In honor of National Yoga Month, we'll be rolling out a brand-new yoga workout every Wednesday in September!
You've probably heard that yoga is great for a whole slew of reasons—from building a strong core to improving your mental health. But what about improving your sex life? Just think about it: Not only can yoga help you get more flexible (all the better to pretzel into those complex positions), but it can also help you feel more connected with your body and reduce overall stress and anxiety (well-known libido quashers).
So, in honor of National Yoga Month, we decided to celebrate its benefits between the sheets with a flow that focuses on giving your sex life a boost. Here, yoga instructor Tatiana Dellepiane, who recently teamed up with Dame Products, demos some yoga moves designed to help you get more in touch with your sexuality, and build muscles and movements that lead to more satisfying sex.
Dellepiane calls her practice "O Yoga," which is a blend of yoga, tantra, bellydance, and burlesque. She notes the focus is on poses with specific "micromovements" such as "sensual hip undulations of small circles, big circles, tilts and thrusts with 'squeezes' that tighten and tone pelvic muscles for longer, stronger and deeper orgasms." And beyond prepping your body for its best romp yet, this workout also "provides an incredible lower-body workout that torches calories and builds a strong core and abs," says Dellepiane.
(Get full-length yoga workouts that will help you tone up and zen out with WH's With Yoga DVD!)
Before you get started, there are a few "secrets of O yoga" that Dellepiane says you should master:
- Bliss breath: Place two fingers on your throat, inhale and exhale deeply through your nose constricting the back of your throat creating a sensual whispering sound.
- Secret Squeeze: Place two fingers on your pubic bone and squeeze your pelvic floor.
- Small tilts: Inhale to squeeze your hips forward, and exhale release bring your hips back.
- Microcosmic orbit: Caress your body with featherlight touch, spreading the energy all over.
- Small hip circles: Inhale as you tilt forward, undulating your hips from right to left. Exhale to release your hips back; repeat on the other side.
Ready to give it a go? Here, four yoga-inspired moves that will give your sex life a major boost. Perform each micro-movement and dynamic move eight to 10 times. Then repeat the entire sequence twice.
Standing Goddess
How to: For the initial pose, stand with feet just wider than hips-width apart with feet turned out 45 degrees and toes spread. Tighten your knees, pulling kneecaps up. Contract your hips and engage the muscles at the back of your thighs; activate the glutes and hamstrings with a slight squeeze at the same time. Engage your whole core by pulling your navel in toward the spine, tuck your front lower ribs in toward the spine and stand straight, elongating the spine as you open your chest up (keeping the ribs down and in). Inhale and exhale deeply through your nose doing the bliss breath to begin the movement:
- Micro-movement 1: Tilt hips forward and squeeze pelvic floor on inhale, release squeeze and exhale hips back (a).
- Micro-movement 2: Inhale and rotate hips around in a small circle, squeezing your pelvic floor. Exhale and release. Practice circling in both directions (b).
- Dynamic: Inhale and sit your hips back like you’re sitting on a chair, reaching your arms forward in front of you, and exhale as you thrust forward, bringing your arms to the sides (c).
Related: 'I Did 50 Crunches Every Day For A Month—Here's What Happened'
Kneeling Goddess
How to: Come down onto your knees, sitting on your heels with knees hips-width apart. Keep shins and tops of the feet pressing into the floor.
- Micro-movement 1: Tilts hips forward and squeeze pelvic floor on inhale, release squeeze and exhale hips back (a).
- Micro-movement 2: Inhale and rotate hips around in a small circle, squeezing pelvic floor, exhale and release as you complete the circle. Practice circling in both directions (b).
- Dynamic: Sitting on heels in kneeling goddess, reach arms to the sky, opening hands until arms are fully extended. Activate glutes and core, inhale and raise your hips up off your heels. Exhale, pulling arms down forcefully to gently strike your ribcage with elbows as you say “Ha” (c).
Super-stressed lately? This yoga pose can help:
Doggie Goddess
How to: Kneel on all fours, wrists directly under shoulders, hands planted on the ground, knees directly under hips.
Related: The Super-Comfy Workout Sneakers Everyone Is Obsessed With Right Now
- Micro-movement 1: Inhale as you tilt your tailbone up, exhale as you tilt it down (relax your pelvic floor as tailbone lifts, squeeze it as you exhale & tuck tailbone in) (a).
- Micro-movement 2: Move your hips in circles. Start small with just the hips/pelvis moving, then increase the size of the movement, bringing in your spine & head (b).
- Dynamic: Start in a child’s pose, sitting back onto your heels, knees wide, torso and arms extended forward. Place your hands shoulder-width apart, pressing fully into the ground. Inhale, then squeeze your pelvic floor and shift forward, keeping your chest low to the ground, as you slide into a low cobra position. Your feet should be pressed against the floor, chest up, and core engaged (c).
Bridge/Missionary Goddess
How to: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip width apart. Bring your arms straight out to the sides, palms turned down to the floor. Inhale and squeeze your pelvic floor, then tilt your tailbone in towards your navel as you lift hips and spine as high as you can. Be sure you don't go so high that you can't see your knees.
Related: Lose Your Belly with Just Two Exercise Moves
- Micro-movement 1: With your hips lifted, exhale and dip the tip of your tailbone down toward the ground. Inhale, squeeze your pelvic floor, then lift your tailbone back up.
- Micro-movement 2: With hips lifted, rotate the tip of your tailbone in tiny circles one way (for 20 seconds), then change direction of rotation (for 20 seconds). Exhale as you lower your spine back to the floor slowly, like a string of beads.
- Dynamic: Exhale as you lower you spine, one vertebrae at a time. Inhale, squeeze your pelvic floor, and lift your butt and hips all the way up.
Kristine Thomason is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience creating content for print and digital publications. Previously, she was the health and fitness director at mindbodygreen, and the fitness and wellness editor at Women’s Health. Kristine's work has appeared in Men's Health, Travel + Leisure, Health, and Refinery29, among others. She holds a journalism degree from New York University, and is certified in personal training by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
