I lie on my back, entirely surrendered, body melting into the floor.
The gyrations of the last hour had left me pulsating from head to toe. The experience had stretched my limits and pushed me to places I’d never been. There’d been moments that were intense and even scary, but here in the dim aftermath—pure bliss. I felt centered, whole and utterly alive. This was not post-coital orgasmic bliss, but a delicious slice of mind-body paradise known as the Savasana (or “Corpse Pose”) at the end of my first yoga practice at Heaven Meets Earth in Evanston.
“Wow,” I thought, lolling on my mat, “yoga is sexy.” I had to investigate further. Now, after six weeks of class and talking with some experienced yogi chicks, I’m sharing seven ways yoga is good for your sex life.
1. Yoga is a sensual experience.
For women to experience pleasure in bed, they need a steady diet of pleasure in other areas of their lives. Yoga is great exercise, but it also engages all the senses. In class we enjoy beautiful music, low lighting, and comfy props like cushions, blankets and lavender eye pillows. Sometimes our teacher will sound a gong, or anoint us with fragrant essential oils—a valuable reminder that there are many ways for a body to feel good.
2. Yoga gets you out of your head.
One of the biggest barriers to feeling desire is the incessant chatter and constant to-do lists that fill our minds. Yoga puts an end to all that multi-tasking noise. “When I get into my yoga practice,” my friend Ivy* tells me, “ I only focus on my breathing—the inhale and the exhale. My mind is very quiet after a practice.” Ivy uses that technique to quiet her mind when it comes to intimacy with her husband; it allows her to relax and fully appreciate the experience.
3. It connects you to your femininity.
Sports and workouts are healthy and fun, but according to Lisa Faremouth Weber, founder of Heaven Meets Earth, competition and comparison come from a masculine, ego-based mindset. Yoga is individual, inward exploration. The practice can be challenging, but is infused with gratitude, artful movement and intention—a more feminine experience. “Feminine exercise gives you joy,” Weber says.
4. It makes you feel great about your body.
Women are often incredibly critical about their bodies. I’ve only been taking yoga for a few weeks, but I’m already amazed; even in the simplest poses like Warrior I, there are times I feel like a friggin’ goddess. Yoga’s not about how you look, it’s about what you can do and how you feel. Making that positive connection with your body feels awesome.
5. It gets you in shape for the sack.
With the deep lunges, downward dogs and bridge poses, it’s no stretch to see how yoga makes women more physically fit for lovemaking. Yoga improves strength and flexibility in all areas of the body but is especially helpful in opening up the oft-neglected muscles surrounding the hips and pelvis. More flexibility means less pain, more options and more fun when it comes to sex. Ohm my!
6. Yoga makes you look hot.
Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow rave about the benefi ts of yoga. Not only does it tone your body and give you great posture, but it also improves your circulation and makes your skin look more radiant. It’s called the “yoga glow.” Ivy started doing yoga for the peace of mind but was delighted by the changes in her body. “Once I started seeing the results, I liked the way I looked, and I felt more interested in being sexual.”
7. Yoga blisses you out.
Ivy regularly experiences joy while practicing yoga. “There are moments in class when I feel like I can look at my inner mirror, and my heart is singing,” she says. “I wonder: Can everybody see what’s happening to me here? It’s like my heart is just bursting forth from my body!”
“In yoga, we have flashes of bliss,” Weber explains. “The Sanskrit name for them is Samadhi. This is when we stop, pause, breathe, plug in and open to the sea of love within ourselves. We can’t experience that when we’re constricted.” The good news, Weber tells me, is that once you’ve been awakened to these flashes, you can experience them in everyday life.
(*name has been changed)
