain in the vestibule of the vagina) and vaginismus (involuntary vaginal muscle contractions).
Reliability of the evidence
While the potential erotic benefits of yoga may excite, remember that there's a significant discrepancy between empirical (experimental) evidence and anecdotal evidence. Although the Internet is full of the latter, the studies verifying the benefits of yoga for sexual function remain scarce.
Most studies that found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women had small sample sizes and lacked a control group. However, more recent studies that focused on women with additional health conditions presented stronger evidence.
For example, a randomized controlled trial discovered that a 12-week yoga program significantly improved arousal and lubrication in women with metabolic syndrome, a group at higher risk for sexual dysfunction overall. Improvements were also noted in blood pressure, leading researchers to suggest that "yoga may be an effective treatment not just for sexual dysfunction, but also for metabolic risk factors in women with this condition."
Another randomized study found that yoga techniques could enhance physical abilities and sexual satisfaction in women living with multiple sclerosis (MS), while women in the control group exhibited worsening symptoms. "Yoga techniques may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction function of women with MS," the study concluded.
While the research community still needs more comprehensive studies to fully confirm the effectiveness of yoga in improving sexual function, the foundation is certainly there. With the enriching effects that yoga brings to our lives, incorporating it into our daily lives could be both physically rewarding and beneficial for our love lives. As our pelvic muscles will surely agree, giving it a try might prove venturesome, indeed.
- The research in The Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that yoga can improve sexual function, particularly in women over 45, as indicated by improvements in all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav found that a 12-week yoga program can lead to significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction, resulting in enhancements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, and orgasm.
- Studies show that yoga's regulatory effects on attention, breathing, stress, and the nervous system could be the mechanisms behind these sexual health benefits, with specific poses like Moola bandha and Bhekasana stimulating the pelvic muscles and potentially improving sexual experiences.
