Yoga for Erectile Dysfunction: 9 Poses & An Alternative to Viagra

Can yoga cure or treat erectile dysfunction? Yes, it works and there are two major reasons for this – it helps improve your mental and physical well-being.

Why do I care about my mental health, if I’m just trying to get an erection? Well…

Erectile dysfunction (ED) isn’t only a physical problem, it’s a combo problem that includes many aspects of your mental and physical health. Because yoga helps improve both your mental and physical health, it’s a safe and effective way to treat your ED and improve your overall sexual health.

Of course, you can just take viagra, but that’s not solving the problem, rather it’s just masking it. Viagra also has the risks of side effects such as flushing, headaches, and even stomach issues. So, why not try to take the natural route and implement a lifestyle change!

I’ll cover more about how the science works, what you should be aware of, and how to introduce yoga into your life (especially if you’ve been mostly living a sedentary lifestyle). Read on!

• Why Is Yoga Good for Erectile Dysfunction
• Physical Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
• How Yoga Helps Erectile Dysfunction – Physically
• Mental Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
• How Yoga Helps Erectile Dysfunction – Mentally
• 9 Yoga Poses for Erectile Dysfunction

Why Is Yoga Good for Erectile Dysfunction

To understand why yoga is good for ED, you first have to understand what causes ED on both the mental and physical sides.

Physical Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

On the physical side of things, ED has many risk factors including but not limited to:

• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Hypertension (HTN)
• Metabolic syndrome (MetS)
• Atherosclerosis
• Manifesting cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

That’s a lot, I know.

The good news is that all those conditions can be chalked up to physical inactivity, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. (This assumption is made with the belief you don’t have any underlying conditions or hereditary risk factors – such as heart disease)

How Yoga Helps Erectile Dysfunction – Physically

Erections are a great indicator of your cardiovascular health, so if you’re not getting it up, then it could be an early indicator of developing cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercise is one the best ways to make sure you’re healthy cardiovascularly and getting the blood flow you need to your penis.

That’s why studies have shown that 40 minutes of exercise 4x a week of either moderate or vigorous-intensity is proven to decrease ED caused by those conditions.

However, not all exercise is the same. Hopping back into some basketball, soccer, or even weight lifting might be too much for you, especially if you’ve been mostly sedentary for your adult life. Plus, injuring yourself is the last thing you want to do.

That’s why yoga, especially Man Flow Yoga, is great. It’s a predictable and proven way to increase your strength, mobility, flexibility, and general health. Also, who doesn’t want to be more flexible and mobile in the bedroom?

In fact, one study found that men who started practicing yoga noticed an increase in sexual function scores including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.

If this isn’t enough for you to consider starting up your yoga practice, let’s move onto the mental health benefits.

Mental Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

As I mentioned above, erectile dysfunction isn’t just a physical problem, it’s a mental one too. Anxiety, depression, and stress are major factors that can result in ED.

Essentially, it’s not only about your body, it’s also about your mind and mental health.

An erection starts with relaxation, allowing blood to become available for your penis to stand-up, instead of being directed towards your arms and legs (during the fight-or-flight response). As relaxation turns into sexual arousal, the muscles surrounding your penile arteries relax, letting blood enter the penis.

If you’re acutely stressed or have compounded stress from day-to-day life, then this can affect the quality and quantity of erections you can have. You might not notice it, but taking care of kids, going to work, remembering chores, and even driving can lead to built-up stress.

Managing this stress for a better erection and sex life is where yoga comes in!

How Yoga Helps Erectile Dysfunction – Mentally

Yoga, with a focus on breathing and body awareness, is a proven way to relax, reduce stress, and calm the sympathetic nervous system (the flight or fight response).

The mind-body connection that yoga strives to develop helps you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest response), and, ultimately, makes you more resilient and flexible towards stressful situations.

All this works together to mitigate feelings of anxiety and stress, so you can get a better erection. In short, yoga reduces stress which can help prevent or even treat ED.

9 Yoga Poses for Erectile Dysfunction

These yoga poses promote blood flow, bodily awareness, and core strength which can all help to prevent or treat ED. During all of these poses, try to practice mindfulness and be only present in the current moment to help reduce stress and anxiety.

Looking For A Program?

If you’re interested in starting a yoga program with Man Flow Yoga to gain strength, flexibility, and mobility, BUT don’t know where to start, we got you covered. Give our FREE 7-Day Challenge a try. Sign-up below!

Triangle Pose

This pose strengthens your pelvic area, stretches your hamstrings, and helps you build body awareness and mindfulness, especially if you look up towards your hand.

Technique:

1. Start in a Warrior 1 stance, with your right foot back and turned out at 45 degrees, left knee bent, and hips facing forward.
2. Hinge at the hips and rest fingertips on the floor on either side of the front foot.
3. Flatten your back by pulling your chest forward and engaging your core.
4. Keeping your back flat and your abs long, slowly straighten your left leg until you feel a stretch in your left hamstrings. (It’s okay for your left knee to bend as needed.)
5. Squeeze legs toward each other, engaging both quadriceps, and maintain the tension. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen the chest, and exhaling as you deepen the stretch in your hamstrings.
6. Repeat on the other side.
7. If your hamstring flexibility is limited or if your spine is rounding, rest your hands on two blocks placed on either side of your front foot.
8. To increase your hamstring strength and mobility, focus on active engagement of the hamstrings in the front leg.

Standing Forward Fold

This is a passive pose turned active with a few muscle cues. Try to breathe and fold into the discomfort of the hamstring stretch. Be present in the moment and release stress and tension.

