Definition of Kama Sutra

Saturday, 5 September 2009

The Kama Sutra – it sets our minds to fantasy and wonderment about the possibilities of sexual eroticism and adventure. It’s a buzzword for sexual pleasure and enjoyment and we all want more of that. Almost everyone has heard of the Kama Sutra. "Kama" means all things pleasurable, such as sexuality and sensuality, but it also encompasses eating, gaming, cultural activities and activities with friends and family. Kama is the name of the Indian God that represents the procreative, sexual nature in man, much like Eros did to the Greeks. "Sutra" means a short book of sayings or aphorisms. Thus the Kama Sutra is an ancient manual of love and relationship. The Kama Sutra is most often associated with the sexual acts and sexual positions. It does an exemplary job at this, however, that's not all it offers.

It is believed that today’s version of the Kama Sutra was compiled and put into written form from a rich tradition of oral history. Written in Sanskrit by a man named Vatsyayana, its structure appears as poetry and verse. The descriptions of the positions are short and to the point, as if they were reminders to the couple rather than detailed instruction. Sutras likely were taught as oral poetry.


The Kama Sutra details kissing techniques, courting practices, modes of touching including very detailed biting and scratching techniques, sexual positions or asanas, how to find, court and treat marriage partners as well as consorts, the ‘jobs’ of the husband and wife, the concocting of aphrodisiacs, and much more. It also goes into the specific finer points of the Sixty-Four Arts.

In addition to the Sixty-Four sexual arts there are Sixty-Four cultural arts. Men, and especially women, were encouraged to become good at as many of these ‘arts’ as possible. These include music, singing, sciences, lovemaking, homemaking, poetry, dance, shooting of the bow and arrow, conversation, sewing, art, games, magic, chemistry, perfumery, and rituals. Attention was also given to courting, gift-giving, secret rendezvous, and moral and ethical attitudes during marriage.

The Kama Sutra focuses on the lovemaking arts but mentions the other arts because they were a means by which one could make one's self more attractive. Vatsyayana, the Kama Sutra's author, reveals that the cultivation of inner beauty was just as important as outer beauty. Attractiveness comes from a refined and imaginative mind as much as it does from darkened eyes, ruby lips, and a fine figure. Cultivating as many of the arts other than the art of lovemaking was of great importance to society.

Hindu culture, from which the Kama Sutra comes, asserts that the aims of life are four - wealth, moral standing, pleasure, and enlightenment. It is understandable that to be good at sexual pleasure one would need to study the arts of love. It is also easy to understand that to be excellent at your job or in your community you would need to know certain things to be able to be a citizen of honor. Most of us do indeed follow life pursuits or interest that are as varied as the number of people in the world. You may play an instrument, or write poetry, or paint, or sing, or participate in any number of personal interests that fuel your creative side. It is those pursuits that the ancient Sutras believed made us all more expansive individuals.

The Kama Sutra has as much to offer modern couples as it did their counterparts in ancient India. Perhaps the most well known of all love manuals, it was translated from Sanskrit in the middle 1800s by an English adventurer named Sir Richard Burton. When the Kama Sutra appeared in print it shocked Victorian England, and upon Sir Richard's death, his wife burned many of the other books he had translated but not published. Most of them have not been re-translated and many may be lost forever.

Probably the most known and revered portion of the works is the descriptions of erotic sexual positions. Many of the positions from the Kama Sutra are named after animals, as this was a prime way of studying man’s relationship to the natural world. Learning, exploring and practicing with new sexual positions is a wonderful way to up the ante on communication, intimacy, variety, fun and consciousness expansion. When a couple ‘works’ with a new category of positions they tend to have to communicate about what works and doesn’t work for them. And, almost always, some of the new positions you explore will be sort of magical for you. It can’t be described any other way. The positions will feel special and will fit within your coupled-ness as if they were made for the two of you. If you stay open and aware of this phenomena, while you are making love in new ways, you’ll see what a little adventurous activity will do for you as a couple. The more subtle the move within the position the more deepening attraction and connection you’ll have. It’s a feedback loop that gets fascinating to explore.

The Kama Sutra describes different techniques to stimulate the clitoris, such as the ten types of "blows" that can be used to tap the clitoris with the Lingam for stimulation. It details the way in which a man might grasp his Lingam and churn it from side to side in the Yoni of his lover. It outlines the areas in the Yoni to stimulate and has special names for the sides, top, deeper areas, and the entrance. The Kama Sutra exquisitely describes the quivering of the Yoni that precedes orgasm and the shuddering that heralds orgasm. It says that no two women make love alike and that one must be very sensitive to rhythms, sentiments, and moods of the individual woman.

