Most of the yoga community cherishes yoga as something much deeper than a contortionist art and we can’t deny that there is something sexy about yoga.

No, it is not the commercial sexualization of lululemon clad models balancing on one arm with their leg behind their head. As with most stereotypes, the idea of a yo-gasim stems from a seed of truth. Yoga makes people feel sexy.

There are numerous studies on the benefits of yoga compared to other forms of physical activity and yoga doesn’t always stack up. Sure it helps with mental health, immune function, balance and muscle tone but it isn’t exactly cardiovascular. (Don’t get mad at me, it’s what the science says!). What makes yoga glow brighter than other forms of exercise is how it makes people feel. So much of sexuality and sexual satisfaction boils down how satisfied people are with their body and their self and yoga has a huge positive impact in these areas.

It is widely accepted that yoga improves mood and mental well being in healthy individuals. Several studies have further shown that mindful yoga can increase positive body image in women with breast cancer, eating disorders and healthy volunteers.

In the case of depression, yoga performs as well the antidepressant Imipramine and in a second study, better than another standard treatment for depression. This study lacked a true control group so it is hard to say how much of this may have been due to a placebo effect. However, other studies have shown that yoga provides supplemental benefit as an “add-on” treatment in mental health patients being treated with diseases lending credibility to the first study.

Bottom line is that there is something about yoga that makes people feel better. But what is it?

For answers, scientists have turned to a number of factors known to regulate mood in the body. Yoga was found to increase GABA and serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is widely known as the “happy” neurotransmitter; whereas, GABA is an inhibitory molecule that reduces the ability of neurons to fire. One of GABA’s jobs is to put the breaks on the flight or fight response and fine tune the level of stimulation in various brain regions. Some scientists believe its main role is to control the fear and anxiety response associated with sympathetic activation. Others believe it’s job is to more generally prevent things from going haywire due to over-excitation by other neurotransmitters. Both GABA and serotonin are decreased in depression and anxiety, suggesting their increase could improve mood in the general population.

Yoga also impacts key hormones that could explain the mental, physical and sexual benefits of yoga. Multiple studies report that yoga decreases levels of a stress hormone called cortisol, which in chronically high levels can lead to depression-like symptoms and impede sexuality.

Other studies showed that yoga increases blood levels of oxytocin, the hormone released during breast feeding and orgasm. Oxytocin strongly aids in the development of emotional bonds and could contribute to the finding that yogis report more intimate relationships (sexual and not). Oxytocin can also inhibit the release of cortisol. With mixed results, some studies show that yoga increases levels of testosterone. Testosterone is largely responsible for male sex drive but also contributes to female sex drive.

Unfortunately sex isn’t always sexy.

For a variety of social, psychological and medical reasons sexual desires and performance can wax and wane throughout life. Yoga has been shown to improve sex lives of people with and without sexual dysfunction and other medical conditions. In healthy females 12 weeks of yoga improved sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain compared to control activities. Gains were greater for middle-aged woman than younger women. These yogis weren’t busting out the Kama Sutra and entangling their limbs into the craziest of contorted positions. They were doing simple poses like cobra and bow as well as some breathing exercises like Agni Sara or Kapalbhati (AKA Breath of Fire).

So you don’t need to master the crazy flexible “sexy” yoga poses for yoga to work for you. As is so often the lesson in yoga, it boils down to how you feel and that confidence and self-acceptance translates into a happier sexier more satisfied you.

Further Reading

1: Kim HN, Ryu J, Kim KS, Song SW. Effects of Yoga on Sexual Function in Women with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Sex Med. 2013 Jul 30. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12283. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23899008.

2: Akhtar P, Yardi S, Akhtar M. Effects of yoga on functional capacity and well being. Int J Yoga. 2013 Jan;6(1):76-9. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.105952. PubMed PMID: 23439856; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3573548.

3: Neumark-Sztainer D, Eisenberg ME, Wall M, Loth KA. Yoga and Pilates: associations with body image and disordered-eating behaviors in a population-based sample of young adults. Int J Eat Disord. 2011 Apr;44(3):276-80. doi: 10.1002/eat.20858. Epub 2010 Sep 22. PubMed PMID: 20862694; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3010485.

4: Dhikav V, Karmarkar G, Verma M, Gupta R, Gupta S, Mittal D, Anand K. Yoga in male sexual functioning: a noncompararive pilot study. J Sex Med. 2010 Oct;7(10):3460-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01930.x. PubMed PMID: 20646186.

5: Brotto LA, Mehak L, Kit C. Yoga and sexual functioning: a review. J Sex Marital Ther. 2009;35(5):378-90. doi: 10.1080/00926230903065955. Review. PubMed PMID: 20183005.

6: Fouladbakhsh JM, Stommel M. Gender, symptom experience, and use of complementary and alternative medicine practices among cancer survivors in the U.S. cancer population. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2010 Jan;37(1):E7-E15. doi: 10.1188/10.ONF.E7-E15. PubMed PMID: 20044334.

7: Dhikav V, Karmarkar G, Gupta R, Verma M, Gupta R, Gupta S, Anand KS. Yoga in female sexual functions. J Sex Med. 2010 Feb;7(2 Pt 2):964-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01580.x. Epub 2009 Nov 12. PubMed PMID: 19912493.

8: Muller SM, Dennis DL, Gorrow T. Emotional well-being of college students in health courses with and without an exercise component. Percept Mot Skills. 2006 Dec;103(3):717-25. PubMed PMID: 17326495.

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