According to a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, sexually dissatisfied women who took up yoga and practiced mindfulness techniques reported higher levels of sexual arousal, desire, and better orgasms.
The participants were 40 healthy women, ages 22 to 55, who had enrolled in a yoga program. Most of the women were married and all were sexually active. The women were instructed in a protocol that included of 22 classic yoga poses, or asanas, that are have positive effects on abdominal and pelvic muscle tone, digestion, joint function, and mood.
For the study, various poses were modified for women who weren’t able to perform the full versions. Each participant filled out a standard sexual-function questionnaire at the beginning and end of the 12-week program, which featured an hour of yoga practice each day, followed by breathing and relaxation.
For one hour a day, the women practiced 22 yoga postures (asanas) believed to have positive effects on abdominal and pelvic muscle tone, digestion, joint function, and mood. Rooted in Indian philosophy, yoga is an ancient method of relaxation, exercise, and healing that has gained a wide following in the United States. In other research, yoga has been found to ease anxiety and depression, lower blood pressure, improve joint pain and function, and relieve pain and many other mental and physical complaints.