The use of aphrodisiacs and their preparation was common and the Kama Sutra devotes a small chapter to them that includes ways of making oneself attractive to the object of their desire. The Kama Sutra details items, some strange sounding to us, like datura, honey, ground black pepper, a corpse’s winding-sheet, peacock-bone, sulfur, pumpkin seed, bamboo shoots, cactus, monkey turd, and ram’s testicle for use in enslaving, potency, and endurance. Some of these ingredients, like pumpkin seed and datura, are known to the modern world for their potency-enhancing qualities.

Other Eastern Cultures’ Erotic Books

Past cultures honored our sexual life-force and understood that teaching this to the next generation was supremely important. In the past 3,000 years we've seen the development of sex manuals throughout all of the Eastern cultures. These manuals demonstrate the care and mentoring that people knew was vital if the values of that culture were to carry on. A series of "books" or aphorisms appeared in several Eastern cultures after 400 AD. These books included guides for newlyweds on kissing, touching, positions in lovemaking, attitudes, moral obligations, and much more.

The Anana Ranga, written in the sixteenth century in India, details morals, seduction techniques, sexual positions, hygiene, rituals and sexual spells, aphrodisiacs, and other erotic concepts. It paid particular attention to the woman learning to control her pelvic floor muscles to heighten the experience between her lover and herself.

The Perfumed Garden was written in Arabia in the sixteenth century. It details over thirty sizes and shapes of penises and vaginas. Though written primarily for men, it counsels them to ask the woman how to give her pleasure. It speaks highly of the gift of pleasure that God has given to humans and contains stories that teach a variety of lessons to the seeker.

The Ishimpo, from Japan, is similar to its counterparts in India and other parts of Asia in depicting the sex act as the essential force that controls the universe. In fact, it suggests that making love is the force in nature that keeps the Earth circling the Heavens. With ties to Taoism, the concepts have developed over a period of at least 2,500 years though this love manual was put to writing sometime in the 18th century.

Exciting many Chinese couples throughout the ages, The Secrets of the Jade Bed Chamber provides recipes for potency remedies, exotic positions, and counseling on the ways of love. As with many societies that award eroticism a high place in their heritages, the words selected are symbolic. A Jade Stalk meant a man’s penis, while a Jade Garden symbolized the woman’s vagina. Metaphors filled the erotic lives of ancient sexual explorers. Like the Ishimpo, this is a more ‘modern’ version of very ancient precepts.

China, Japan, and most Eastern cultures used "Pillow Books" in addition to teaching manuals. Couples employed pillow books as erotic stimulants and reminders of our vast sexual potential. The books were adorned with beautiful erotic pictures, poetry, writings, and suggestions that couples could use to stir their passions.

In the past few decades, there has been a resurgence of erotic manuals, picture books, illustrated instruction books, and a variety of resources to educate and reconnect people with their sexuality. As these materials become available, more people begin to speak openly about sensuality.

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Sexuality: Upping the Ante

Sexual intimacy is one of the most sought after and the most avoided of all human experiences. Most people want it and are terrified of it at the same time. Lying in bed with your lover, you can be in varying degrees of intimacy. You can talk about the day's events, your problems, or your hopes and fears. This creates bonding at the level of ideas.

Yet, a deeper intimacy can occur when the words stop. If your hearts, emotions, and sexuality open, energy flows between you silently. A new level of communication begins.

Useful Words

The most useful words
Help launch you into
The bliss of no words.

This leap from words into a nonverbal exchange of energy can be terrifying. As you merge with your partner, you can be swept up into waves of "irrational" emotions. Your identity starts to wobble as your ego boundaries disintegrate. The two of you are becoming interdependent. You both have the opportunity learn how to surrender into the blending of "I" into "Us."


Risking the dissolution of your ego is scary but does have its spiritual rewards. The illusion of being separate from the whole vanishes. As 'you' dissolve into divine union with one other human being, you feel vitally connected with all human beings, all creatures, and all of creation.

An important distinction needs to be made here. The beauty of surrender has been famished by people's misinterpretation of the concept known as "codependency." You are codependent only if you 'give to get.' When you give anything to your lover, if you feel diminished, disempowered, or compromised in any way, then you must be looking for something in return. Giving unconditionally leaves you feeling filled rather than depleted, regardless of your lover's response. You are probably forgetting that the source of your Love is within you.

