Improved Sexual Function through Regular Yoga Practice: Discover the Advantages
The practice of yoga, steeped in antiquity, has amassed substantial contemporary support as a means of improving various aspects of health, including sexual function. Initial research indicates promising benefits, although the mechanisms behind these effects are only now being decoded.
Generally, yoga has been associated with the alleviation of conditions such as stress, depression, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid dysfunction. Recent investigations delve deeper into the intricate mechanisms that render this practice so efficacious.
A leading finding suggests that yoga lowers the body's inflammatory response, counters stress-inducing genetic expression, diminishes cortisol levels, and raises a protein that spurs brain growth and maintains its overall youth and vitality.
With such extensive benefits, yoga's ability to enhance sexual experience is also up for debate. Can this ancient practice lead to a more fulfilling intimate life? Here, we delve into the research.
Sexual Boost for Women
The Journal of Sexual Medicine published a study that investigated the impact of yoga on sexual function, specifically in women over 45. Over the course of 12 weeks, participants underwent yoga sessions and self-reported their sexual function prior to and following the intervention.
By the study's end, the women's sexual function had significantly improved across all aspects of the Female Sexual Function Index: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. As many as 75 percent of the women reported improvements in their sex lives. The women were trained in 22 poses, believed to invigorate core abdominal muscles, improve digestion, strengthen the pelvic floor, and elevate mood.
Sexual Enhancement for Men
Yoga's benefits are not limited to women. A study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India, explored the effects of a 12-week yoga program on men's sexual satisfaction. By the conclusion of the study, participants reported significant improvements in their male sexual satisfaction as measured by the Male Sexual Quotient. Improvements were observed across all aspects, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
A comparative trial carried out by the same research team found that yoga is a viable, non-pharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation. The trial considered 15 yoga poses, ranging from simpler ones like Kapalbhati to more complex ones like dhanurasana (the bow pose).
Yoga's Sex-Boosting Mechanisms
So, precisely how does yoga improve one's sexual function? Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver have embarked on an exploration of this question.
Dr. Lori Brotto, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, is the first author of a review that sheds light on this intriguing topic. Brotto and her colleagues explain that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which induces relaxation and, in turn, benefits sexual response. Furthermore, yoga practice may promote increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness.
One concept that seems to play a role in these benefits is Moola bandha, a perineal contraction stimulating the pelvic region. Studies have suggested that Moola bandha relieves pain in childbirth, alleviates sexual difficulties in women, and aids in controlling testosterone secretion in men.
The Scope of Scientific Evidence
While the tantalizing prospect of yogic sexual benefits may be alluring, it is crucial to bear in mind the contrast between the abundance of anecdotal evidence and the relative scarcity of scientific evidence supporting the link between yoga and sexual function.
Nonetheless, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction in addition to other conditions have provided stronger evidence for yoga's sexual benefits, such as a randomized controlled trial involving women with metabolic syndrome.
For these women, a 12-week yoga program led to significant improvements in arousal and lubrication, whereas such improvements were not observed in the women who did not participate in yoga. Furthermore, another randomized study found improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for women with multiple sclerosis following three months of yoga training.
In conclusion, while the body of scientific evidence supporting yoga's impact on sexual function is still developing, the evidence points to the potential for this practice to play a role in enhancing sexual satisfaction and performance. As more research is conducted, the true extent of yoga's yogic potential remains to be seen. In the meantime, embracing yoga as part of one's daily routine may yield valuable benefits, both physical and emotional, with the added bonus of potentially improving intimate experiences.
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine published a study on women over 45, demonstrating that a 12-week yoga intervention significantly improved their sexual function as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index, with 75 percent of participants reporting improvements in their sex lives.
- In a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a 12-week yoga program for men showed significant improvements in their male sexual satisfaction as measured by the Male Sexual Quotient, with improvements observed across all aspects such as desire, intercourse satisfaction, and orgasm.
- Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and may promote increased sexual responsibility and assertiveness, potentially contributing to enhanced sexual function and response.