Technique:

1. Stand with your feet close together.
2. Engage your quadriceps and squeeze your inner thighs toward each other.
3. Hinge at the hips and pull your chest forward and down, maintaining a flat back.
4. Rest your fingers on the floor below your shoulders.
5. Squeeze hip flexors and core toward each other, and fold forward as far as you can while keeping the back flat.
6. Hold the posture, inhaling as you pull your chest forward and lengthen the body, and exhaling as you fold deeper.

One-Legged Chair

A challenging pose to increase pelvic strength and endurance. If balancing is too hard in this pose, then don’t be afraid to do a normal two-footed chair pose.

Technique:

1. Stand in Mountain pose with your big toes touching and your heels about 1in (2.5cm) apart.
2. Reach your arms overhead, palms facing inward.
3. Squeeze thighs toward each other, and engage your abdominal muscles.
4. Slowly bend your knees and lower your hips down and back, as if sitting down onto a chair.
5. Keep your arms overhead and rotated inward so your biceps face back. Keep your center of gravity in your hips and core, not in knees.
6. Try to lift one leg.
7. Maintain height in the torso and avoid collapsing your chest. Keep spine neutral.
8. Hold the posture, inhaling to maintain length, and exhaling to sit deeper.

Downdog Pose

This is a very core intensive pose with an emphasis on calf and hamstring flexibility. Try to slow down your breathing and really be present for the pose.

Technique:

1. Start in a Plank with your shoulders over your hands, core engaged, feet hip-width apart, and toes tucked.
2. Lift hips to form a straight line from shoulders to heels.
3. Lift your hips back and up to form a pyramid shape with your body. Focus on creating a straight line from hands to hips.
4. Squeeze your upper thighs and abdominal muscles toward each other.
5. Rotate biceps slightly forward to open your shoulders and release tension in the neck.
6. Squeeze your arms and shoulders toward each other to engage the upper body.
7. Relax your neck to look back at your feet.
8. Release heels toward the floor to stretch the calves.
9. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen and lift, and exhaling as you deepen the stretch and increase engagement.

Cobra Pose

Cobra is great for improving lower-body and hip strength, building muscle in your back, and helps prevent injury during other vigorous exercises in possibly dark bedrooms.

Technique:

1. Lie on your stomach, and place your hands under your shoulders with your elbows pointing straight back, close to your sides.
2. Spread your fingers wide and relax palms under your shoulders.
3. Engage and rotate thighs inward so kneecaps point straight down and all toes are touching the floor.
4. Squeeze your big toes, ankles, knees, and inner thighs toward each other.
5. Press your pelvis and tops of your feet into the floor.
6. Inhale as you use your core (not arms) to lengthen your spine forward and slightly lift your chest away from the floor.
7. Press the crown of your head away from your shoulders to look forward.
8. Pull shoulder blades down and toward each other, squeeze elbows to sides, and use your hands to pull (not push) your body forward and up.
9. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lift slightly higher, and exhaling as you increase engagement and maintain height.

Boat Pose

Boat pose is a great position to bring blood to your pelvic area while strengthening it too.

Technique:

1. Sit on the floor, bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor, with your heels 11⁄2 to 2ft (45–60cm) away from your hips.
2. Lightly grip your knees with your hands, sit as upright as possible, and lean back slightly.
3. Keeping your chest lifted and your torso still, squeeze your hip flexors and abdominal muscles toward each other to engage core.
4. Let go of knees, and reach arms forward and up, palms up.
5. Continue to firmly engage your abdominal muscles and hip flexors, and slowly lift feet off the floor and straighten legs. Pull sternum toward the ceiling while keeping spine neutral.
6. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen the spine, and exhaling as you tighten the core.

Bridge Pose

Bridge pose is great for developing your glutes (your butt) and helps to build endurance in this position…for thrustings.

Technique:

1. Lie on your back and rest your arms at your sides, palms facing up.
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet hip-width distance apart, no more than a few inches away from glutes.
3. Tighten abs and engage your core as you prepare to lift your hips.
4. On an exhale, lift your hips slowly but firmly away from the floor.
5. Squeeze the hips, glutes, and core to form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
6. Reach your tailbone toward your knees to lengthen the spine.
7. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lift your hips higher, and exhaling as you tighten your core.

Butterfly pose

This is a great pose to relax in and bring awareness to your groin and hips. Try to relax and let your hips open up.

Technique:

1. Sit on the floor, place the soles of your feet together, and squeeze your glutes to point the knees out to the sides. Grip both ankles or feet for stability.
2. Sit upright.
3. Engage the glutes to squeeze knees closer toward the floor.
4. Hold the posture, inhaling as you sit taller, and exhaling as you deepen the stretch in your groin.

Seated Spinal Twist

This is a quintessential yoga pose for increasing your spinal mobility. Because sex isn’t just forward-facing, sometimes you need strength for twists and bends.

Technique:

1. Sit on the floor with both legs straight in front of you.
2. Place your hands beside your hips, and use your core to lift your chest and flatten your back.
3. Cross your left leg over your right leg, and plant your left foot on the floor outside your right thigh, above the right knee.
4. Hold your left knee with both hands, and sit up as tall as possible.
5. Place your left hand on the floor and press the right elbow against the outside of your left knee to lift your chest and sit as upright as possible.
6. Press down through your hips, engage the core, and twist your torso to the left.
7. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen the spine, and exhaling as you deepen the twist.

Additional Resources