Yoga's Positive Impact on Sexual Health: Enhancing Intimacy and Pleasure
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Hop on the web, and you'll find a jaw-dropping number of self-proclaimed wellness gurus preaching the virtues of yoga for a sizzling sex life. They're not just shouting from the rooftops - personal accounts swirl about how yoga has profoundly improved their sexual escapades. But is there any science to back up these ecstatic claims? Let's investigate.
Nowadays, the revelations of modern research are only beginning to unravel the myriad health benefits hidden within the ancient art of yoga. Conditions like depression, anxiety, stress, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems are but a few that yoga boasts to soothe.
Delving deeper into the mechanisms of such effects, recent studies suggest that yoga reduces the body's inflammatory response, suppresses the genetic markers of stress, tanks cortisol levels, and greases the gears of a protein that keeps the brain young and healthy.
It's not hard to see why yoga makes us feel, well, pretty damn good. Rumors of the legendary "coregasm" during yoga, when things get, well, really, really steamy, only add fuel to the fire.
Connecting with our bodies can feel restorative, replenishing, and, yes, delightfully pleasurable. But can these twisting, turning, contorting poses really ignite the bedroom sparks? We'll take a peek at the research.
Yoga gets the ladies going
One frequently-cited study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga could indeed spark the flames of sexual gratification - particularly in the ladies over the age of 45.
The study tested the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on a flock of 40 women who self-reported on their sexual functionality before and after their yoga lessons.
After three months of downward dogs, tree poses, and cat-cow stretches, the women's sexual gratification scores had significantly jumped. They rated higher in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain, all according to the Female Sexual Function Index.
To add to the excitement, a whopping 75 percent of the women bragged that their sexual experiences took a turn for the better after yoga training.
As part of the study, all the ladies danced through 22 poses, or yogasanas, which are believed to strengthen the core, boost digestion, fortify the pelvic floor, and promote inner peace. Some included the triangle pose, the snake, and half spinal twist. The full list of asanas can be found here.
Yoga gives the men a boost too
Not to leave the fellas in the lurch, another study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, focused on the effects of a 12-week yoga program on male sexual satisfaction.
Fast forward 12 weeks, and the participants sung the praises of increased sexual satisfaction. The researchers saw improvements across all categories that measure male sexual gratification: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
In a separate trial from the same team of researchers, they discovered that yoga can be a solid, non-pharmaceutical treatment for premature ejaculation.
It dropped 15 asanas into the mix, ranging from simple poses like the Kapalbhati (a breathing technique) to more complex moves like the bow pose.
How yoga cranks up the heat
Now, how does yoga stoke the furnace of passion, exactly? A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) sheds some light on the love-making mechanisms of yoga.
Dr. Lori Brotto, professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, led the charge. Brotto and colleagues explain that yoga calms the mind, lowers stress levels, and slows the breathing rate, all of which have been linked to better sexual experiences.
The reviewers note that "it is reasonable that yoga might also be associated with improvements in sexual health." Psychological factors like self-acceptance and body awareness also play a role in overall sexual satisfaction.
The allure of the moola bandha
The roots of rumors about energy channels and spine-tingling orgasms might not have enough scientific backing, but certain yogic concepts add more substance to the debate.
Moola bandha is one such concept. "Moola bandha is a contraction of the perineal muscles that impacts the nervous system in the pelvic region," write the researchers.
When practiced correctly, pranayama (breathing techniques) and moola bandha could potentially treat premature ejaculation, boost testosterone levels, and improve erectile dysfunction. Many sex therapy centers believe moola bandha can help women become more attuned to the sensitive nerve endings in their genital area, leading to improved arousal and sensual pleasure.
Another recommended pose for sexual health is the squatting frog pose (bhekasana). It's thought to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, easing symptoms of pain in the vestibule of the vagina and involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles.
The validity of the evidence
It's easy to get carried away by the tantalizing potential of yoga for heating things up in the bedroom, but it's crucial to acknowledge the vast gap between scientific, or empirical, evidence and anecdotal evidence.
The web buzzes with unsubstantiated claims, but the number of studies that have confirmed yoga's power to spark sexual sparks remains limited. Furthermore, most studies have small sample sizes and lack control groups.
However, newer studies that focus on women with specific sexual disorders like metabolic syndrome have provided more robust evidence.
For example, a recent study discovered that a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication in women with metabolic syndrome, whereas such improvements were not seen in the ladies who didn't yoga it up.
In conclusion, the scientific support for yoga's role in improving sexual experiences is compelling, but there's no question more research is needed. Jumping on the mat to test it out for ourselves could prove a breathtaking journey, and our pelvic muscles will undoubtedly thank us for it.
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine indicates that yoga can enhance sexual gratification, particularly for women aged 45 and over.
- In a separate study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a 12-week yoga program improved male sexual satisfaction by boosting various aspects of sexual gratification.
- Researchers at the University of British Columbia suggest that the calming effect of yoga on the mind, stress levels, and breathing rate contribute to better sexual experiences.
- Certain yogic concepts, such as moola bandha and the squatting frog pose (bhekasana), are believed to treat sexual health issues like premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and vaginal pain, although more empirical evidence is needed to definitively confirm these effects.
