Excerpt
Off the Mat, Between the Sheets
Downward dog your way to inner Peace, a toned tush and a yogasmic sex life- Katie Hanley
February 2009 www.Wholelifetimes.com
You already know yoga can give you greater flexibility, better muscle tone, a surefire way to release stress and maybe even enlightenment. But better sex? Really? Yoga offers myriad physical and emotional benefits that add up to more fun between the sheets and a more fulfilling, meaningful sexual relationship with your partner.
Whether heating up your sex life is the main goal of your yoga practice or just a happy side effect, chalk this information up as yet another great reason to roll out the mat. Here's how:
Sensuality
on a more subtle level, yoga helps you develop an awareness of sensations in your body. Learn to fee the weight rolling into the inside edges of your palms in downdog, for example, teaches you to savor every sensation in your body- including the really delicious ones that happen during sex. It also helps keep you rooted in your body and out of your head, where your swirling thoughts can prevent you from enjoying the experience at hand, whether it's in class, out with friends or between the sheets.
Confidence
A recent study shows that people who practice yoga gain less weight as they age than people who don't do yoga at all. And while feeling more fit is an undeniable turn-on, a sustained yoga practice also encourages you to develop a reverence for your body.
Energy
Raise your hand if you've ever dozed off during sex, or felt the stirrings of arousal but were so tired you opted for bed instead. According to a recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation, a full third of women say tiredness causes them to cut back on sex. And a 2004 clinical study at Harvard Medical School showed that just eight weeks of a simple at home yog practice significantly improved sleep quality for the toughest audience-chronic insomniacs. It's a simple exercise to connect the dots-practice yoga, sleep better, have more sex.
Intimacy
Yoga's effects transcend the physical. It helps us become more comfortable in the vulnerable positions- whether it's a full backbend during class or a heart to heart conversation in bed at night.
Better Orgasms
On a purely physical level, many yoga poses such as upavista konasana, or wide-legged straddle pose- increase blood flow to the pelvis. In our sedentary world, the muscles that run through the pelvis are chronically constricted. Another crucial aspect of yoga involves engaging and drawing ups the muscles of the pelvic floor, (known in Sanskrit as mula bandha, or root lock), which strengthens the muscles that play and integral role in orgasm.
SEXY SUPPLEMENTS
Article from: Delicious Living Magazine
Since the dawn of time, humans have been looking for the perfect love potion; a quest for sexual satisfaction that has yielded some bizarre results. In Asia, people believed they could increase sexual desire by drinking the fresh blood of bats or snakes. Chinese who wanted to lift their libido often turned to powdered rhino horn, and some still do. In Europe, legendary aphrodisiacs included truffles and oysters, both of which are still popular.
Named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, aphrodisiacs include any food, drink, plant, animal, or scent thought to increase sexual desire and performance. Although most aphrodisiacs are relatively harmless, some can be deadly. The most well-known is Spanish fly. A substance made from pulverized beetles, Spanish fly has been used throughout history- the Roman empress Livia (58 B.C. to A.D. 29) purportedly slipped it to members of the imperial family so they would commit sexual indiscretions that could later be used against them. But Spanish fly contains cantahridin, a toxic chemical that in some concentrations can damage the kidneys, irritate the gastrointestinal tract, and even result in death.
Fortunately, safer more effective ways to boost your sex drive and performance are available at your local natural products store. Check out the following supplements if you’re looking to reignite that romantic spark.
5 LOVE POTIONS
Damiana
Traditionally taken by men and women to spark desire. Animal studies show that this herb also enhances sexual performance in male rats. 400-800mg, 3x/day. May have slight laxative effect. Do not take if pregnant
Ginseng
Research shows a link between ginseng and higher levels of luteinizing hormone a key sex hormone. Studies have also found that ginseng is effective for treating erectile dysfunction.
2,000-3,000 mg/day of a standardized extract containing 5% to 7% ginsenosides
L-argine
Increases the blood flow necessary for erections by boosting nitric oxide levels. The more blood flowing, the greater the sexual intensity. 5,000mg/day at bedtime increasing amount as needed up to 8,000mg
Tribulus
Balances the sex hormones, increases blood flow to the genitals in both men and women, an improves male fertility. 200mg/day
Yohimbe
Both men and women can benefit from the way yohimbe increases desire. Clinical trials also show the herb is a highly effective treatment for erectile dysfunction. 15-30 mg/day, under a doctor’s supervision.
Partnerships (Excerpt from What I know For Sure; Oprah March 2002)
I have talked to so many guests over the years who never stopped to really consider the work a lifelong partnership involves. Roughly 40 percent of today's marriages will end in divorce. Too many people believe marriage is about flowers, candy, and rose petals in a bathtub.
It's true that a great relationship can help you reach your highest potential. But it's also true that getting there is about much more than romance. Anyone who is married or in a serious partnership already knows this for sure.
What we are all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-to-spirit connection. That requires difficult emotional work. "The purpose of marriage is to finish your childhood. And if you finish your childhood, you will live happily ever after." (Dr. Harvill Hendrix, PhD).
What I know for sure is that if you're looking for your happily-ever-after in the arms and eyes of another person, you will always be disappointed. Even in the most mature spiritual partnership, a mate is only there to give you back to yourself. In the end, you're the only person who can satisfy the deepest craving that every one of us shares. The need to feel significant.
Married or single, if you're looking for a sense of completion, I encourage you to look inward. The irony of relationships is that you're usually not ready for one until you can say form the deepest part of yourself "I will never again give up my power to another person."
"TO END SELF-REJECTION, YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO LOVE IN ANOTHER WHAT YOU HATE IN YOURSELF."
This month's love tip comes from two marriage therapists, Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt. Their book is titled: Receiving Love.
Finding Your Missing Self (excerpt from O magazine Oct. 2004)
You can't fully receive love from someone else when you're hiding part of yourself. Most of us have repressed traits, Harvill Hendrix says, and we're often not aware of what they are. He recommends this exercise to help identify what's buried in your unconscious.
"Ask, "What do I dislike/hate in my partner or any other person?" This gives you a clue about what you've rejected in yourself," he says. "For example, a woman in a therapy group cited murderer as what she most despised in anyone. When probed as to how that word related to her, she denied any such application. But when asked if she could recall or imagine a way she had murdered anyone emotionally, she immediately saw the connection to her rage at her husband. Her anger had been forbidden by her parents, and she had rejected the idea that she felt angry.
"Next ask, "What do I love/adore in my partner or anyone else?" This gives you a clue to what you didn't develop in yourself because your caretakers devalued it. One man wrote down "creative" and "musical". We asked if he'd sing for the group, and at first he declined, " Harville says. "When he finally agreed, it was clear that he had a good voice. Encouraged to take singing and piano lessons, he found he had the talent in both. His parents had ignored his musical gifts in childhood, so up until that point, he had neglected them, too."
Reclaiming the full range of your feelings, passions and aptitudes not only allows you to live more richly but also frees you to love and be loved.
