I Took My Boyfriend To a ‘Yoga for Better Sex’ Workshop This Valentine’s Day

I didn’t know what to expect walking into 305 Fitness in Manhattan’s West Village on Saturday February 13th. But in fairness, my boyfriend probably felt even more clueless. I’ve been to 305 Fitness’s Miami Club-esque dance cardio classes (I am no good at them) before, and know that the dark room—not to mention the giant lips painted on the wall makes for a bit sexier an environment to sweat in than your average 24-Hour Fitness—but I’ve never done sex yoga. Yoga For Better Sex is a Valentine’s Day workshop which has been held at the studio on (or right before) the Hallmark-Holiday for the past few years. Going in, I had lots of questions.

The first, was easy to answer upon entrance. Who, in all seriousness, signs up for a sex yoga class? The answer is that there were, in fact, a good amount of couples in attendance. The couple to our left was actually married. In addition, there were a handful of duos of best friends, though a bunch of them ducked out before the very quick, post-yoga sex therapy session.

Second: WHAT is yoga for better sex? Mostly, it was just like yoga. But with more giggling. With the exception of a solemn few, most people in the workshop seemed slightly embarrassed just to be existing in this room, publicly attending such a workshop (though, I’m handing out props to myself, my super-game bf, and all the other couples in the room for being adventurous enough to show up)!

After a series of vinyasa flows—I don’t know if it was the mirror less than a foot behind me, the theme of the class, or most likely both, but I’ve NEVER been so aware of my own ass during downward dog. Body-self-consciousness-aside (the bf complimented my leggings—Outdoor Voices, if you happen to be wondering what someone wears to such an occasion), it was (otherwise) much like any other yoga class I’ve ever been to. Shira, our teacher, put an emphasis on the fact that yoga, at its core, means union. After the individual stretches and poses, we moved on to partner yoga—a physical feat, by the way, when one partner is a foot shorter and gads more flexible than the other.

Mostly, this was surprisingly pleasant though. I was really bummed I didn’t have my phone to snap a partner-yoga-triangle-pose-selfie, tbh, though the BF was relieved. Some couples were a little touchy-feely-PDA-ish (more than was required of the poses) which I guess, if you’re going to do so at all, sex yoga class is probably the place, but it was also possible to simply get a good stretch with a bit of added snuggle. Yoga finished with a hand-holding savasana, which was both extremely cheesy, and nice.

Third: Who was our sexpert? As it turns out, she was named Rachel, and she was a very young sex therapist from Long Island (I was definitely imagining Babs å la Meet The Fockers) who spoke about sensai body therapy. Each couple had to take turns spending 2 minutes (yes, 120 seconds!) simply running their fingers along every part of the other’s body. The idea was that any place on your body can be an erogenous zone, not just the obvious ones. Again, hilarious, but as someone who never turns down a back rub, also better than I expected.

One of my favorite things about my bf is that we have essentially the same sense of humor and so, more than the physical elements, one of the best parts of this 2-hour experience, for me, was the jokes, and genuine LOL moments we had. That’s not to say we didn’t take it seriously—we actually did!!! But, neither of us could really stay serious when holding a soap-scented tealight-candle right between our faces for the other to inhale and then accidentally/inevitably blowing it out, simply by breathing, three times in a row. After all of this, couples had the option to stick around for some wine and chocolate.

If you want to do sex yoga at home, the gist is that yoga can be a way to get in touch with both your body and your partner’s. Deep breathing, in sync, can be as intimate as any other sexual experience. I’m still no expert, so I’ll point you to the Amazon search results for the theme, but if you’re looking for a subtly sexy, romantic, and silly experience, give Yoga for Better Sex a try!