5 yoga poses that can give your sex life a *satisfying* boost

Yoga offers plenty of healthy benefits. Lena Dunham, for example, says it makes her feel more confident. It can also help you chill out, get better sleep, alleviate PMS pain, and improve your overall mood. Suffice it to say that the practice’s list of pros is at least as long as your fave yoga mat.

One more positive side effect you can add to the tally? “Yoga [is] amazing for enhancing sex life,” says yoga teacher Jordan Younger, AKA The Balanced Blonde. That’s partially because of the body confidence it can bring, but also has to do with the fact that certain poses can strengthen muscles and improve flexibility in ways that are particularly useful for better sex. Kundalini yogis, like Younger, have all sorts of techniques for elevating their bedroom vibes. But their tradition isn’t the only one. Plenty of modalities use moves that can make sex more pleasurable.

Here are 5 yoga poses that can improve your sex life according to rockstar yoga teachers.

Bridge pose: “[It] strengthens the muscles in the pelvic region,” says Sarah Levey, co-founder of Y7, a buzzy, hip-hop fueled hot yoga studio in New York City. That area of your body is part of your second chakra (AKA sacral chakra), which is believed to be the source of your sexuality and creativity. You can see why increasing its power via backbends that require you to engage your lower abs could give your sex life a lift.

Cat/cow: “This yogi favorite not only stretches your back, but also strengthens the pelvic floor muscles that contract during an orgasm,” says Sophie Jaffe, a certified yoga teacher and co-founder of the Igntd Couples retreats.

Happy baby: “[Hip openers] relieve stress,” says Levey. These types of moves are also capable of conjuring *major* emotional release and helping you connect to your inner feelings on a deeper level, FYI. 

Prasarita, AKA wide-leg forward fold: “This pose opens the hips, strengthens the thighs, increases flexibility, and brings blood flow to the pelvic region,” Levey says. All of which can help you achieve a seriously om-azing orgasm. 

Boat pose: “Working on your uddiyana bandha, otherwise known as the upward abdominal lock, stretches the respiratory diaphragm,” says Younger. “This gives you more access to your root chakra, the source of ‘Kundalini energy,’ which is where our sexual energy lives.” You can harness this power through breathwork and poses like boat pose (navasana) and side plank (vasisthasana), as well as by just keeping your core engaged throughout your practice.

The sensation is as if you’ve sucked your naval back toward your spine and then up in between your ribs. If you can master it, there’s a good chance both your upper abs (and sex life) will be on lock.

Originally published November 27, 2017; updated August 31, 2018.

So many wellness practices can improve your sex life—try meditation, marijuana, or these foods.