Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Exploring Yoga's Beneficial Effects on Sexual Health
Internet's overflowing with health blogs suggesting yoga for enhanced sex life, backed by personal accounts. But does the science support these claims? Let's dive in.
Yoga, an ancient practice, is gaining modern popularity due to its numerous health benefits, such as alleviating depression, managing stress and anxiety, improving metabolic health, and reducing inflammation. But does it boost our bedroom antics? Let's scrutinize the research.
Elevating Women's Libido
A groundbreaking research published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine discovered yoga enhancing sexual function, particularly in women aged 45 and above. 40 females partook in a 12-week yoga regimen, reporting significantly improved sexual function across desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain, with 75% expressing positive changes in their sex life post-yoga training.
The women mastered 22 poses designed to enhance the core, improve digestion, augment the pelvic floor, and elevate mood, including trikonasana (the triangle pose), bhujangasana (the snake), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist).
Exciting News for Gentlemen
Similarly astounding results emerged from a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India. This research introspected the impact of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men, revealing improvements in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
Merging effortlessly with their research, a comparative trial unveiled yoga as a viable nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
From simpler poses like Kapalbhati, to complex ones like dhanurasana (the bow pose), the study included 15 poses hypothesized to enhance sexual satisfaction.
Yoga's Sex-Boosting Mechanisms
So, how does yoga perk up their bedroom game? A literature review led by researchers at the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology sheds light on some of the underlying mechanisms.
Exuding expertise in the field, the first author of the review Dr. Lori Brotto clarifies that yoga regulates attention and breathing, manages anxiety and stress, and rejuvenates the body through relaxation, thereby boosting sexual response.
Furthermore, yoga practitioners show a tendency to be less body-objectifying and more self-aware, potentially leading to increased sexual engagement and assertiveness.
Moola Bandha's Magic
Moola Bandha, a yogic concept, may pique the interest of skeptics. This perineal contraction stimulates the nervous system, increasing circulation in the pelvic region, and may relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and regulate testosterone secretion in men.
Moola Bandha-strengthened pelvic floor muscles might also assist in overcoming issues like vaginismus, vestibulodynia, and enhancing desire and sexual satisfaction in women.
A Warning: Reliable Evidence Needed
Although the notion of "yogasmic" delights might seem tantalizing, it's essential to remember that the gap between empirical and anecdotal evidence remains significant. The Internet brims with personal testimonies, but rigorous scientific trials exploring the influence of yoga on sexual function are scarce.
Furthermore, most studies focus on small sample sizes and lack control groups. However, more recent research focusing on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other health issues provides stronger evidence.
For instance, a randomized controlled trial found that a 12-week yoga program significantly boosted arousal and lubrication in women with metabolic syndrome, decreasing risks for sexual dysfunction.
Another randomized trial on women living with multiple sclerosis (MS) indicated that yoga techniques could elevate physical abilities and sexual satisfaction.
In conclusion, while promising, more substantial scientific evidence is required to unequivocally prove yoga's impact on sexual function. Until such time, we recommend incorporating yoga into your daily routine for overall well-being and improved sexual health. Your pelvic muscles will undoubtedly appreciate it.
- The research published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reported that a 12-week yoga regimen significantly improved sexual function in women aged 45 and above, affecting desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav discovered improvements in men's sexual satisfaction after a 12-week yoga program, including changes in desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
- A comparative trial revealed that yoga can be a viable nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
- The literature review by the University of British Columbia's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology suggests that yoga regulates attention and breathing, manages anxiety and stress, and rejuvenates the body through relaxation, thereby boosting sexual response.
- Moola Bandha, a yogic concept, stimulates the nervous system, increasing circulation in the pelvic region, and may relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and regulate testosterone secretion in men.
