By taking a look at your personal energetic needs, you can add the elements necessary to bring your particular constitution into balance and reduce health issues and sexual dysfunction of all kinds.

One of the main focuses of yoga is bringing the feminine and masculine energies into balance. These energetic qualities are present in every person, whether male or female, and are not to be confused with gender or sexual orientation.

Each man has within him a combination of both feminine (yin) and masculine (yang) qualities. If one or both is out of balance, his health will be negatively affected in some way, including problems with the libido and fertility (more on this below).

Adding the right Yogic practices to your life can lessen stress, elevate energy levels, reduce blood pressure, regulate cortisol levels, strengthen the muscles, enhance mental clarity, heal damaged tissues, and activate the immune system.

This could be a complicated question due to the multitude of possible causes of ED. When we take a close look at any single possible cause, we must admit that issue in itself would have been caused by something else.

For example, impotence can be correlated with depression – but where did the depression come from?

From another angle, impotence is often related to obesity, which could be a manifestation of lifestyle, heredity, or even depression. This brings us back to the holistic nature of Yoga treating the whole person.

According to Yogic philosophy, freely-flowing energies result in a healthy being, while stagnant or overactive energies create sickness in the body or mind. With the purpose of Yoga being balanced energies, we can reasonably hypothesize that the correct Yoga practice, applied over time, can restore healthy erectile function by treating the underlying causes of dysfunction.

A physical Yoga practice, including breathwork and postures, will enhance stamina and support healthy circulation of the whole body, which is essential for erectile health.

Regular meditation is shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression – all leading causes of erectile dysfunction.

Another often overlooked discipline is eating a Yogic diet: clean, natural foods that are in line with your body’s needs and do not harm the Earth. Most of us are well aware that clean eating results in increased energy levels and themaintenance of a healthy weight, as well as other benefits, and that sexual health is optimized when our bodies are at their best.

This isn’t to say that Yoga is a cure-all or that it completely replaces modern medical care. It can be used in conjunction with medications and other treatments, but does in fact have contraindications.

For example, some breathwork techniques should be avoided or used with caution by men with blood pressure issues. Yoga also does not replace any medical treatment that is being used for immediate relief of life-threatening symptoms. Always collaborate with your doctor if you have any serious conditions.

As mentioned earlier, these energies are often described as masculine (yang) and feminine (yin). Most of us tend to spend the majority of our time in one mode or the other. Consider how you spend your time at work and at home to discover your comfort zone and what you may be missing.

Yang activities are generally linear or intellectual and include working towards goals, playing sports, directing others, building things, driving, and teaching.

On the other hand, a yin personality tends to be more receptive or creative, such as eating, receiving massages, visiting with friends, expressing emotions, bathing, watching movies, and creating art.

There are also actions which require a combination of the two energies. Parenting, for instance, utilizes our nurturing yin side but can’t be done properly without the structure and discipline of our yang. Dealing with clients or co-workers is another common example of a mixed-energy activity.

So if you tend to have a masculine-dominant lifestyle with plenty of movement and direction, the best way to balance that out would be with the masculine practice of stillness and meditation in its various forms.

Sitting in undistracted stillness is the ultimate activity of the masculine being and one which most modern men are devoid of.

Meditations such as Vipassana (silent awareness) or Drishti (focusing on a visual point) have both been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

Also known as Cobra Pose, this common posture stimulates the circulation of the whole pelvis, leading to greater blood flow to the penis, and immediately enhances testosterone levels.

• Lying on the belly, keeping the feet hip-distance apart and the glutes relaxed, place your hands on the ground near the heads of your shoulders.
• With the upper arm bones rolled back a touch, but not squeezing your upper back, slightly push the lower belly into the floor and then inhale while pushing your upper body upwards. Lift at the sternum without allowing the ribs to stick out.
• Hold for a few breaths, then lower your upper body back to the ground during an exhale.
• Relax for a few breaths.
• Repeat 2-3 times.

Commonly called Bow Pose, this posture stretches and strengthens the whole body, from legs to face, while activating the nerves along the spine and improving circulation.

• Lying prone, bend your legs and reach back until you can hold your ankles or the tops of your feet with your hands.
• With an inhale, begin to push the feet into the hands while also using the hands to pull upwards on the feet. Keep your knees hip-distance apart.
• Push the lower belly into the ground, keep your shoulders down, and hold the posture while breathing fully and deeply.
• Exhale and lower your legs and upper body to the ground.
• Relax for a few breaths.
• Repeat 2-3 times.

The Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend gives a healthy stretch to the inner thighs and muscles of the groin while strengthening the lower core, which includes the pelvic floor, and increasing blood flow to the sexual organs.

• Sitting with legs apart and toes pointing upward to the ceiling. If this position is difficult, you may keep a slight bend in the knees or sit higher by using a folded blanket or bolster under your bottom.
• Begin to tilt forward at the pelvis.
• Keep the belly relaxed and allow the spine to slowly flex forward.
• Walk your hands on the floor to pull yourself forward, pressing with your heels for leverage, and use your exhales to relax deeper into the posture.
• Take your time getting into the full posture; this should take a minute or two.
• Slowly come back up to seated with an inhale.

The famous Corpse Pose with a variation of the hands in the shape of the Yoni (vulva) is essential for stillness and relaxation – the perfect conclusion to a physical practice. This mudra (or hand gesture) enhances energetic balance internal awareness.

• Lying on the back with the elbows supported by blankets if needed, place your hands on the lower belly. Relax your legs and neck.
• Bring the tips of your thumbs together below the navel and touch your index fingers to form a triangle (yoni shape) pointing downward towards your pelvis. Keep the hands and arms relaxed.
• Along with the mudra, practice deep, slow, relaxed belly breathing.
• Hold for 10-20 minutes.

Based on what we’ve seen, Yoga can be said to diminish erectile dysfunction based on its capacity to both target the pelvic region directly and its intention to bring a man into his most natural overall state.

Regular practitioners of Yoga will have their masculine energies brought into balance as it is a masculine practice made for men’s optimal health. At its best, this includes strong testosterone levels, high libido, and robust erections.

It’s worth pointing out that if not used in conjunction with other healthy habits such as clean eating and getting enough sleep, Yoga won’t magically cure anything. But regular physical exercise and relaxation are known to reduce blood pressure and stabilize moods, which will at minimum improve most erectile difficulties.

In short, practicing Yoga leads to feeling better all around, and feeling better leads to healthier erections.