Is Yoga REALLY Good for Your Sex Life?

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Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine—People's new Sexiest Man Alive and self-proclaimed yogi—has said a few, shall we say, off-color things about the practice he loves.

 

Exhibit A, from a Women's Health interview in 2008: "Let's face it, I only practice yoga because the classes are always packed with beautiful women." He followed up that he was totally kidding, but it's not like he waslying about the beautiful women in yoga classes, if you know what we're saying. And then there was the following gem...

 

Exhibit B, from a Details interview in 2012: "You know what yoga's good for? I'll tell you what yoga is good for: Fuuuu**-ing." Well then.

 

While Levine's way of touting the extracurricular benefits of yoga is pretty gross—to say the least—there may be some truth to his claims, says Rachel Allyn, Ph.D., a psychologist and yoga instructor. "Yoga really increases connection to the body," she says. "And we're often very disconnected from our bodies and very much in our heads. " (Cue those annoying, unrelated thoughts that crop up during sex—like needing to pick up laundry detergent.)

 

But by focusing on your breathing and the way your muscles move, you can develop a deeper understanding of your body—and that can translate tomore pleasure in bed. With yoga, "people just have better body awareness of what they need in the moment," says Allyn. "There's a sense of really paying attention to one's desires."

 

If you really want to tune in to your body, she suggests trying Kundalini-style yoga. "It isn't about triggering sexual energy per se, but that is definitely one of the elements," says Allyn. "It taps into the creative energy within. I think we're more sexual beings when we reside in that part of ourselves—a little more creative, spontaneous, present moment." Kundalini emphasizes something called "fire breathing," that is, faster-than-normal breathing paired with accelerated movements, which can help release pent-up energy—including the sexual kind.

 

If you'd prefer to stick to a classic practice, incorporate more hip-opening moves, like pigeon pose. It can help loosen your muscles for thrusting—especially because hip stretches are often held longer than other poses, since they target deep tissue—and may metaphorically free your mind from any sexual roadblocks. "When our hips are blocked, we're cut off from our sexual selves, where we're stuck, maybe, in guilt, we feel like we don't deserve pleasure," says Allyn.