Yoga can lead to more pleasure in bed BY KYMBERLIE ESTRADA

Practicing different yoga positions can stimulate the libido and give you and your partner more confidence and comfort in the bedroom.

Courtesy of Kenn Guru / Wikipedia

He thrusted me onto the top end of his California king-sized, creaky wooden-framed mattress. I could sense he was experimenting with my body.

Up until he met me, he’d play around the same three positions. He took both my legs and spread them onto the headboard above me. Turned on more than ever, he proceeded to manipulate my body and figure out its limitations. He couldn’t find a single one.

We continued for another half hour; standing, sitting, sideways, reversed, one-legged, no-legged. I was aroused, he was curious, I didn’t know I had it in me. I’d been going to yoga classes at my local 24 Hour Fitness gym since I was 16.

I was 20 at the time, and had never applied any techniques or positions up until that point. Not only did I fulfill his sexual desires of meeting a human contortionist, practically, but my satisfaction was heightened to a level I’d never felt before.

According to The Journal of Sexual Medicine, sexually dissatisfied women who practiced yoga experienced higher levels of arousal, desire and even better orgasms.

In terms of physicality, yoga improves your flexibility. Even the most basic postures, such as the sun salutations, or surya namaskar, will help your body’s overall flexibility. Sun salutations, which are a sequence of eight postures, are typically performed to begin a new day. This flowing sequence of pelvis, hip, shoulder, chest, arm, belly and spine openers will alleviate any tension lingering from the previous day.

Flexibility will benefit each partner for deeper penetrations and a heightened stimulation, leaving both partners more than satisfied. Not only that, but advanced flexibility will allow you and your partner to experiment with different positions.

“More positions are comfortable making your sex life more interesting, plus sex-related injuries are lowered just as they are in any sport,” said relationship coach and “sexpert” Rach Wilson, who was also featured in Cosmopolitan.

Yes, sex should be steamy, hot and pleasurable, but have a little fun and explore each other’s bodies. Being comfortable during sex with your partner will also reflect outside the bedroom. So go ahead, play around and get to know each other’s likes and dislikes.

If you know any routine yoga practitioner, odds are they’re probably in good physical shape. It’s no secret that if you look good, you’ll feel good. This translates to your sex life as well.

Confidence is key during sex. You should be able to show your partner all of you, even with the lights on. When your confidence is high, “arousal” and the “libido can kick into overdrive,” Wilson said.

Yoga also encourages a healthy lifestyle. Many practitioners tap into the mind, body and spirit and are aware of what they eat. They strive to maintain a harmonious, healthy lifestyle.

Yoga can help reduce stress, increase energy, boost your immune system, increase mental clarity and inner peace, Wilson said. “When you’re relaxed you can more easily feel playful or cheeky, which is great for any relationship.”

Although yoga isn’t a full on two-hour cardio, calorie-burning workout, it definitely increases your energy level and mental clarity, which is vital for anyone with a high-demand, stressful job. Wilson said busy minds typically have a weaker libido. Practicing yoga at the end of the day can help “quiet the mind” and can make one more open to sex after a long day at work.

Poses such as the wide-legged straddle, the bridge and the downward dog naturally increase blood flow to the pelvis. As you work your mula bandha pose, you engage and draw up the muscles of the pelvic floor. These strength-building postures tighten your sphincter muscle, which exercises your kegels.

“Yoga helps increase core and kegel strength, plus increases endurance. Longer sessions with a lengthy buildup and good kegel strength set the stage for an intense orgasmic crescendo,” Wilson said.

For a better sex experience, Wilson advised to “allow the orgasmic pleasure to build” before going into a full-on orgasm. “The longer you can drag it out, the more intense the orgasm can get.”