In this page we will look at how the three great Tantric traditions – the Hindu, the Arabic and the Taoist – looked at the different positions for good sex. These positions weren’t described and recommended for titillation or to teach lovers how to be contortionists: they were there for lovers to experiment and to find positions that were comfortable so they could enjoy each other’s energy for a long time. They were also described so that lovers could find positions where they could embrace and caress each other better or more intimately. These positions may seem to be about sex but they are actually more about love; you have to have a loving and trusting partner with whom to work through them.

Let’s begin by looking at the Kama Sutra. This ancient Hindu text suggests that there are sixty-four different lovemaking positions, but on close inspection it turns out that there are only twenty-three with each having many variations depending on how deep the lingam (penis) is thrust into the yoni (vulva) or the manner in which it is moved. The Kama Sutra also deals in some depth with oral sex, which we will look at later.

Positions With The Man Behind

Congress Of The Cow

The word congress is used in the Kama Sutra for "intercourse" or, more properly "meeting". In the Congress of the Cow the couple should have sex in the manner brought to mind by the title of this position. The woman stands upright and bends forward until her hands touch the ground. The man then enters her from behind and clasps her around the waist much as a bull would mount a cow. In this position he can also stimulate her clitoris and his pelvic bone will be able to stimulate the area around her buttocks and perineum.

The Congress Of The Elephant

This is not quite so obvious from its title, however the woman lies face down and the man enters her from behind with his legs outside hers. He should support his weight on his arms. The woman, by pressing her thighs tightly together, should be able to provide extra friction for the man if required.

Positions With The Couple Standing Up

The Congress Of The Vine (or The Supported Congress)

The couple has sex standing up with the man leaning back against a wall for support. The woman should entwine her legs around the back of the man’s thighs. It’s probably best if she tries this with only one leg at a time unless he is very strong or she is very athletic. If either of the couple is of very different heights the man should bend his knees and keep his legs apart so he can lower himself to the woman’s level.

The Congress Of The Monkey (or The Suspended Congress)

The man leans back against a wall for support and the woman clasps him around the neck. If he bends his knees she will be able to grip the back of his thighs with her heels and use her toes against the wall for extra thrust. The man should grip the woman around her upper thighs to support her. Both this position and the preceding one need some strength and practice but are good for spontaneous sex and indulging in erotic kissing.

Positions With The Woman On Top

The Pair Of Tongs

The man lies down and the woman sits astride him, facing him, with her knees bent back. There need be no thrusting if the woman has practiced her PC muscle exercises; she can just gently squeeze his lingam. The man, in this position, can caress the woman’s breasts and she can stimulate her own clitoris – or the man can.

The Spinning Top

Here the couple begins as the Pair of Tongs but the woman slowly, and carefully, swivels around until she is facing away from the man. This one is both difficult, and potentially painful for the man. Take great care. The woman can swivel back again into the Pair of Tongs.

The Swing

The man sits half upright and the woman sits in his lap facing away from him. She should support her weight by gripping his ankles and the man should support his own weight by propping himself up on his arms. In this position the woman can, as the name suggests, swing herself backwards and forwards, or even from side to side.

The Congress Of The Mare

The woman sits as in The Swing, in the man’s lap while he is sitting half upright. Instead of leaning forwards she leans back. The man should take his weight on his arms. This should leave the woman free to stimulate her clitoris and the man can kiss her neck and shoulders.

The Woman Sitting Astride The Man

Maybe a better suggestion than the Spinning Top is to get into a position where the woman sits astride the man, facing away, and inserts his lingam into her yoni.

If the woman grips her partner’s ankles she can then exert considerable pressure and friction on his lingam while still maintaining control. Some women find the Spinning Top quite tiring and some men find it painful because the woman’s weight on his upper thighs can be restrictive. However, it is a fun position to try and can be very stimulating. The Kama Sutra recommends it for couples who have been together for a long time as each, being unable to see the face of their partner, can fantasize that they are making love to a stranger – or someone else they desire.

The Kama Sutra says: Though a woman is reserved, and keeps her feelings hidden, when she mounts her man from above she can show all her love and desire, and from her actions a man should be able to tell what disposition she is in and in what way she likes to be enjoyed.

Positions With The Man On Top

The Widely Opened Congress

The couple starts in the classic ‘man on top’ position with the woman’s knees outside his thighs. She should then arch her back and he should support his weight on his knees and arms. The woman’s buttocks should not be in contact with whatever is underneath her. The woman, by opening her legs as wide as possible, should be able to enjoy very deep penetration and good stimulation of her clitoris by the man’s pelvic region.

The Yawning Congress

The woman lies down and raises and opens her legs as wide as possible. The man kneels between her legs and enters her. The couple should clasp hands to support each other’s weight. The woman’s inner thighs should grip around the man’s waist.

The Highest Yawning Congress

The couple should take up the Yawning Congress and then the woman should bring her knees forwards to rest on her breasts. The man can then straighten out his legs and take his weight on his arms. The woman can rest her feet on his shoulders. This position provides the deepest penetration.

The Congress Of The Consort Of Indra

Indra was the Hindu god of Thunder and this may have been his favorite position – or that of his consort or wife. The woman lies down on her back and brings her knees together tightly on her breasts. The man kneels and enters her. She can then rest her feet on his stomach while he grips the back of her thighs or, in this position, he can stimulate her clitoris extremely well. For added tension she can grip her shins and pull her knees even more tightly against her breasts.

