Yoga's Impact on Sexual Health: Enhancing Functions and Performance
Are you ready to dive into the steamy world of yoga and sex? Yoga has long been touted as a pathway to a better sex life, but does science back up these claims? Let's investigate!
Yoga is gaining popularity for its numerous health benefits, including helping with conditions such as stress, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and thyroid problems. But can it spice up your intimate life too?
Research shows that yoga can indeed enhance sexual function, particularly in women over 45. In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, participants reported improvements in all aspects of sexual function, including desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain after 12 weeks of yoga practice. A whopping 75% of women reported an improvement in their sex lives.
Men aren't left out of the loop either - a study led by Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist in New Delhi, India, found that a 12-week yoga program led to significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction.
So, how does yoga work its magic? According to a review of existing literature led by researchers at the University of British Columbia, yoga regulates attention and breathing, lowers anxiety and stress, and activates the nervous system to promote relaxation, all of which are associated with improvements in sexual response.
Yoga also encourages increased body awareness and pelvic muscle strengthening through poses like the triangle pose, snake, and half spinal twist. The moola bandha, a perineal contraction, is thought to directly affect the gonads and pelvic region, stimulating sexual function. Some studies suggest that it can even help with period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, as well as treating premature ejaculation and controlling testosterone secretion in men.
It's worth noting that while there is evidence pointing to yoga's beneficial effects on sexual function, the existing studies are small-scale and lack a control group. However, more recent studies focusing on women with sexual dysfunction and metabolic syndrome have yielded stronger evidence.
While we need more research to fully understand yoga's impact on sexual health, the early findings are promising. Considering adding some downward dogs to your routine? Your pelvic muscles - and your sex life - might thank you!
Yoga, known for its comprehensive health benefits, also shows potential in enhancing sexual functions, particularly for women over 45, as suggested by research published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Similarly, studies conducted on men have shown significant improvements in male sexual satisfaction after a 12-week yoga program. The magic behind yoga's influence could be linked to its ability to regulate attention, breathing, lower anxiety and stress, and promote relaxation, all contributing to improved sexual response.
Yoga poses like the triangle pose, snake, half spinal twist, and the moola bandha, a perineal contraction, are believed to stimulate sexual functions and may even aid in alleviating period pain, childbirth pain, and sexual difficulties in women, and treating premature ejaculation and controlling testosterone secretion in men.
Though the existing studies are relatively small-scale, recent investigations focusing on women with sexual dysfunction and metabolic syndrome have provided stronger evidence supporting yoga's positive impact on sexual health. Thus, considering incorporating yoga and its poses into your health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health routine may prove beneficial for improving sexual health and enhancing overall well-being.
