November Position of the Month: Sunny Side Up

 Written by Katie Mitchell, M.A., NCC, CST, LPC

Lead Therapist at Heights Family Counseling

November’s highlighted position of the month is the Sunny Side Up.  As we bee-line straight for the holiday season, here is your friendly reminder to prioritize some much-needed time for physical and emotional intimacy with your partner(s).  Get out those calendars and carve out some time to slow down together amid all the chaos.  While we are charging straight ahead into the holidays, we are also charging full speed ahead into flu season; please be intentional about washing your hands and using the restroom before and after a sexual experience.  If it helps you both to feel more comfortable, start your shared sexual experience by taking a shower together.  A sexual experience is a great way to get your blood flowing, as well as, an opportunity to releases the connecting/stress relieving neurotransmitters.  I also recommend beginning any sexual experience by doing some light stretching together to help avoid injuries and/or muscle cramps that might arise during a sexual experience, as this is still the most common sexual injury. 

Ideally, you and your partner would try out the Sunny Side Up atop a soft, flat, and supportive surface or atop of a soft blanket on the floor.  The partner being penetrated will lie flat on their back with their legs lifted into the air (creating an L shape).  This partner will not have to support themselves entirely, as once their partner is in position, they can lean their legs onto them for support.  This same partner is also welcome to bend their legs at the knees for this experience (they are not required to be straight in the air); however, the longer they are able to keep their legs up in the air, the more intense their “workout” will be.  The penetrating partner will then lye on their side, using one of their forearms as a support for their upper body.  The penetrating partner will position themselves so that their genitals or strap-on is able to penetrate their partner from a side position.  Visually, from above, the two partners will be creating a “T” shape with their bodies.  The other arm of the penetrating partner can be used to help hold up the other partner’s legs or they can hold onto the outer part of their partner’s thigh for support.  Since the Sunny Side Up requires a slower thrusting speed and more intentionality with thrusting, partners will have to work together in order to create a pleasurable penetrative experience.  Be sure to communicate verbally/nonverbally about what feels pleasurable or what needs adjusting.

For the penetrating partner, this position will work their deltoids, core, obliques, and glutes.  For the partner being penetrated, this position will work their abdominals and hip flexors.  It is recommended to try this position out for 1 to 5 minutes. 

Here’s to making some intentional time with your partner prior to the holiday chaos – or for prioritizing it during the holiday chaos!  For more information on the Sunny Side Up (including image) can be found on pages 348 of The Kama Sutra Workout, and this book can be purchased from Amazon here.

Feel free to set up an appointment for sex therapy, please contact us today.