Practice For Sexual Vitality

For both men and women, normal, healthy sexual function is a sometimes mysterious intertwining of physical, emotional and psychological interplay. Take for example the conflict in time schedule between a woman’s monthly ovulation cycle and the average man’s semen cycle of four to eight times a month. It would seem to be a minor miracle that two people are ever “in the mood” on the same day. The physical aspects of the reproductive areas of the human body can be exercised to establish health and vitality. Specifically focusing on this area can greatly improve stamina, control and sensitivity.

A few simple asana (posture)done while lying on the floor exercise the muscle groups in the pelvic and groin area.

Apanasana
Keep in Mind: Keep your shoulders on the floor. Keep your hands on the kneecaps. Coordinate breath and movement. Cautions: Don’t pull too hard, this is a warm-up. Other Benefits: Will increase range of motion in hips. Lie on your Yoga mat. Bend your knees and lift your feet. Place one hand on each kneecap. As you exhale, gently, but firmly pull your thighs toward your chest. Keep your hands on your kneecaps, inhale, and push your knees away. Coordinate the movement with yourbreathing. Remember the short pauses that happen at the end of the exhale and the end of the inhale. That means start your exhale and then start pulling in. Finish the movement,finish the breath and feel the short (half second) pause. Then start your inhale, straighten your arms and come to a full stop. Repeat four or five times. A small pillow or a folded towel behind your head will make this position more comfortable. Focus your attention to your hips and think of breathing into them. Attention plus breath equals awareness. Awareness of what is happening in your body is half the battle. Awareness will ease your path to a supple, strong body		Inhale     Exhale

Supta Padangusthasana Variation
Keep in Mind: If your legs do not straighten, it is okay to keep your knees slightly bent. Move with your breath. Cautions: Be aware of your lower back and the sacroiliac joint. If this is a strain in your lower back, keep your knees well bent. You will still receive much benefit. Other benefits: Stretches groin muscles and opens the hips. Increases blood and energy flow to pelvic floor. Lie on your back, knees bent and feet lifted off the floor. Put one hand behind each thigh to support your legs. Inhale, straighten both legs. Push your heels up toward the ceiling. Stay in this position as you exhale. On inhale, open your legs taking your heels as far apart as they will comfortably go. Exhale, close your legs. Inhale, open your legs. Repeat two or three times then close your legs and return to the start position with your knees bent. If this is easy for you, stay in the open leg position for a couple of breaths, if not, don’t. Repeat the whole sequence one more time. Repeat apasnasana.
Exhale	Inhale	Exhale

Supta Baddha Konasana
Exhale	Inhale	Keep in Mind: Move with your breath. Cautions: If this creates discomfort in your lower back, discontinue. Other benefits: Increases hip mobility. Increases blood and energy flow to pelvic floor. Stretches groin muscles. Next, lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor for supta baddha konasana (supta-supine, baddha-bind, kona-angle.) Inhale and open your knees. Exhale close your knees. Repeat five to six times.

Upavistha Konasana Adaptation
Keep in Mind: Begin each of your exhales by pulling in below your navel. Cautions: Do not pull yourself farther forward with your arms. Other benefits: Stretches hamstrings and lower back. Increases hip mobility. Sit up on your Yoga mat for upavistha konasana adaptation (upavista-to sit, kona-angle.) Open your legs as far as they will comfortably go. Bend your knees. L Lift your arms along side your ears and above your head as you inhale. Exhale bend forward between your legs. Stay for one breath. Inhale lift your arms and your chest to come up with a flat back. You may want to make an adjustment in your leg position. Keep them as wide as is comfortable. Try bending your knees a little more. Try it again. Inhale, lift your arms, exhale bend forward between your legs. Stay for a few breaths then come up as you inhale. Try it one last time.	Inhale	Exhale

Krama-Segmented Breathing

The most beneficial element of this sequence is controlling the breath in conjunction with contracting and relaxing the abdominal muscles. The breathing exercise, krama-segmented breathing, will greatly increase muscle tone, the health of your vital organs, digestive system function, help reduce incontinence after pregnancy and increase or re-establish sexual vigor.

Sit. Breathe. Relax low in your body. Imagine yourself to be urinating. Now stop the flow in mid-stream. Feel all of the muscle groups you used to stop your imaginary peeing. As you strengthen those muscles, you are bringing renewed life and energy to all of the sexual organs also. Exercising those muscles begins with proper breathing. Starting the exhale by contracting your muscles beginning at the floor of the torso and moving up to the solar plexus is the first step. Followed on inhale by releasing the muscle groups in descending order.

As you inhale retain the mild contraction below the navel while relaxing only from the solar plexus to the navel, pause then continue the inhale and relax from the navel to the pubic bone, then from the pubic bone to the floor of the torso. At first, this muscle coordination seems impossible, but both strength and control will improve with practice. All the while, you are building stronger muscles the same way lifting a dumbbell strengthens your biceps.

The next step is to exhale in stages while contracting the muscles also in stages.

Start your exhale and gently contract the muscles from the bottom of the torso to the pubic bone. Pause.

Continue your exhale and contract the muscles between the pubic bone and the navel. Pause.

Finish your exhale while contracting the muscles from the navel to the solar plexus.

Now inhale in segments.

First inhale and release the muscles from the solar plexus to the navel while retaining the gentle contractions below. Pause.

Continue your inhale while releasing the muscle contraction from the navel to the pubic bone. Pause.

Finish your inhalation and release the muscles from the pubic bone to the floor of the pelvis.

Do five complete breath cycles. Then sit and breathe normally for a minute before you get up and move onto your next activity.

Krama breathing can also be used by itself. If you try it for just a minute or two in the morning you will notice that it builds warmth and energy in the body. Or, try one round of krama breathing while waiting for a red traffic light to turn green. If you make this breathing technique part of your daily practice, very shortly you will notice increased muscle tone in your abdomen. Other results will also become apparent.

Fred Miller (E-RYT 500), the author of The Back Pain Cure, Yoga for Aches & Pains, and How To Calm Down is a certified Viniyoga teacher and a Yoga therapist who has taught Yoga for twenty-six years. For more information on Core Muscle Control for Long Life, Continence and Sexual Vigor, visit: howtocalmdown.com or email: fred@howtocalmdown.com.

By Fred Miller

Brian Chance