Enhanced Sexual Well-being through Yoga: Insights on Its Positive Impacts
The web is littered with wellness blogs that tout yoga as the secret ingredient for an extraordinary sex life. But does scientific research back up these claims? Let's explore.
Modern day research is beginning to unravel the multitude of health benefits hidden within the ancient practice of yoga. It's been linked to various improvements, such as tackling depression, managing stress and addressing anxiety, to name a few.
Recent studies have dived deeper into the complex biological mechanisms behind these benefits. Turns out, yoga reduces the body's inflammatory response, alters the genetic expression related to stress, decreases cortisol levels, and boosts a protein that maintains the brain's youth and vitality.
And yeah, it feels great too. Some even claim it leads to the mythical 'coregasm'—an orgasmic sensation during yoga. Connecting with our bodies can provide a sense of replenishment, comfort, and immense physical pleasure. But can yoga's yummy poses elevate our sexual experiences? Let's delve into the research.
Yoga revs up female sexual function
A frequently cited study from The Journal of Sexual Medicine looked at the impact of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women who reported their sexual function before and after the sessions. The results? The women's sexual function markedly improved across all sections of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
Incredibly, 75 percent of the women reported enhancements in their sex lives after yoga training. The sessions guided the women through 22 poses, or yogasanas, that are thought to strengthen the pelvic floor and core, improve digestion, and boost mood.
Yoga spices up male sexual function
Guys aren't left out either. An analogous 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 study's end, the participants witnessed significant improvements in their sexual function, as measured by the standard Male Sexual Quotient.
The researchers observed improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction: desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
Additionally, a comparative trial led by the same team of researchers found that yoga is a viable and non-pharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (brand name Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
Yoga's sex-enhancing mechanisms
So how does yoga pull off this sexual magic? A review of existing literature by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) helps us understand some of the sexual mechanisms at play.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of the review.
Dr. Brotto and colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and activates the part of the nervous system that induces relaxation, leading to improved sexual response.
There are also psychological factors at play. Female yoga practitioners are said to be less likely to objectify their bodies and more attuned to their physical selves, which may lead to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness.
The allure of the moola bandha
Claims about unleashing blocked energy in root chakras and moving 'kundalini energy' up and down the spine to produce ejaculation-free male orgasms lack robust scientific backing. However, other yogic concepts might resonate with 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," write Dr. Brotto and her colleagues in their review.
"Specifically, moola bandha is thought to directly innervate the gonads and perineal body/cervix." The video below incorporates the movement into a practice for pelvic floor muscles.
Studies cited by the researchers suggest that practicing moola bandha can alleviate period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treat premature ejaculation and control testosterone secretion in men.
Uncertain evidence, promising seeds
Though we may get carried away by the potential sexual benefits of yoga, it's essential to consider the significant gap between the mountain of anecdotal evidence and the actual empirical evidence.
The Internet is flooded with the latter, but the studies that have actually tested the effects of yoga on sexual function remain scarce. Most of the studies mentioned above—which found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women—have small sample sizes and lack a control group.
However, more recent studies—which focused on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions—have yielded stronger evidence.
For instance, 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.
Improvements were also found in blood pressure, prompting the researchers to conclude that "yoga may be an effective treatment for sexual dysfunction in women with metabolic syndrome as well as for metabolic risk factors."
Another 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 manifested exacerbated symptoms."
"Yoga techniques may improve physical activities and sexual satisfaction function of women with MS," the study paper concluded.
In sum, while we need more scientific evidence to prove the 'yogasm' is a real, achievable thing, the seeds are definitely there. Until future research can ascertain whether "yogasms" are an actual thing, we think that giving yoga a shot could be incredibly enriching—and our pelvic muscles will certainly appreciate it.
- The study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine demonstrated that 12 weeks of yoga significantly improved female sexual function, as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index.
- A 12-week yoga program led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav improved male sexual satisfaction, as indicated by the Male Sexual Quotient, according to a study conducted by the neurologist.
- Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and activates the relaxation response, possibly contributing to improved sexual response.
