Can Yoga Make Your Sex Life Better?

This has been proven scientifically. A twelve-week study conducted by The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga can enhance sexual health particularly in women over the age of 45. In the study group, women practised 22 poses for one hour each day. These poses included the popular “cat” and “cow” poses of arching and lengthening the spine which, when performed together, help lower stress levels and making it easier to “get in the mood”. Another was the bridge pose (popular in Pilates too) which helps strengthen the pelvic floor and can reduce pain during sex. Trickier, is perhaps the one-legged pigeon, which has many variations (with one leg tucked under the breast) and is especially good for opening up the hips. This pose is apparently a fantastic way to find deep relaxation. And if it’s a truth universally acknowledged that women must be relaxed to have sex, then it’s easy to see the correlation between yoga and a better sex life.

Regular practice of yoga can help relaxation, boost mood and loosen the pelvic floor area which in turn can improve sexual experiences – often to an enviable degree.

“Yoga is a practice to get you out of your head and into your body,” explains Irish yoga teacher Lou Horgan, who is leading a one-day retreat Shedding – A Day of Deep Release, on February 25. “When I teach women, my intention is always the same, to remind them the most effective and perceptive teacher in the room is their own body, not their mind. With greater embodiment comes greater freedom, greater confidence.” South African-born, US-based tantric and Kriya yoga legend Alan Finger, who has taught stars such as Barbra Streisand, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell and now runs online courses, is founder of ISHTA Yoga and author of Tantra of the Yoga Sutras. Through specific kriyas (or practices) and breathing techniques, Finger empowers his pupils to ignite their innate male and female energies and tap in to their true nature and unbounded potential. “Once you learn how to move this energy it can lead you to a very different level of experience – a hugely spiritual and emotionally bonding experience with your partner.” Finger adds: “I don’t believe in beating yourself into shape, I believe in loving yourself into better shape – ultimately it’s the only way.”