How Getting Your Om On Helps With the Big O

Nothing melts away stress like a little bedtime therapy. Aside from calming your nerves, the happy hormones released when getting busy under the sheets can also give the immune system a boost, relieve nasal congestion, and best of all, help you live longer. If that wasn't enough, yoga can make it even better. Besides learning new tips and techniques from racy chats with your close girlfriends, here's how heading to the yoga studio can improve the quality — and frequency! — of orgasms.

Stronger Outer Muscles It's tough work holding all those unique positions, and just as stronger quads can help you feel like you can run forever, strong muscles from yoga can also increase your endurance during sex. Try these total body yoga poses: Beginner's Sage, Three-Legged Down Dog, and Crow. Stronger Inner Muscles Yoga poses tone your entire outer body, but they also target your inner pelvic floor muscles, which when held during sex, can heighten pleasure for both you and your partner. The yogic practice of holding mula bandha, which most people know as Kegels, targets this area specifically. If you're unfamiliar with these pelvic floor exercises, it's the muscles you'd automatically contract if someone burst in on you in the ladies room. In Ashtanga Yoga, mula bandha is held for the entire 90-minute practice, but you can also make your work commute or that long line at the grocery store a little more fun by practicing your Kegels then. Flexibly If you're one to get creative in the bedroom, loose hamstrings, hips, and a spine that come with a regular yoga practice can allow you to confidently and comfortably try new positions with a reduced risk of injury. Make these poses a part of your regular practice: Wide-Legged Forward Bend C, this hip-opening sequence, and Wheel. Improved Confidence When you feel strong and beautiful in your body, that beaming energy can make you feel so brave that your insecurities and fears peel away, allowing you to be playful and really let go. The fluid nature of a yoga practice and the strength it requires will help you realize the full potential of your body, making you feel feminine and bold at the same time. Heightened Awareness Being in the moment and allowing yourself to move freely and follow your fiery instincts is a recipe for a great romp in the hay. And if there's one thing yoga teaches, it's how to be in the present, to notice and follow the breath, to be calm, content, and blissful. With the ability to tune out day-to-day stresses, to bring your awareness inward and be in the moment, you'll open yourself to a deeper and more pleasurable experience.