It is not sex that gives the pleasure, but the lover. ~ Marge Piercy
Yoga teaches acceptance and even encourages you to welcome your imperfections with open arms. If you practice yoga, you naturally already do this and have likely overcome some major obstacles that have tried to keep you in a state of negatively judging or criticizing yourself.
When someone truly and unabashedly loves themselves, they will radiate confidence, and like a magnet, will attract love and positive sexual energy into their lives because they keep on sending them out into the world.
This makes you quite the catch, yogi! If you are not convinced, continue reading to find out the five reasons practicing yoga makes you a better lover.
1. In the Mood for Love: What the Post-Yoga Glow Is Really About
Mindful movement during asana warms the body, meditating on the breath in pranayama soothes a busy mind, and conscious surrender into the bliss of deep relaxation all contribute to stabilizing the dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain, while flooding the bloodstream with feel-good endorphins.
The rise in libido occurs when the vagus nerve is stimulated, unleashing the “love” hormone oxytocin, which reduces the stress hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol) and deepens the need for physical and emotional intimacy.
2. Karma Sutra: If You Kiss Me, Then I’ll Kiss You Back
Yogis appreciate reciprocity and giving as much as they do receiving, and experience intense joy in actively bringing their partner or partners to the height of pleasure. Ahimsa, or non-violence, the first of the eight limbs of yoga, teaches compassion for the self and empathy towards others.
Yogis know how to naturally “tune into” the needs of others, and this type of intuitive knowing initiates an unspoken dialogue known as the language of love, which builds trust, improves communication as a whole, and strengthens the bonds of partnerships.
3. Never Skip Chaturanga: The Importance of Foreplay
Chaturanga, the building block for many intermediate and advanced arm balances in yoga, takes time, patience, and a willingness to embark on new and unexplored terrain. I often remind beginner students to not hurry through or skip it, as many of us have done (and still do!) during vinyasa.
This same advice holds true for foreplay! Yoga practitioners tend to value the erotic connection before intercourse as much (if not MORE) than the act itself! Cuddling, making out, and discovering those special “secret hot spots” sets the tone for a hotter and lengthier lovemaking session.
4. Satya: The Truth Is Yogis Don’t Fake It
Yoga teaches us how to interpret and understand the needs of the body through self-reflection and simply observing the rise and fall of physical sensations as they show up during asana.
Inevitably, during this process, painful emotions and thought patterns from the past reveal themselves, causing us to build the walls that prevent close connections. The emphasis on sangha or community influences us to find open and honest communication by engaging only in safe relationships.
Having the freedom to ask for what you want as well as to listen to your partner’s needs helps break down our protective walls.
Pleasing others while ignoring one’s needs, or faking the “big moment” to keep from disappointing your partner only reinforces these walls and eventually extinguishes flames of passion.
Mutually enhancing partnerships depend on satya or truthfulness, and yogis practice this on the mat and in the bedroom. This keeps both partners happily basking in the glow of santosha or contentment, and in each other’s embrace.
5. Savasana and Mind Blowing Orgasms
The French refer to the moments following that earth-shattering “O” as Le Petite Mort, translated as “The Little Death.”
Yogis practice making the most of this post-orgasmic, euphoric state because the final resting place, corpse pose, teaches us how to fully let go with wild abandonment into the depths of ecstatic surrender, each time we set foot on the yoga mat.
In fact, yogis understand that each practice has multiple savasanas, so that within each and every pose, a climactic and delightful release exists!So, if your yogi partner feels inspired and creative, and you find yourself in myriad sexual positions, you too can experience the joys of savasana over and over again!
Yoga improves your ability to see yourself clearly. It is NOT about improving or fixing yourself.
The most satisfying relationship you will ever have starts with you. Dedicating yourself to a daily practice of yoga and meditation teaches that only through self-love can you ever really love someone else.
The teachings of yoga allow you to seek love within on all levels—spiritual, emotional, and physical—thus allowing you to find it outside of yourself as well. This season of romance, I wish you love in the fullest sense of the word, and look forward to continuing down this yogic adventure with you.
