Photo via Pinterest.

Does yoga make you feel sexy? Have you ever been turned on during class?

And does practicing yoga improve your sex life?

Photo via Pinterest.

These are questions we hear a lot in the yoga community, and ones that answered a lot on yoga blogs and in major health and wellness publications like Yoga Journal, Elephant Journal, and Mind Body Green. Sexiness and sex appeal are a constant source of controversy in the yoga community (like when Briohny Smyth's video caused a big stir).

At the foundations of the ancient practice, yoga isn't about being sexy. Although Western culture and wearing booty shorts to class have turned yoga into a commercial endeavor (where the mantra "sex sells" still reigns true), the traditional practice is aimed at purifying the self. The yoga sutras talk about chastity, purity, even abstinence.

From sutra 2.4: From cleanliness of Self and body arises dissociation with others and the unclean. There are no thoughts of greed, hatred, negativity, etc., the mind is clean, no attachment to physical earthly objects. The student, content in his/her own space, avoids environments of negativity, and associates with like.

Photo via LA Yoga.

But the fact still remains that yoga is a physical practice, and one that can have an impact on our experience of intimate, spiritual sex.

Yoga stretches the body and purifies the chakras. I feel my heart chakra more open, the channels in my body more clear. As my physical flexibility has increased, so has my capacity to stretch my heart and mind toward intimacy.

Photo via My Morning Coffee.

Here are some ways yoga can help if you're feeling stuck in a rut with your partner:

Breathe in unison. Like you do in yoga class, follow your breath even as you're kissing or undressing each other.
Practice together as a way to get in shape. Or, if your partner's not really into yoga, practice on your own before spending time in the bedroom. Spending ten to fifteen minutes in your flow is a great way to connect with the breath, and get in tune with your spiritual and emotional needs.
Consider making love as an open-eyed meditation. Are you really connecting with your love? Are you receiving love as well as giving it?
Remind yourself you're beautiful just the way you are. You don't have to make yoga a competition between you and the skinny girl standing next to you in class. You're sexy.