The Clasping Position

The woman lies down and the man enters her by lying on top of her. She entwines her legs with his and their arms also entwine. This position doesn’t allow for much movement but it is a very intimate warm embrace.

The Side Clasping Position

The couple lies on their sides facing each other. The woman lifts one leg to allow the man to enter her. They can entwine legs and arms or use their hands to caress each other.

The Twinning Congress

The couple adopts the classic ‘man on top’ position. The woman should bring one leg around the back of her partner’s thighs and draw him closer to her. At the same time she should clasp him around the neck and draw his head down to hers.

The Pressing Congress

The same as the Twinning Congress but the woman uses both her legs to press even harder against the man’s thighs. Her feet should grip quite hard behind his knees.

The Rising Congress

The woman should lie down on her back and draw her knees up to her breasts. The man kneels and enters her. He should then grip her legs and bring them up so that her feet are on his shoulders. He will need to open his thighs quite wide to enable him to penetrate her deeply. This position is quite tiring for the man although it does afford the woman considerable pleasure due to its deep penetration.

The Pressed Congress

This position is very similar to the Congress of the Consort of Indra, but instead of the woman gripping her legs tightly to her she can relax her knees. The man can caress her feet and she can stroke his thighs.

The Half Pressed Congress

The woman can relax one leg completely by stretching it out behind her partner. This lets him have access to her clitoris, which he can then stimulate with his fingers.

The Nailed Half Pressed Congress

From the previous position the woman can take the foot that is on the man’s chest and lift her leg completely into the air. At the same time the man should extend one leg behind him.

The Congress Of The Crab

The woman lies on her back with her legs widely apart and her knees drawn up. The man kneels and enters her. He clasps her knees to his chest. She can then let her legs down and draw them up again. If she does this quickly and smoothly he will gain a lot of pleasure from the tightening and relaxing of her yoni.

The Lotus Congress

Not even to be attempted unless you are both very supple and energetic. The woman lies on her back with her knees drawn up so that she is in the full lotus position but lying down. The man enters her by crouching over her on all fours. You were warned you had to be supple and energetic!

The Bamboo Congress

The man enters the woman who is lying on her back. He extends one leg behind him and she brings one leg up so that her foot is resting on his shoulder – this should be the opposite leg to the one he has extended. By alternately raising and lowering a leg in the woman’s case, or bringing one back and forth in the man’s case, they can bring themselves to orgasm. This position is supposed to resemble bamboo being split. It’s not easy and only really included so you can try it for fun.

Movements Of The Lingam (Penis)

Once the twenty-three positions are learnt, or even during the learning process, the man can also learn how to move his penis to afford the woman maximum satisfaction. The Kama Sutra is very clear in its advice to men – your role is to satisfy the woman; unless you learn to be a patient, sympathetic and considerate lover you cannot attain the true Tantra.

Movements of the Lingam During Lovemaking

The Moving Forward

The Lingam is inserted into the Yoni in a straightforward manner and pushed fully home.

The Sporting Of The Sparrow

The lingam is moved in and out rapidly in tiny movements like a sparrow.

The Blows Of The Bull And Bear

The lingam is rubbed against the side of the vaginal walls.

The Giving Of A Blow

The lingam is used to strike the outside of the yoni – especially effective if struck against the clitoris.

The Pressing

The lingam is used to rub hard against the outside of the yoni – again it works well if the clitoris is stimulated by the lingam.

The Rubbing

The lingam is inserted and pushed hard against the ‘bottom’ of the yoni – the vaginal wall on the opposite side to the clitoris.

The Piercing

This is the same as the Rubbing except the lingam is rubbed hard against the ‘top’ of the yoni – the vaginal wall where the G-spot is situated.

The Churning

The lingam is used inside the yoni and is ‘churned’ about, rubbing against the vaginal walls.

You might like to experiment with your own variations of these -and invent names for them.

Oral Sex

The Kama Sutra gives advice to a man on how to give oral sex to a woman – it says the man should follow the same advice as for kissing. Perhaps you’d better start learning, if you’ve not been practising erotic kissing. There are many publications devoted to the art of oral sex, a very important aspect of a good sexual rapport, sadly very few men bother in any detail with this subject.

For the woman there is also helpful advice about oral sex. The Kama Sutra suggests that there is an eight-fold path to Auparishlaka or mouth-congress:

Nominal Congress

The lingam is caressed by the woman’s mouth.

Biting the Sides

The lingam is held by the woman and her teeth can gently nibble along the sides.

Outside Pressing

The head of the lingam is sucked gently by the woman’s lips.

Inside Pressing

The whole of the lingam is inserted into the woman’s mouth and she gives long deep sucks with her whole mouth.

The Kissing

The lingam is kissed all over by the woman.

Tongueing

The lingam is fiercely licked all over by the woman’s tongue.

Sucking the Mango Fruit

About half of the lingam is inserted into the woman’s mouth and she should suck hard in the same manner as the Inside Pressing.

Swallowing Up

The whole of the lingam is taken into the mouth and throat and sucked hard with a deep swallow motion.

The Congress Of The Crow

If the couple wants to engage in mutual oral sex they should adopt The Congress of the Crow. This equates with the classic ‘69′ position of Western sex practices. Here the couple can engage in mutual caressing of the genitals in comfort.