It’s no secret yoga has a long list of benefits for your mind and body. And the practice you do on your mat will translate in many ways into your life, as well as your sex life. Exercise in general is linked to an improved sex life, and yoga is no exception with additional psychological and social benefits.
In particular, there are certain types of yoga poses that are especially helpful in firing up your libido: backbends, hip openers, and hamstring stretches. These types of yoga poses stretch and strengthen the pelvic muscles, which come in handy when it’s time to get intimate.
Read about these five asanas on the mat that can help your ASSana in the bed.
Cat & Cow
So many classes start off with cats and cows. And for a good reason, it feels so good! The action of moving the pelvis up and down is not a movement we typically find ourselves doing moving throughout our day (except in the sheets, so you see how this translates). So it feels particularly luxurious to allow ourselves to move in this way. Even though Cat Cow may seem like a simple pose, it’s important to do it properly to receive its full benefits. If you need a little refresher on how to nail your Cat Cow, take a look at this guide.
Moving from updog to downdog can also do the trick here.
Photo Credit: KC Whitsett
Downward Facing Dog
I mean… This one kind of speaks for itself, no? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ With you assana up in the air, stretching through the hamstrings and hips, Downward Facing Dog is a great pose to improve range of motion in your hips and pelvis. This gentle inversion with also increasing blood flow to the pelvic area
Photo Credit: KC Whitsett
Wild Thing
This backbending pose creates lots of space across your heart chakra, allowing for an opportunity for you to open your heart to what’s in your life. Yoga is about union and connection. So when you open up your heart physically in your practice, you also open it up in your life. You’ll be able to connect with your heart and take that off of your mat. And really, the name says it all. Backbends are known for their energizing effects, and this pose will do just that.
Photo Credit: KC Whitsett
Wheel
Wheel, or Upward Facing Bow, is another backbending pose with many of the same benefits as Wild Thing. In addition, this pose strengthens your gluteus maximus – more fondly known as, your ass. Engaging your glute muscles helps to support your pelvis and pelvic muscles, bringing lots of blood flow and energy to that region. Because when you squeeze your glutes, you’re also naturally going to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles (like cegels).
Photo Credit: KC Whitsett
Supine Butterfly
In addition to stabilizing and strengthening the pelvic muscles, they also need a stretch. Supine butterfly will give a gentle stretch to the pelvic muscles and all across the lower back. We build up and hold on to a lot of stress and tension in our hips and lower back, which can negatively impact your libido. So loosening up and letting go of stress will also loosen up your libido, and let your sexual energy run free!
Photo Credit: KC Whitsett
Overall, the practice of yoga helps you to be more in tune with your body. The breath and the poses may be outside of your typical daily movement patterns, and so practicing yoga improves your spatial awareness. You’ll learn about your body and how it moves in space. Teachers will encourage you to listen to your body and move in connection with it, instead of reacting to feeling tones.
Image Credit: KC Whitsett