7 ways to be better in bed this Valentine’s Day

You didn’t thinking people got all obsessed with yoga just to go easy on their joints, fill your Instagram feed with pictures of them in dancer’s pose and have an excuse to lie down and listen to tinkly music for 15 minutes every class, did you? Please.

All those hours spent on the mat pay big time in those moments when flexibility, strength and the ability to hold yourself in some pretty compromising positions (50 Shades fans, we’re looking at you) are crucial for success.

Even if you’re not planning anything acrobatic this weekend, it’s still best to know the basics. One study shows a third of us pull muscles and do our backs in when we’re getting down to it (though thankfully most surveyed were having too good a time to notice, only feeling the effects the morning after).

So, just for you, dear reader, we spared our blushes and quizzed the experts at Your Physio Plan to get their edit of the stretches you need to be longer, stronger and more powerful in bed. Think of it as our V-Day gift to you.

To bend like a superwoman…

Prayer stretch
Kneeling on all fours, sit back onto your heels and feel the stretch throughout your spine. Hold for 30 seconds.

Upward-facing dog
Lie on your tummy and push up through your arms, keeping your pelvis on the floor hold for a count of three. Repeat 15 times.

Figure of four stretch
Lie on your back. Put your right foot on your left knee and let your right knee roll out to the side until you feel a stretch in your inner thigh. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

To be stronger, for longer…

Pelvic floor
Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. As you breathe out, draw in your pelvic floor and hold for a count of 10 – don’t forget to breathe!  Repeat 15 times.

Shoulder Bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. As you breathe out, flatten your lower back in to the mat and peel your spine up off the mat until you are resting on your shoulders.  Breathe in and hold the position for a count of three, then slowly lower back into your starting position. Repeat 15 times.

Reverse sit up
Lie on your back with your legs elevated and knees bet to 90 degrees. Draw in your lower abdominals as you breathe out, lift your bottom up off the mat, breathe in and hold the position for a count of three, breathe out and slowly return to your starting position. Repeat 15 times.

Triceps dips
Sit on the floor with a step behind you. Place your hands on the step behind, making sure your fingers are facing forward and your elbows are bent. As you breathe out, draw in your lower abdominals and push down through your hands lifting your bottom up off the floor until your elbows are straight but not locked. Breathe in and bend your elbows slowly, lowering your bottom almost to the ground, breathe in and hold the position for a count of three, then breathe out and return to a straight arm. Repeat 15 times.

Here’s hoping the weekend brings some action memorable enough to motivate you to keep these up – Happy Valentine’s!

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