October Position of the Month: From Our Certified Sex Therapist

Written by Katie Mitchell, M.A., Certified Sex Therapist

October’s highlighted position of the month is the Sensual Sit-Up, which is a more open variation of lotus.  As always, a sexual experience is a wonderful time to physically and emotionally connect with your partner, but it can also be an excellent time to do something physical together and get the blood pumping!  Per usual, I highly recommend doing some light stretching together (either beforehand or on a daily basis) to help avoid injuries and/or muscle cramps that might arise during a sexual experience – as this is one of the most common sexual injuries.

This is a great position to try out for couples who love to share eye contact (yay vulnerability) during a sexual experience.  To begin the two of you will want to be on an elevated, soft surface – like a bed or sofa – so that there is enough height for one partner to hang their feet off the bed.  The supportive or bottom partner will lay on their back with their knees at a 90 degree angle off of the elevated, soft surface (and feet planted on the ground).  This same partner will also utilize their forearms to support their upper body by having their elbows at 90 degrees and having most of the pressure fall on their flattened forearms behind them (essentially you will both be creating a variation of a sit-up position).  The other partner will straddle (on top of) their penetrating partner, so that both are face-to-face.  The on-top partner will lean back in between the supporting partner’s thighs, to engage their core.  This same partner will also utilize their forearms for support, by leaning on the top of their partner’s thighs.  Once in this position, the two of you can work together to find a thrusting rhythm that works for you both.  The bottom partner, can utilize their planted feet to help with thrusting, while the on-top partner can utilize their feet that are planted on the soft surface.  With thrusting, it is always a great idea to start slower and then speed up, so that the two of you are rhythmically on the same page.  This position allows you both to have a great view of one another bodies and allows for a great deal of eye sight to be shared.

Due to the complexity of this position, I would recommend being conscious of foreplay prior to trying out this position.  This position is also not meant to be held for great lengths of time, so I would recommend utilizing it for about 1 to 5 minutes.  Also, prior to beginning a sexual experience, be sure to have lubrication at the ready, so that it is only a grab away (versus realizing that you are out in the middle of a sexual experience) – this can be especially important when trying out new positions that are not as routine for each of you. 

As a heads up - for the supporting partner, this position will work the deltoids, glutes, and hamstrings.  For the partner on top, it will work the core, lower back, and adductors. 

I hope you and your partner have a fun time adding something new to your sexual repertoire with this position!  For more information for this specific position (including image) can be found on page 144-145 of The Kama Sutra Workout, and this book can be purchased from Amazon here.

If you’re interested in improving the intimacy in your relationship, contact us to learn more about how sex therapy can help.