Flex for better sex #6 FEEL RE-ENERGISED WITH FATIGUE FIGHTING POSES

Is sex the last thing on your mind as you creep into bed, drained at the end of a hectic day?  Would you prefer to curl up with your favourite book or flick on the television, rather than save your energy for a raunchy rendezvous? You are not alone.

This post is part of the juicy ‘Flex and Sex’ series of Yoga asanas, to revitalise your sex life. According to research in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, participants who practised the following postures, for 1 hour a day over 12 weeks, showed significant improvements in arousal, desire and better orgasms. 

Fatigue Fighting Asana 1: UPWARD PLANK POSE / TABLE TOP POSE  (PURVOTTANASANA)

Fatigue Fighting Asana 2: BRIDGE POSE (SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA) 

TYPE OF ASANAS: CHEST OPENERS AND CORE STRENGTHENERS

Shake off that fatigue, improve your posture (and thereby your confidence), open up your chest and strengthen your core with: Upward Plank Pose and Bridge Pose. A tired back and a tired mind can often mean love-making gets pushed aside. Practice these poses to counteract a long day of facing forward and slouching in front of the computer and driving. Cyclists, swimmers, boxers, tennis players (and any forward motion athletes) benefit from practising Upward Plank Pose and Bridge Pose, to restore equilibrium to the body.

UPWARD PLANK POSE / TABLE TOP POSE  (PURVOTTANASANA)

Purvottanasana is THE POSE to fight fatigue and stress! Feel more refreshed and alive by practicing a few rounds!

The action of reaching the arms behind the body provides a deep stretch for your chest and over time, improves your posture. Having practised yoga since I was 14 years old, a compliment I often receive is “your posture is so great” and I can only attribute this to my dedicated yoga practice. Through regular practice, Purvottanasana can help you stand tall and sexy all day long.

Another benefit of this chest opening pose, is its ability to stretch and relieve tight shoulders. Spiritually and psychologically, an open chest allows one to be open and ready for anything (*wink wink).

On a purely spiritual side, exposing your throat chakra in Purvottanasana may be too much for some. The throat chakra governs choice and how we communicate this through our voices and convey our messages to the world. It’s the core of our personal expression and the messenger of our soul and echoes our inner truth. Try to visualise a blue light entering your throat chakra. Feel the power of self-expression in your throat and picture yourself in a circumstance where you want to express your thoughts and emotions freely.

Physically, Purvottanasana strengthens the wrists, arms, core muscles, buttocks and legs. It stretches the chest, shoulders, front ankles and legs, whilst stimulating the thyroid gland. Bear in mind your whole body weight is supported by the hands and wrists, therefore if you have weak/injured wrists or a tender neck, best to avoid this pose or modify it by supporting yourself on a chair.

BRIDGE POSE (SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA) 

Exercises like Bridge Pose, are excellent stress relievers and they also strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. The stronger the pelvic floor muscles, the more intense the orgasm!

Bridge Pose crosses over into Pilates too, where the same muscles are exercised and similar to Kegels. A quick refresher: your pelvic floor is a cluster of muscles in your pelvis that support your bladder and uterus. The bottom layer of muscle wraps around your vagina, anus and urethra. Relieving stress allows you to focus on learning how to consciously control these muscles, which helps you to heighten sensation during sex by getting a good grip, so to speak. Learning how to relax the pelvic floor is vital too, if you want to get adventurous and get in to some crazy positions. Knowing how to contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles during sex will allow you to gain better control over when you reach orgasm. If you notice a girlfriend who regularly practises Yoga and Pilates with a continuous cheeky grin on her face, you may understand why.

Physically, Bridge pose strengthens the back muscles and instantly relieves a tired back and fatigued mind. It stretches the chest, neck and spine and revives tired legs. Bridge is also effective for stimulating digestion, opening up the lungs and reducing thyroid issues. When it’s that time of the month, Bridge is a great one to practice and similarly reduces symptoms of menopause.

If you feel comfortable, I would suggest holding both of these poses for at least 1 minute each and build up gradually.

Full step-by-step pose instructions online: www.yogajournal.com & www.myyogaonline.com

Beginners, I’d recommend you to see a trained yoga professional to guide you through the movements, so that you perform the poses correctly and safely.

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Reference list

Barrett, E 2005, Sexy Yoga: 40 Poses for Mindblowing Sex and Greater Intimacy, Berkeley, USA.

Dhikav V, Karmarkar G, Gupta R, Verma M, Gupta R, Gupta S & Anand K, 2010, ‘Yoga in female sexual functions’, Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 7, pp. 964-970.