Yogis have better sex, study finds Eastern enlightenment proved to be sexually beneficial for men and women

In 2009, then, resolve to have better sex. According to a recent review article in the Dec. 3 issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, sexually unsatisfied women who practiced the Eastern techniques of mindfulness and yoga reported improvements in levels of arousal and desire, as well as better orgasms. In addition, yoga has been found to effectively treat premature ejaculation in men.

Eastern practices have been touted as sexually beneficial for years — as the article states, the techniques have “their origin in the Kama Sutra of the fourth to sixth centuries.”

But authors Lori A. Brotto of the University of British Columbia, Michael Krychman of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine, and Pamela Jacobson of The Healing Sanctuary in Tustin, Calif., think that recent research findings warrant increased attention, and respect, from Western medicine.

Living in the moment
Mindfulness — an awareness of the present moment, also a key component in yoga — proved especially beneficial in a study, cited in the article, that asked women to study pennies in detail. The coins were then collected, and each woman was asked to find her original penny. Every woman was successful. “In our experience, (nearly) all women feel that they have a problem with remaining focused; they are highly distractible,” the article states. “However, after this penny exercise, they accept the notion that they can focus their mind if they so choose.” The study then went on to encourage body-awareness exercises, which eventually had a sexual goal.

Not all Eastern-based benefits manifest in the mind. The article cites another study from The Journal of Sexual Medicine, published in September 2007, in which 68 Indian men who suffered from premature ejaculation were given a choice of yoga-based, non-pharmacological treatment or Prozac. The men who practiced yoga for one hour each day “had both subjective and statistically significant improvements in their intra-ejaculatory latencies, similar to participants in the pharmacologic treatment group.”

The article acknowledges that mindfulness and yoga are challenging, but they also can be fun — and whose sex life couldn’t benefit from a little mental and physical flexibility?

Health Benefits Of Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga, also known as Hot Yoga, is yoga practiced in a hot humid room. The high level of humidity is an important factor in the effectiveness of the Bikram yoga. Bikram Yoga takes all the benefit of Yoga and puts them in a room heated between 110 to 115 degrees, and the humidity level is kept at 60 percent. You're probably wondering if this is an easy thing to do, well it's not. You have to be in good physical condition before you start Bikram Yoga, the exercise is intense. 

Of course the health benefits of Bikram yoga are over the top great. Physicians and health experts are now focusing a lot of attention towards this new style of yoga practice, named after its inventor, Choudhury Bikram. Now let's take a look at what people who practice Bikram Yoga get as part of their health deal; 

1. Weight Loss: what's the point of exercise if it doesn't burn off those extra calories? People who practice Bikram Yoga lose weight and they lose weight fast. The reason is simple, the body burns fat faster when it is warm. The body fat gets redistributed and much of it is consumed as energy during the workout. Many people not only lose weight pretty soon into their Bikram Yoga classes, but they lose weight in a lot of trouble areas, like the stomach. The temperature and the exercise all add contribute towards speeding up your metabolism, which in turn burns greater fat and glucose stored in the body. The result is a lean and well toned body. Now who minds that? 

2. Improved Cardiovascular Health: Bikram Yoga gives the heart a thorough workout. Blood capillaries dilate more because of the heat and the result is more oxygen reaches the tissues, muscles and glands. The body also expels waste products faster, so there are fewer toxins inside you. 

3. Improved Muscle and Joint Movement: the muscles and joints experience greater movement when they are warm, because the heat and humidity makes them supple. This means greater stretching of the muscles, joints and ligaments. The body is on the whole more flexible and you are more active than before. 

4. Greater Detoxification and Stronger Immune System: it's rather obvious that you will be sweating a good bit during your Bikram Yoga session, and this is what will cause a great deal of detoxification for your body. Sweating is the body's number one way of removing toxins from itself through its largest organ, the skin. When you sweat, and that too during exercise, your body removes greater toxins then it would if you practiced other forms of exercise, even other forms of yoga. Also, this helps to strengthen you immune system so you have a better chance against a number of viral diseases. 

5. Improved Posture: the strengthening of your muscles and joints will give an improved posture. Not only is an improved posture a great appearance benefit, it pays off in the later years. A strong musculoskeletal form in the early years saves a lot of trouble in the later years. You have stronger bones that can resist weight to a greater extent and you don't hunch. 

The benefits of Bikram Yoga are many, but just so you know, Mr. Bikram himself refers to his Yoga room as his 'torture chamber', so you really need to be in a position to sweat it out before you head into this. Get your physician's approval first.

unhappy with your sex life? Try yoga

A new study claims that sexually unsatisfied women who practised the eastern techniques of mindfulness and yoga reported improvements in levels of arousal and desire, as well as better orgasms. In addition, yoga has been found to effectively treat premature ejaculation in men. 

Eastern practices have been touted as sexually beneficial for years - as the article states, the techniques have "their origin in the Kama Sutra of the fourth to sixth centuries." 

But authors Lori Brotto of the University of British Columbia, Michael Krychman of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine, and Pamela Jacobson of The Healing Sanctuary in Tustin, California, think that recent research findings warrant increased attention, and respect, from western medicine. 

Mindfulness - an awareness of the present moment, also a key component in yoga -- proved especially beneficial in a study, cited in the article, that asked women to study pennies in detail. The coins were then collected, and each woman was asked to find her original penny. Every woman was successful. "In our experience, (nearly) all women feel that they have a problem with remaining focused; they are highly distractible," the article states. "However, after this penny exercise, they accept the notion that they can focus their mind if they so choose." The study then went on to encourage body-awareness exercises, which eventually had a sexual goal. 

Not all eastern-based benefits manifest in the mind. The article cites another study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine, published in September 2007, in which 68 Indian men who suffered from premature ejaculation were given a choice of yoga-based, non-pharmacological treatment or Prozac. The men who practiced yoga for one hour each day "had both subjective and statistically significant improvements in their intra-ejaculatory latencies, similar to participants in the pharmacologic treatment group." 

Another recent study said yoga is being used to help the homeless people in Manhattan beat their winter blues. Instructor Karen Nourizadeh offers yoga lessons to a group of destitutes at an East Side shelter, who come to the centre wearing tattered clothes to center their topsy-turvy lives. "I want to do yoga for people who really need it. I really want them to take all that pressure and stress and throw it out the window," she said.