improving your sex life with sensual movement

Photo: @megan_van_de

There’s no denying it - sex can be a workout and a half. Whether you spend your time during your sexual forays holding up your partners’ hips, pumping away, grinding slowly or attempting any number of moves from the Kama Sutra - chances are you’re working up a sweat and a few sore muscles after each encounter.

What if I told you there were a whole host of stretches and exercises you could do to up your sexual stamina, increase your flexibility and have your lover totally transfixed?

I’ve got you.

Moving your body sensually and rhythmically during solo or partnered sex invites more sensation and pleasure in to your body. But, like anything, these movements take a bit of finessing. Spend a bit of time outside the bedroom mastering your moves and it’ll come naturally when it’s go-time (and maybe you will too).

Really great sex is all about presence and connection. The more we’re connected to our own body and its sensitivities, the more pleasure we’ll experience.

Sensual Self-Touch

Start by sitting or laying in a comfortable position. Close down your eyes, slowly deepen your breath and tune in to how your body feels. Now, take your hands down towards your knees and gently begin to drag your fingertips up along your body - skin on skin. Breathe in to the feeling. Allow your hands now to explore your body with curiosity, running your fingertips over your thighs, your bum, your belly, your arms, chest, neck, along your face and through your hair. Pay attention to how your body responds to the touch. Perhaps your back arches slightly, your head tilts back, you feel your belly soften. Allow yourself to breathe and melt into the blissful feeling of being touched. Seduce yourself and you’ll be more responsive to touch when it comes to sharing this with a partner.

Once you’re feeling connected and comfortable exploring your body with your hands, it’s time to get into some more… practical movements, shall we say? The perfect place to start is by tuning in to the undulation of your hips. Enter: body waves.

Sensual Bridge Waves

Start laying down on your back, knees bent with your feet up the floor. Lift your hips as though you were going into a bridge pose (or like a lover was holding them up). To get the most sensation on your genitals, you’ll want to rock and wave the hips so that there are multiple points of contact throughout. Slowly lower your hips down, thinking of it like a wave - rolling down along your spine until your booty almost touches the floor. Just before it does, tilt your hips forward, arching your back and then lift back up. This time visualising a string pulling you up from your sternum, then rolling up through your stomach and hips. Continue this wave motion up and down, imagining what it would be like to have a lover on top of you.

Level up

You can also try this same body wave motion with your feet up against the wall - play around with height and position on your feet here….you never know where you’re going to end up!

The Stroke

Taking the concept of the body wave, let’s flip it over. Standing up in front of a table, chair or the bed, start by placing your hands down and lean forward slightly. Your body will be on a ~45 degree angle. Starting with the chest, roll the body forward - always thinking in the order of chest, tummy, hips forward, then pulling the shoulders back, rounding through the back to finish with the booty popping out. And stroke, stroke, stroke.

Slow Grinds

The grind is a classic move that comes in handy in almost any position. For this exercise, we’re going to start on our knees as though we’re straddling a lover - knees wide. Lifting your body up off your feet, place your hands on your thighs leaning slightly forward with your booty popped out. Start circling the hips by arching the back and lifting the bum, then circling around to the front, rounding out and tilting the hips forward. Once you get the hang of this, you might like to play with levels, rising up and sitting down as you grind. Trust me - you’re going to feel this one!

Now that you’re feeling a bit hot under the collar, it’s time to stretch it out. The more limber you are, the more fun positions you can try and the more pleasure is on its way to you. Take some time regularly to stretch your whole body, but specifically your back and hips when it comes to preparing for sex. Try these classic stretches to get your body ready.

Cat/Cow

We all love a bit of doggy-style here and there, right? This pose helps to protect the lower back so this position is even more pleasurable and you can go for longer. Start on all fours with the hands aligned underneath the shoulders and the knees square under the hips. Gently lifting the head on the inhale, arch through the spine and lift the booty. On the exhale, bring the chin to the chest, rounding through the spine and tuck the bum under. Continue this movement until it starts feeling more fluid. Then move on to circling the torso around, hitting both the round and arch positions as you grind the chest slowly in each direction.

Froggy Pose

This stretch is great for releasing the inner thighs and is perfect for both pre and post-sex - particularly after those slow grinds and if you’re a fan of being on top! Come on to your hands and knees and, keeping your feet in line with your knees, gently allow your knees to slide outwards and lower your hips towards the floor until you feel a gentle stretch through the groin. Breathe in to this stretch, and gently rock your hips forward and back to release.

Straddle pose

Save yourself from cramping up or pulling a hammy during the act by stretching out those legs. Start laying on your back and hugging your knees into your chest. Gently begin to open your knees wide and extend your legs. Hold on to the back of your thighs, calves or ankles, gently pulling your legs towards your body.

Now that you’re all limbered up, you’re ready to go! Add these sensual movement practices in to your regular routine and watch your sex-life get even better. Enjoy and remember - when in doubt, grind it out.