You’ve heard of meditation for sleep, for stress relief, for focus and for immunity, but did you know that meditation could be instrumental in boosting your sex drive? A growing body of evidence suggests that just a few minutes of daily meditation can improve your libido and enhance your overall sexual wellness for a better, more enjoyable sex life.

But how is this possible? What magic does meditation do to take your sex drive to the next level? Really, meditation works in multiple ways to support your body and mind. A major part of sex is mental, so being in the right headspace can make you eager for sex and make sex more fun.

Here are few key ways that meditation can help improve libido and your sexual pleasure.

• Reduce stress and anxiety: One of the biggest modern killers of libido is stress. Busy lifestyles, financial insecurity and general anxiety not only hamper your mood, making you less interested in having sex, but they cause the release of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your brain, which can have negative effects on your libido. Meditation is an easy way to work through the stressors you can’t control and reduce cortisol, helping you feel more calm and balanced—and more in the mood.
• Support self-awareness and confidence: Meditation’s calming and focusing benefits can also help you reflect inward and work through things that might be holding you back. Many women find that meditation has helped improve their self-awareness and confidence in everyday life. These things naturally extend to the bedroom, where additional confidence can make you feel more aroused and eager to share intimacy with a partner.
• Keep you present: Meditation is all about focusing your thoughts and grounding yourself in your body and breathing. The more you meditate, the easier this becomes, thanks to the new neural pathways formed while you do it. Thus, when your mind starts to drift or you feel yourself going into “autopilot” during sex, you’ll have an easier time refocusing on what’s happening in the moment and on your pleasure. Not only can this lead to heightened arousal, but it can also give you better orgasms.
• Enhance your social connections: Studies show that meditation has been linked to improved social cognition, social connections to others and empathy. These are key components of building strong relationships with sexual partners. Heightened social connections may make you more interested in having sex and help you feel more connected during intercourse, resulting in a more enjoyable experience.
• Enhance pleasure: Meditation doesn’t only relax your mind; it also relaxes the body. Deep breathing and meditation help improve blood flow throughout the body to your major organs. This can help heighten stimulation in the sex organs and improve pleasure.

Each of these things are useful for all sexually active people—not just those experiencing low libido. While enhancing libido is certainly important, meditation can enhance sex for an overall better experience. And, when sex is more enjoyable, you’re more likely to want it more often!

How to meditate for sex

Meditation for sex can be approached in a number of ways, just like traditional meditation. Everyone will meditate differently, so it’s important to find what works for you. Most importantly, it doesn’t matter whether you meditate for five minutes or an hour each day. Research suggests that sexual function can be increased through meditation alone, no matter how long you do it.

“Sexual meditation” might take the form of a typical daily mindfulness session you’d do for relaxation or stress relief. Or, it might look more like foreplay with your partner that incorporates meditative elements like focused breathing. It might be easier to start with a quick daily session to get used to the breathing techniques you’ll use.

Another potentially useful addition is a sexual mantra—a word or saying that helps build your sexual confidence or increases arousal. You might even want to focus your thoughts on a particular time you felt turned on and the sensations you remember from that experience.

Meditation can also be done with your partner! Sit next to each other or back to back and meditate, focusing on your and your partner’s breathing. You can also incorporate meditation into foreplay or sex, focusing on your breathing and the physical sensations you feel and forcing your mind to stay focused.

In sum, meditation continues to prove that it has a ton of benefits, many of which work together. When you feel better—in mind, body and spirit—you’re less likely to be stressed and you’ll be able to focus on the present. As a result, you just might find that your libido struggles are alleviated and your sex life is better than ever!