Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practices: Understanding the Advantages
The world wide web is bursting with wellness blogs swearing by yoga for a more satisfying sex life, backed by personal stories that often border on extraordinary. But is the scientific research backing these claims? Let's dive in.
Yoga, an ancient practice, has made a comeback in modern times, popular not just for its mental health benefits like combating depression, stress, and anxiety, but also for improving physical health conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems.
Recent studies have tried to decipher the mechanisms behind these benefits, revealing that yoga lowers inflammation, regulates stress responses, reduces cortisol levels, and boosts a protein that keeps the brain young and healthy.
So, can yoga's feel-good poses translate to better sex? Let's examine the research.
Yoga in the bedroom (or living room) for women
One of the often-cited studies, published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, found that yoga can indeed improve sexual function in women, particularly those over 45. The study observed the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women who self-reported on their sexual function before and after the sessions.
After the 12-week period, the women saw significant improvements across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index: "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain." As many as 75 percent of the women reported an improvement in their sex life after yoga training.
Yoga for men – it's not just for the ladies
Yoga doesn't discriminate – it also benefits men. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men.
At the end of the study period, the participants reported a significant improvement in their sexual function, as evaluated by the standard Male Sexual Quotient. The researchers found improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: "desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, [and] orgasm."
It's also worth mentioning that a comparative trial carried out by the same team of researchers found that yoga is a viable and nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
How yoga brings the heat to your bedroom
So, how does yoga elevate your sex life? A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, helps us understand some of the sex-enhancing mechanisms.
The review, led by Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, explains that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and regulates the nervous system that induces relaxation.
These effects are associated with improvements in sexual response, making it reasonable that yoga might also be associated with improvements in sexual health.
It's not just the physiological aspects, though. Psychological mechanisms are also in play. Women who practice yoga are less likely to objectify their bodies, and more aware of their physical selves. This awareness may lead to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, and perhaps even sexual desires.
The magic of Moola Bandha
Stories of awakening blocked energy in root chakras and moving kundalini energy up and down the spine to produce orgasms without ejaculation sound dubious at best. But other yogic concepts resonate with skeptics.
Moola Bandha is one such concept. It's a perineal contraction that stimulates the nervous system in the pelvic region and enforces parasympathetic activity in the body, directly affecting the gonads and perineal body/cervix.
Studies have suggested that practicing Moola Bandha can relieve period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and control testosterone secretion in men.
The evidence – how reliable is it?
Though the potential sexual benefits of yoga can get one ahem, excited, it's worth noting the substantial difference between the amount of empirical, or experimental, evidence, and anecdotal evidence. The internet is brimming with stories, but scientific trials focusing on the benefits of yoga for sexual function remain scarce.
Most of the studies, which found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women, have relatively small sample sizes and lack a control group. However, more recent studies with a focus on women with sexual dysfunction alongside other conditions have yielded stronger evidence.
For example, a randomized controlled trial examined the effects of yoga in women with metabolic syndrome, a population with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction overall. For these women, a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication, whereas such improvements were not seen in the women who did not practice yoga.
Similarly, a randomized trial looked at the sexual benefits of yoga for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The participants undertook 3 months of yoga training, consisting of eight weekly sessions. Importantly, women in the yoga group showed improvement in physical ability and sexual function, while women in the control group exhibited worsened symptoms.
In conclusion
Though the evidence may be scarce, it's clear that yoga offers a range of physical and psychological benefits that can indirectly improve sexual health. The research is limited, but there's enough evidence to suggest that incorporating yoga into your daily routine could be a positive move – and your pelvic muscles will thank you for it.
Whether or not yoga leads to the elusive yogasm remains to be seen. Until scientific evidence confirms or denies this, we say give it a try – and enjoy the journey.
- A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that, over a 12-week period, yoga significantly improved sexual function in women over 45, as reported by the Female Sexual Function Index.
- A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program on the sexual satisfaction of men, revealing significant improvements in their sexual function as evaluated by the Male Sexual Quotient.
- A review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia explains that yoga's regulation of attention, breathing, and reduction of anxiety and stress are associated with improvements in sexual response.
- A perineal contraction known as Moola Bandha, common in yoga practice, has been suggested by studies to relieve period pain, childbirth pain, sexual difficulties in women, and treat premature ejaculation and control testosterone secretion in men.
