Enhanced Sexual Performance: Insights into the Advantages of Yoga Practices
Slammin' through the cyberwaves, we've come across a whackload of blogs swearing by yoga's magic powers for enhancing your bedroom fun times. But is there any fire behind all this smoke, or just yogis flexin' their wordplay? Let's get to the bottom of it.
Yoga, the ancient practice full of pretzel-like twists, has been making headlines for its health benefits – beating stress, easing depression, and even sorting out diabetes and thyroid issues. Recent studies have taken the investigation further, exploring the complex mechanisms behind these benefits.
Yoga's sweet-spot? The ability to lower the body's inflammatory response, battle stress, slash cortisol levels, and boost a super-brain-growing protein. All that, and it makes you feel like a million bucks. Some feather your cap and say it even triggers the mythical "coregasm" – that'd be positive vibes coursing through your body when you're in downward dog. And oh boy, does it ever feel good!
So now you're curious: can stretching your way to nirvana enhance your love life? Well buckle up, shoppers, because we've waded through stacks of studies to bring you the lowdown.
Yoga spices up the bedroom for women in their golden years
One often-cited study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine looked at the effects of a 12-week yoga program on 40 ladies over 45 who weren't shy to dish on their sexual escapades. After the sessions, the ladies' satisfaction across the board (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) had shot up the roof! As many as 75% of the women reported a hecka hotter sex life after their yoga boot camp.
The lucky ladies practiced 22 poses (yogasanas) meant to strengthen core ab muscles, promote digestion, boost pelvic floor strength, and improve state of mind. The classic triangle pose, snake, and half spinal twist all featured on the all-star list. You can check out the entire yoga asana lineup right here.
Yoga ain't just for the ladies – it gets the boys' gears in motion
Don't think these benefits only shack up with the ladies, boys. Dr. Vikas Dhikav, neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, led an equivalent study evaluating a 12-week yoga plan's impact on the satisfaction level of the gents.
When the smoke cleared, the men reported significant enhancement in their sexual function, rated according to the Male Sexual Quotient. They joined the working party on desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection control, and orgasm.
A side-by-side comparison study engineered by Dr. Dhikav's team also found that yoga is an actual alternative go-to solution to Prozac for treating premature ejaculation.
The regimen involved 15 yoga poses, with some basic sit-n-squares (Kapalbhati) to the more complex ones (dhanurasana aka the "bow pose").
What makes 'yogasanas' a wild ride in the sack (or not)
So, how in tarnation does yoga work its sexual charm, huh? A literature review orchestrated by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia slices open the complex mechanics behind yoga's intimate benefits.
Dr. Lori Brotto, professor at the department, and her team share the skinny that yoga regulates attention, breathing, and anxiety – all factors closely related to sexual pleasure. Additionally, yoga kicks your nervous system into chill-out mode, lowering the heart rate, inducing relaxation, and forcing your body to go Dark Side of the Moon.
Yoga's also whispered to have a psychological edge, with practitioners often more aware of their bodily sensations and less prone to body objectification. Hop off the fence and into the hay, cowboy, this heightened consciousness could very well mean increased sexual desire – holla!
The lunacy of 'kundalini energy' and 'rooted energy'
Nickelback, grunge, and the Rolling Stones all rock our world. But then there's the yoga zealots spewing nonsense about releasing "blocked energy" in root chakras and moving "kundalini energy" so it gives you mind-exploding orgasms. Before you join their cult, be warned – these tales lack a strong scientific foundation.
However, there are yogic concepts that might not have you scratching your head too much. Moola bandha, for example, sends pulses through the pelvic region, stimulating nerves in the area known for controlling sexual arousal. Can't say no to that!
Watch this video to get an idea of how to work moola bandha into your pelvic floor muscle practice. Other poses like bhekasana ("frog pose") strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, potentially easing symptoms of vaginal pain, vaginismus (uh, involuntary vaginal muscle spasms), and even enhancing your performance in the bedroom.
When science meets scanty evidence
We get it – the sex benefits of yoga sound too good to be true, and maybe they are! The nebulous, fluffy cloud of anecdotal evidence outweighs the raindrops of solid clinical evidence at the moment. But hold your horses – it's not all doom and gloom.
Research confirming yoga's delicious effects on your sex life is still in its infancy. However, studies focusing on women with other conditions have begun to yield a more robust body of evidence.
For instance, a 12-week program designed for women affected by metabolic syndrome – a group statistically more likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction – resulted in significant improvements in arousal and lubrication for the women who yoga-ed. Not a single hint of these improvements for those sitting on the sidelines.
Doling out the final verdict
Groovy, daddy-o, yoga has the potential to make your sex life a tape-measure-stretching dream. But don't believe every how-to outfit makingyouthegreatlover.com post you come across – dig a little deeper for reputable sources. While the science isn't entirely bulletproof, there's enough cause to stretch ourselves and investigate the possibilities.
Try flexing your way to fitness and grab your mittens to feel the love! And, hey, your pelvic muscles will thank you too.
Yoga's sexual benefits extend beyond just women in their golden years, as studies on men have shown significant enhancement in their sexual function after a 12-week yoga program. This is backed by research focusing on women with conditions like metabolic syndrome, where a 12-week yoga program resulted in significant improvements in arousal and lubrication.
However, it's important to approach the sexual health benefits of yoga with a critical eye, as the current body of scientific evidence remains limited. While the research isn't entirely conclusive, the potential for improvement in sexual function and overall well-being makes engaging in yoga a worthwhile endeavor for exploring the possibilities.
Mechanisms behind these benefits may include yoga's regulation of attention, breathing, and anxiety, as well as its ability to lower the heart rate, induce relaxation, and stimulate nerves controlling sexual arousal through poses like Moola bandha and Bhekasana. Though some yogic concepts, such as releasing "blocked energy" in root chakras, lack a strong scientific foundation, others can provide a tangible benefit to one's sexual health.
