Improved Sexual Function Through Yoga Practice: Examining the Advantages
Yoga's Benefits for Sexual Health Under Investigation
In recent years, the internet has been flooded with wellness blogs suggesting yoga as a means to enhance sexual experiences. Many personal accounts claim improved sexual function after adopting the practice, but does scientific research support these claims?
Modern research is just beginning to uncover the multifaceted health advantages of yoga, an ancient practice. Conditions such as depression, stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems are among those potentially alleviated through yoga.
Recent studies have delved deeper into the mechanisms behind these benefits, revealing yoga's capabilities to lower the body's inflammatory response, modify stress-related genetic expression, decrease cortisol levels, and boost a protein that supports brain growth and health.
So, can yoga also improve one's sex life? Let's explore the research.
Improved Sexual Function in Women
A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine examined the effects of a 12-week yoga program on 40 women over the age of 45. The results showed a significant improvement in sexual function across all dimensions of the Female Sexual Function Index, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. As many as 75 percent of the women reported an improvement in their sex life after the yoga training.
The yoga program focused on 22 poses, or yogasanas, including trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake pose), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist). The full list of asanas can be found here.
Improved Sexual Function in Men
Yoga's advantages for sexual health aren't limited to women. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, found that a 12-week yoga program led to significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction.
Improvements were seen across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction, such as desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
A comparative trial by the same research team found that yoga could be a viable and nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
Arranged poses in the study ranged from easier ones like Kapalbhati (which involves controlled breathing and an open chest while seated) to more complex ones like dhanurasana (bow pose).
Mechanisms Behind Yoga's Benefits for Sexual Health
Yoga's mechanisms for enhancing sexual function are only beginning to be understood. A review of existing literature, led by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, helps elucidate some of its sex-enhancing effects.
The authors explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and stimulates the part of the nervous system that promotes relaxation. These effects are linked to improvements in sexual response.
Psychological mechanisms are also at play, as female practitioners of yoga have been found to be less likely to objectify their bodies and more aware of their physical selves. This awareness may lead to increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, potentially influencing sexual desire.
One concept, Moola bandha, deserves mention. Moola bandha is a perineal contraction that stimulates the autonomic nervous system in the pelvic region, causing relaxation. This practice may directly affect the gonads and perineal body/cervix, relieving pain, easing childbirth, and addressing sexual difficulties in women, as well as helping control testosterone secretion in men.
Evaluation of Evidence
While the potential benefits of yoga for sexual health are promising, it's important to note that most studies to date have a small sample size and lack control groups. However, more recent studies focused on populations with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction, such as women with metabolic syndrome, have yielded stronger evidence.
For instance, a randomized controlled trial found that a 12-week yoga program led to "significant improvement" in arousal and lubrication for women with metabolic syndrome, while no such improvements were noted for the control group.
A randomized controlled trial focusing on women living with multiple sclerosis (MS) found improved physical ability and sexual function for the yoga group, while women in the control group experienced worsening symptoms.
Thus, while more scientific evidence is needed, the existing research suggests that yoga can be beneficial for enhancing sexual function in both men and women, particularly through improved pelvic floor health, mindfulness, and trauma recovery.
Yoga offers a holistic approach that complements physical therapy and addresses the physiological, psychological, and neurological components that are integral to sexual health. As such, it's worth considering incorporating yoga into one's daily routine, as the benefits may extend beyond just physical fitness and stress reduction.
- Yoga's potential to enhance sexual health is under investigation, with recent scientific research unveiling its capabilities to improve sexual function in both men and women.
- The health-and-wellness practice of yoga, with its focus on mindfulness, reduced stress, and regulated attention, may contribute to better sexual satisfaction by stimulating the nervous system that promotes relaxation.
- The mechanisms behind yoga's benefits for sexual health are still being elucidated, but research suggests that it could be a viable and nonpharmacological alternative for addressing sexual dysfunction, particularly in high-risk populations like women with metabolic syndrome.
