For years now, the mere mention of Sting's name has been enough to prompt a joke about tantric sex -- the legacy of a long-ago comment he made regarding his ability to use yoga techniques to fuel hours-long lovemaking sessions. He wasn't entirely serious, as he tried to explain during his recent appearance on 'Inside the Actors Studio.'

"If we had seven hours, I would demonstrate," Sting quipped when host James Lipton asked him to clarify the origins of the myth, prompting hoots and cheers from the audience. "Maybe not. But there is some truth to it."

While he understands the temptation to laugh about it, Sting explained that the whole thing has its roots in a very serious belief system. "The idea of tantric sex is a spiritual act," he pointed out during the interview. "I don't know any purer and better way of expressing a love for another individual than sharing that wonderful, I call it, 'sacrament.' I would stand by it. Not seven hours, but the idea." Besides, he added, "Seven hours includes movie and dinner."

Lovely as that explanation might be, Sting probably shouldn't expect to stop getting questions about tantric sex anytime soon; he and his wife, Trudie Styler, have been responding to this rumor for years. "At the time I thought it was very amusing, but then it sort of became a cause celebre," Styler sighed in 2012. "The tantric hours got extended and, suddenly, I was doing it all day long. Well, if only! … Sting said that 21 years ago. He has just turned 60, and I imagine it will carry on going until he drops."

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