Yoga for great sex

Getty Images

You'd have better sex if you were a loose woman.

Limbering up with yoga will help you build a strong, supple body — and that leads to a lot more action in the bedroom, says Ellen Barrett, author of Sexy Yoga.

"Yoga increases flexibility, which helps you to be free and just go for it in sex," she says.

Here are five more reasons you should hit the mat before you hit the sack:

Yoga helps you move

Yoga increases your overall blood flow, and some positions, such as the eagle pose, direct it straight toward your pelvis.

When all that blood rushes to your privates, it literally makes you hot. That heat, combined with a Viagra-like stimulation (as the blood swells your button), heightens your sensitivity and increases desire.

And relax... stress-busting strategies for a super-busy life

Yoga makes you stronger down below

Yoga tones and strengthens your entire core which includes your pelvic floor.

"The more you work these muscles, the greater range of motion you have," says Becky Jeffers, fitness director at the Berman Center for female sexual health and menopause management in Chicago, USA.

"This gives you stronger contractions and releases, which can help you experience a more intense orgasm."

Yoga makes you confident in bed

Quieting your mind and focusing on your breath during a pose help you become more aware of yourself and your own needs.

"When you're present, you know what you need to feel fulfilled by your partner," Jeffers says. "You can then translate and communicate this deeper understanding to your partner during sex."

Knowing and expressing your desires will make you feel good psychologically as well as sexually.

Yoga eases pain

For some women, especially runners, hip and thigh tightness can make sex tough, but yoga eases pain by releasing that tension and relaxing your hips.

"Tension in your hips can affect how your pelvic floor works," Jeffers says.

One tight muscle can lead to another, making your chances of orgasm remote and your love session about as sexy as a sweaty round on the rowing machine. Relax, and everything gets easier and better.

Yoga gives you your mojo

Yoga moves like triangle and seated open-angle pose stimulate your chakras. According to Eastern philosophy, your sex life is governed by these chakras — your body's energy centres surrounding your spine, in Yoga-speak.

"When your chakras are in healthy working order, you'll find your sexual relations to be vibrant and healthy, too," Barrett says.

Your three "sexiest" chakras are the root chakra (located at your perineum — the area between your pubic bone and anus), the sacral chakra (in the centre of your lower abdomen), and the heart chakra (in the centre of your chest).

Yoga enriches these critical areas with blood and "prana," the life force, according to Barrett. That promotes openness and decreases sexual inhibition, which make you a more game sex partner and, in turn, a much happier person.

Now you're limbered up for great sex, try 21 foods for better sex.