"Anal Sex Positions"

Anal sex is a firm favorite with many men and women - and there are lots of sex positions in which you can try it.

Whether or not you like the idea, anal sex is very popular - almost two thirds of couples have tried it or do it regularly (and that's just the ones who admit it!). And with good reason, too, for the anus is rich in sensitive nerve endings that can add an extra thrill to the pleasure of sex - not to mention the fact that something so forbidden, something so naughty, takes us into a whole realm of taboo-breaking.

And why's it so popular? Well, in any position sex up the anus has one big advantage for both men and women - it's tight up there! There's nothing a man likes more than a tight hole to penetrate, and they don't come much tighter than the anus. Of course it wasn't made for entry, just exit, so there's some skill in reversing the traffic up this one way street: and sex positions are a more important factor in anal pleasure than in any other form of sex.

You've heard all the warnings, I'm sure - about not transferring shit from the anus to the vagina, using a condom because the rectum easily transmits viruses and bacteria (we're talking AIDS here), washing well, and using plenty of lube. Once you've got all that out of the way, you need to take up the right position for anal penetration.

If you want a straightforward anal thrill, the classic rear entry sex position is the way forward, so to speak. If you're experienced in anal sex, you'll be able to push in slowly, using lots of lube, until you're past the resistance of the inner anal sphincter. There may be a feeling of needing to poo, but hopefully this will pass quickly. If your partner's not into douching, you might want to use a condom to avoid getting shit on your cock. If you're not experienced in anal sex, you might want to try with a finger first, to get the feel of it.

Short fingernails are essential if you're a man going in by the backdoor. It's fun to start by massaging around your partner's anus, gently probing the center of her sphincter muscle with a few teasing strokes as you move your well-lubed fingers over the opening. If she can relax into this, the feelings it produces can be very sensuous and enjoyable. If she objects on the basis that this is just too dirty a place to play around, try washing together in the shower beforehand, running your fingers around and up into the anal canal while under the water jets so you can clean up before trying anything more.

As your partner relaxes, you can gradually insert more than the tip of your finger into her, moving it around in circles as you do so. You can gently begin to stretch the anus, moving your fingers around in a circular pattern as you do so.

What you're aiming for is to get her relaxed enough to be able to take your penis without clenching up. Her main fear is that she's not going to be big enough, or maybe that she'll shit on you. You'll need to reassure her that this isn't likely to happen - and even if it does, so what? You can easily clean up in the shower.

So: what of anal sex positions? They're mostly the same as vaginal sex positions, except that rear entry takes on a new meaning! You can do the rear entry position while you're kneeling, as shown here, standing, or lying on the bed. All you have to do is position yourselves so that you're aiming for her anus rather than her vagina.

As always, athleticism counts for a lot! If she's flexible, and you're; strong, this can be a great way to enjoy a vigorous session of anal penetration....

If you're not, you'll probably want to try something more achievable like the anal version of the side by side sex position as shown here.

And it follows that you can do anal while you're lying down, too. Since a lot of women feel very vulnerable in this position even when they're being penetrated vaginally, you might want to give some thought to reassuring your partner and telling her how much you love her (and how grateful you are for the privilege of being in this position!)

"Kneeling Sex Positions"

Sitting and kneeling positions are probably a novelty more than anything else for most people. They never feature in the lists of people's top ten favorite positions - one survey showed they were used less than once in every fifty times a couple have sex. This may be because they're just not very enjoyable, difficult to get into, or simply not very satisfying physically. Their biggest advantage must lie in the fact that they're so unusual and it's different and exciting to try them out. Having said that, sitting positions can be good for a couple who lack flexibility and who therefore want to make love in a chair rather than on the bed.

"Standing Sex Positions"

Standing sexual positions may require considerable physical effort to achieve penetration and then keep his penis in her vagina, unless it's a case of straightforward rear entry sex with the man standing and the woman bending over, although even here the difference in height between the man and the woman may be a problem when it comes to penetration. If the couple is trying a more adventurous and strenuous posture, such as him holding her around her ass with her feet off the floor (perhaps with her legs locked around his legs or waist) as she rides his penis, he will need real strength to maintain the posture - the danger being that if he lets her slip, his penis will be bent downwards and injured.

Often standing positions seem very exciting when a couple are in the mood for an urgent bout of sex, desperate for a quickie, so to speak, but in practice they don't live up to the excitement - the physical effort involved, the tendency for the man to come very quickly, the lack of intimate touch, and so on, all tend to diminish the pleasurable sensations and make standing sex a brief and perhaps slightly disappointing affair. On the other hand, if you just want a quick and intense orgasm, it can work well.

Standing sex positions are probably the most difficult for the majority of people. For one thing, you both need to be exactly the right height for penetration to be possible: if you're not, one of you will end up arching your back to allow penetration, or standing on a pile of books or a piece of furniture to get your penis and vagina in line. This can be uncomfortable, and distract from the physical pleasure of sex. They are, however, versatile positions, in the sense that they can be used anywhere at any time with only a little undressing (or indeed none at all!)

"Sitting Sex Positions"

You might think of sitting sex positions as involving a chair- and so it can! But there's another way of making sitting sex into an enjoyable interlude, and that's to include it in the flow of sex as you move from one position to another in a prolonged session of lovemaking. In the pictures below, the couple have moved from woman on top to kneeling to sitting in one easy sequence.

Sitting sex, especially sitting sex in a chair, is especially good for producing an almost meditative state, a relaxed and dreamy state of mind where a couple can allow themselves to drift off without feeling pressured to perform or keep sex going. It's certainly not a sexual position suitable for vigorous sex: it's much more for slow, sensuous, thoughtful sex where the couple can kiss lovingly and tenderly. When a woman is sitting on top of her man in the chair position, she is much more in control of sex than he is. She can move gently up and down, embrace him more or less tightly, or rock her pelvis back and forth - all movements which will produce different sensations and waves of sexual and emotional feelings. If she is supple enough and confident enough, she can even lean as far back as she can get, though like the woman on top positions, this may bend her man's penis further down than is comfortable for him.

There is one variation of sitting sex which is suitable for wilder, more abandoned sex, and that's the edge of the bed sitting position. The man sits on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling over the edge, and his partner sits on him, facing him, her legs bent at the knees and her shins resting on the edge of the bed outside her man's legs. She can hold his shoulders and the man can place his feet on the floor to give them stability. In this sex position a woman can rotate her hips so as to produce strong sensations of friction between her clit and his body, and on his penis in her vagina.

Sitting sex positions seem to be the least popular of all, according to most surveys. This must be for a reason! That might be that we are simply accustomed to having sex in a bed, or it could be because it's quite difficult to get good penetration and ease of movement. If a man is sitting and the woman is going to ride him, she has to have somewhere to put her legs. The pictures above show how she can do this. Obviously these sex positions will require more physical effort and feel less comfortable than a sexual position where both partners' bodies are supported by a bed or the floor.