We all know yoga has numerous benefits for our mind, body and soul, but just how influential is the practice on our sex life? The answer is simple: extremely! When we are relaxed, presently aware, physically strong & flexible and have all our chakra energy hubs revolving nicely, we get to enjoy intimacy much, much more.

1. Reduces Stress

Over 5000 years ago, the original intention of practicing yoga asanas (postures) was to help prepare the body for meditation, which would eventually lead to what all yogis and yoginis are in search of…enlightenment. Fast forward a few thousand years and although we are all still aiming to reach that divine state of consciousness; we will also be pretty happy with just reducing our stress levels and becoming more centered. By practicing yoga regularly, our body and mind will naturally feel more open and relaxed, which will aid in welcoming sexual activity into our daily lives, rather than being so uptight. When you’re stressed, high strung or depressed, it’s easy to lose your desire and passion for sex; stress basically kills ones libido. However by practicing yoga, becoming more present in the moment and relaxing your mind, your sex drive will naturally start to increase and actually makes you less tired and crabby!

2. Builds All-Round Confidence

Yoga increases strength, flexibility and muscle-tone. With increased strength you will have more stamina and endurance during intercourse, and with increased flexibility you will experiment and play with more fun, flexi sex positions, and by having more muscle tone will embody more confidence in your physical appearance and body condition. This physical, mental and emotional confidence will help you feel more comfortable and ballsy in the bedroom, making you more in touch with your own needs and also allow you to open up more with your partner. Win, win, win!

3. Strengthens the Pelvic Muscles

It’s simple: the stronger the pelvic floor muscles, the stronger the orgasm. By being in more control of your vaginal contractions, you (and your partner) will experience more intense climaxes, have better and longer sex and also feel more sensations ‘down there’. By engaging your pelvic muscles in a yoga session, it will get more blood flowing to your pelvis area, hence heightening sensitivity, sensuality, desire and awareness. By holding a yoga asana like setubandasana or bridge pose (see right) you will tone up your vagina, which will dramatically improve your orgasm, especially for women who have experienced pregnancy or childbirth, which can weaken the pelvic floor.

4. Opens up your Heart

There are many yoga asanas which we call ‘heart openers’; those juicy back bends like Camel or Chakrasana where your chest is open and you’re conquering the fear of falling backwards – trusting in yourself. These postures aren’t just physically challenging for most people, but also very emotionally challenging. Whilst in India doing my teacher training I met a South African woman in my class who had just gone through a divorce and hadn’t been able to hold any heart opening back bends for over two years. She explained how every time she tried to get into one of the poses, she would experience a flood of emotions and burst into tears. This made me realise even moreso that yoga is not all about the physical asanas and that a lot of postures trigger many different emotions for different people. Heart opening positions help you face fears, become more vulnerable, hence helping you open up to your partner and connect with them on a heart-felt, deeper level during sex, rather than purely physical.  

5. Boosts Energy

If you have ever done a head stand before, then you have experienced that invigorating rush of blood, energy, nutrients and circulation to your head especially when you come out of the pose. Headstands stimulate the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, which regulate all our other glands including our sexual hormones. Any inversions like a head stand or a shoulder stand (poses that reverse the action of gravity on the body – see right) provide refreshed blood flow to the hips and brain, giving the body with an immediate boost of energy – Red Bull not required! It’s a simple rule of thumb, more energy = more sex, and vise versa. Other positions like Halasana or plow pose increase blood flow to the brain, wake you up and also get you looking straight at your hips/pelvic region reminding you that yes, you are indeed a sexual being! It’s also proven that yoga makes you sleep better, hence giving you more energy during the day…so you can’t get away with ‘I’m too tired for sex’ excuse.

 6. Unblocks your Sacral Chakra

Our chakras are like revolving hubs of energy in our body and quite often due to our lifestyle, food, work and emotions; they get blocked or simply stop spinning. A commonly blocked chakra is the second chakra, Svadisthana which means sweetness or otherwise known as the sacral chakra located in our pelvis where our Kundalini energy is awakened. This chakra is responsible for our joys of connectedness, intimacy, creativity, pleasure, sexuality and desires but also the health of our reproductive and urinary systems. If this chakra is blocked it is common to feel numb, shame, sadness, fear, moody, lack of confidence or over sensitive. By practicing yoga, it will help unblock the chakra and help you explore and embrace your own sensuality, ‘sweetness’ and femininity. Certain hip-opening asanas like happy baby or frog pose can invigorate our hips, sacrum and genitals and hence unblock the chakra, opening up feelings of love, compassion, intuition and emotional well-being. Essentially, the better shape your chakras are in, the more adventurous and prosperous your sex life.

Need any more reasons to do more yoga or have more sex?? Get along to your favourite yoga studio, gym or workshop and get amongst it in the bedroom.

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