Yoga enthusiasts have attributed to the practice a host of emotional, mental and physical benefits. But sex? Can yoga really improve your sex life?
Studies show a link between yoga’s positive effects on emotional health, well-being and physical health might be associated with improvements in sexual health. It has been proven that yoga can decrease anxiety and stress, induce a state of relaxation and help with body confidence and awareness, all factors that can contribute to improvements in sexual response, assertiveness and possibly sexual desire. Unfortunately, as I continue my own yoga practice while sheltering in place alone, I can’t provide you with thorough evidence from my own recent experience. (Still, back in the day, someone with a big smile on his face did ask me if I’d ever trained as a gymnast). However, Barbara* 55, who has been married for 18 years and started practicing yoga as the pandemic set in, gives a thumbs-up to yoga’s benefits for mutually satisfying sex.
“I started doing planks, and it’s helped my endurance with certain female superior moves that my partner likes to take his sweet time enjoying,” she says. “Intimacy is more comfortable overall since I started my practice in the spring.” The movement has also made her more flexible, she says, and because her body is more fit through conditioning, she experiences less cramping and tiredness, plus “heightened responsiveness and sensitivity, which I think is due to breathing changes or improved circulation.”
Certain poses increase circulation and blood flow to the body, which has been linked to increasing levels of arousal and helping to increase a low libido (such as Bound Angle Pose, which strengthens the pelvic area and increases flexibility by stretching the inner thighs and opening the hips). Yoga’s ability to relieve anxiety, as well as help one relax and connect with the body, can improve body image, paving the way to higher levels of sensations and arousal.
“When I do Wide Leg Stance, arms raised, I feel pelvic muscles I didn’t know I had,” my friend Barbara reveals. “So something is happening down there. I think there’s a mindfulness aspect to it, too, that is good practice for being present and relaxed in the moment.”
“Yoga is the connection of mind, body and soul. When done lovingly and kind, yoga can increase confidence, reduce stress, tap into trauma areas like the womb space and encourage healing, loving and fantastic sex, focusing on self-love and soul care,” says certified yoga instructor and meditation coach Karen Taylor Bass. “Since yoga allows you to breathe, be still and release, there can be targeted asanas (postures) to encourage a healthy body image and, through self-love, increase self-esteem. Yoga is not a magic pill, and it requires consistency and patience. If practiced with consistency, women will see the benefits of flexibility, the release of tension and mind chatter, more profound spiritual connection, appreciation of the moment and increase circulation, which will directly stimulate the libido.”