We all know that working out can improve our sex lives, as exercise can boost both your energy levels and your self-esteem, but did you know that yoga not only gives those benefits but lots more? If you’re looking to yoga as your new form of working out, read on to discover how it can also give a boost to your sex life.
Yoga Improves Pelvic Floor Muscles
When you practice yoga, you can use up all of your muscles in one pose or another, including your pelvic floor. When doing standing poses and supporting your own body weight, you’re also working out your pelvic floor muscles. In an average yoga class, this can add up to half an hour of pelvic floor exercises. If you didn’t know, strengthening these muscles can help to improve your orgasms – a great incentive to get on the yoga mat!
Yoga Helps Practice Mindfulness
Mindfullness, or living in the moment, can be incredibly important to a great sex life. Being present help you to relax and focus on what is happening, rather than being self conscious about how you look or sound. A clear mind will increase your enjoyment, and help you be a more responsive partner. Yoga helps this by practicing mindfulness of your body through each pose and movement. Bringing this awareness of your body into the bedroom will help improve your sex life.
Yoga Boosts Self-Confidence
Yoga might look easy, but all of those moves and poses strengthen your body and increases your flexibility. Not only will this workout help boost your energy levels, but the physical benefits of yoga can also improve your self-confidence, making you feel sexier. Yoga can help you feel slimmer, stronger, and physically fit – all adding up to more body confidence.
Yoga Increases Flexibility
Ever thought about trying a complicated-looking sex position, but couldn’t move your body that way? Yoga boosts your flexibility and makes it easier for you to move your body into different positions. This will make it easier for you and your partner to experiment and try new things without hurting yourselves!
Yoga Increases Your Energy
In our busy lives, a lot of us will crave the bedroom for sleep, rather than sex. It’s easy to let work, and other obligations take over our lives and stop us from relaxing and taking a break. A lot of couples are sleep-deprived and tired, and this can be a blocker in the way of enjoying their time together in an intimate way. Yoga really does help to boost your energy, as well as your sleep quality, and can actually help you feel less tired, which could be the boost your sex drive needs.
Yoga Can Improve Menstrual Cramps and Symptoms
Stress, low body confidence, and bloating can be the worst parts of your menstrual cycle and can make sex feel like the last thing you want to do – right after doing a workout. However, yoga can be a low-impact exercise that can help the symptoms of your period, including pain, cramps, and bloating. This can help you feel sexier, which might make you want to get it on a little more – which can help with period pain even more.
Yoga Can Ease Anxiety
If you’re not feeling great mentally, you might not be able to really enjoy sex with your partner. Feeling anxious or stressed doesn’t help you focus on the moment, and you may find yourself increasingly un-satisfied if you are having sex while feeling anxious. Yoga can help to improve mental health and symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Yoga can also help you to release physical tensions in the body, making your body more receptive to touch.
Yoga Can Boost Endurance and Stamina
Yoga focuses on the breath, and can be a cardio workout – especially if you practice Ashtanga yoga. This physical movement combined with the breathing exercises you do in each practice can increase your stamina and endurance – which can do wonders in the bedroom!
If you want to improve your sex life today, here are some poses that are especially beneficial for both men and women’s sexual health.
Triangle Pose
Triangle pose helps to strengthen your thigh and hip muscles, and can also promote hormonal balance. To do, stand on your yoga mat with your feet widely apart Turn your right foot facing forwards and your left foot slightly inward. Place your arms shoulder height, palms facing downwards parallel to the floor. Exhale, then fold at your right hip, bringin your right arm down to the ankle, or the floor if you can reach. Move your left hand skyward, moving your head upwards to look at it. Repeat on the left side.
Cobra Pose
Cobra pose is a heart opener, which can increase energy and also help us to receive love. Start by lying down on your front, and place your hands down under your shoulders, with your forehead on the floor and elbows tucked close to your body. Inhale, then lift your head and chest up, pushing your pelvis forward into the mat. You can increase the intensity of this pose by lifting further, so your whole torso is lifted slightly off the ground.
Seated Wide-Legged Forward Fold
This forward bend post increases your range of motion in your hips, and also helps to increase blood flow to the pelvis. Simply sit on the floor opening your legs wide, pointing your knee caps up. Bend forward from the hips keeping your hands extended on the floor in front of you, then hold and breathe.
