Steamy, sweaty, and fun: Does that sound more like your workout or your sex life? How about both? That’s the idea behind one of 305 Fitness’s new classes, Yoga 4 Better X. Each class will have a specific focus based on things like a sense, body part, or feeling—you never know what you’re gonna get! It’s basically like an exciting yoga grab bag.
But we’re spoiling the surprise a bit—you just might end up in a class designed for better sex. How awesome is that? “The sexual self is a core part of our identity,” explains yoga instructor and class creator Shira Atkins. “But the sexual self can be the first to weaken if we’re not feeling confident. Yoga calls us back to our essence by reminding us of our strength, beauty, wisdom, and confidence.”
Plus, you’ll build up the physical strength, flexibility, and endurance that makes sex more fun. Grab a yoga block and work these yoga moves into your practice for a more open heart and mind—in and out of the bedroom.
Reclined Cobblers Pose
A. Start lying on back, soles of feet together, knees open out to the side. Place one hand over heart and one hand on belly. Support backs of the thighs with blankets or blocks, even if you are super flexible, to feel the sensation of support in the glutes.
B. Take full, deep breaths, circulating energy in the hips, and bringing softness into the chest. Breathe here for up to five minutes.
Downward Dog to Squat
A. From downward dog, rise up onto the balls of feet and jump forward, landing with soft knees, feet mat-width apart. Bend knees deeply, allowing tailbone to drop. Knees and toes should be pointing forward.
B. Bring first two fingers of each hand to hold onto big toes in yogi toe lock. As tailbone drops, reach the crown of the head, remaining tall and pulling shoulders away from ears. Engage the pelvic floor as hips drop, creating a dual action of tightening and releasing right at the base of the torso. Allow this push-pull to generate consciousness and sensation, and move that awareness up through the spine and up to the crown of the head.
Squat to Low Lunge
A. From squat position, step one leg back into a lunge, placing both hands on the ground on the inside of the front foot. Be sure that the front knee is tracking over the toes, not past the ankle. Keep extending the back leg by internally rotating the inner thigh up and back towards the ceiling and reaching through the back heel.
B. If possible, bring forearms to the ground and keep a stable connection between the outer shoulder and inner knee. Breathe deeply, sending chest forward and hips back. The more the hips drop, while the core draws in and up, the more integrated your flexibility will be in your sexual practice. Switch sides; repeat.
Low Lunge to Twist
A. From low lunge, release the back leg so the knee and top of the thigh is resting on the floor.
B. Reach opposite hand back as you bend at the knee, bringing the hand to the outside of the foot. Look up towards the sky. Hold, then return to low lunge.
Low Lunge to Wide-Legged Forward Fold
A. From low lunge, extend front knee and fold forward between legs to come into a wide-legged forward fold. Feet should be about three feet apart.
B. Place hands on the ground and let head hang heavy. Reach hip points high to the sky. Bending the knees and reaching the butt up will help to create space in the fronts of the hip creases.
Wide-Legged Forward Fold with Bent Knee Variation
A. From a wide-legged forward fold, bend one knee and walk both hands to the opposite extended leg.
B. Lengthen torso over the extended leg, and reach opposite hip back, creating resistance. Repeat to both sides.
Downward Dog to Camel Pose
A. Start in downward dog and move forward into plank pose to prep the body before moving back into downward dog.
B. Rise up on the balls of the feet and jump forward, landing softly on shins with knees in line with hands, parallel and hip-width distance apart.
C. Bring hands to the heels, opening up the shoulders and releasing the neck. Continue reaching chest up to the sky.
Seated Meditation
A. Come to a comfortable seat. Close the eyes. Breathe.
B. Ask yourself where you are holding tension, where you feel open, what your whole body feels like. Developing a body scan breath practice allows you to learn and know your body fully, explains Atkins.