In true surrender, on the other hand, the act of giving arises from an internal place that needs nothing in return. To be capable of surrender, you must first be able to define and set your boundaries. Once this has been mastered, then the next challenge is to let go of your boundaries. This allows you to surrender, not to your lover's ego desires, but to whatever allows the Love between the two of you to prosper. A mature awareness is necessary for you to look beyond your self-imposed limitations and discover something much greater than either you or your partner. As you create this new Being, "Us," your Heart's capacity expands. Embracing the spirit of unselfishly serving "Us" opens you to experiences of limitless Love.

If you take responsibility for your fear of losing your identity as an individual, you also take a quantum leap in your ability to be intimate. To truly merge with another human being means the Death of who you have perceived yourself to be. When you care deeply, you feel your lover's pain as your own. This union is an essential ingredient for Love to flow. Without it, you stay safely untouched in your box of isolation. Ironically, in a healthy relating-ship, the more completely you melt into your partner, the stronger and more independent you become when you are apart, leading your individual life.

You can work with your fear of intimacy. Recognizing the feeling as it occurs is the first step. Then, rather than running away to protect yourself, communicate to your partner that you are scared. Stay "on the same side" and ask your partner to gently hold you without trying to fix you. If you feel the fear without needing to do anything, it eventually evaporates. Soon, the next level of intimacy emerges. Instead of fear running you, you are in relationship to it.

How do you protect yourself from letting your lover more deeply into your Heart and into your sex? The world is full of distractions, such as newspapers, books, television, movies, socializing, and earning more money. If you let go of these external diversions, you can look for the more subtle, internal self-deceptions. You may unconsciously pick a fight the moment before you have an opportunity to spend quality time together. You may get tired and fall asleep. You may escape into hot, lusty sex to safely sidestep a softer, more vulnerable connection.

Talking about a "significant issue" can also be an avoidance of intimacy. You stay at the level of words instead of allowing more profound modes of relating to unfold. If you can find the kind of words that lead both of you out of your heads and into your Hearts, then walls come down. You each feel safe enough to express a Love beyond words.

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The Kama Sutra and the Sixty-Four Arts

There is no Western equivalent of the Kama Sutra, and perhaps for this reason, sex as an art form has yet to mature in the West. Social repression and internalized guilt have prevented Westerners from a frank and joyous exploration of sexuality, today's "liberated attitudes" notwithstanding. Practically all that the Occident offers in this area is pornography, or clinical sex manuals, so filled with anatomical details and "techniques" that they would be sufficient to put a person off sex for life. One result of this repression is inhuman sexual perversion, a subject we will treat in more detail later. The sexual act is rarely tastefully portrayed in Western art or literature. We either reject sex altogether as a subject proper to art or, in lieu of better, accept mediocre treatment of it.

The Orient did not consider sex apart from, or opposed to, spirituality or religion. The sex act was given a place of honor and was intimately connected with the other arts. Men and women alike studied the Kama Sutra and similar texts. In the temples, all variations of sexual postures were openly portrayed and venerated as ideals. In the privacy of the home, the entire range of erotic art and literature was considered a normal and respectable subject of study. The parameters of sexual
behavior in the East extend way beyond the West's narrow spectrum of normalcy, without the least debasement of the sexual function. Celibacy, monogamy, polygamy and polyandry all had a place in Oriental culture. The Sixty-four Arts should be conceived as the Paths of Creative Energy. They are the emanations of the goddess Saraswati, the "anima" of Jungian psychology. They can be likened to the flames of an inner sun, blazing from the solar plexus. Burning up all negativity, these flames of the creative attitude purify the psyche and bring about an inner transformation. As practical skills of the outer world, they delight others and fulfill the talented practitioner.

The Kama Sutra, the classical Indian treatise on the Art of Love, enumerates the Sixty-four Arts. The text advises that these should be studied along with the Kama Sutra, preferably under the guidance of a teacher. These arts and sciences (for no distinction between them was then made) include singing, music, dancing, writing, drawing, painting, sewing, reading, recitation, poetry, sculpture, gymnastics, games, flower arranging, cooking, decoration, perfumery, gardening, mimicry, mental exercises, languages, etiquette, carpentry, magic, chemistry, mineralogy, gambling, architecture, logic, charm-making, religious rites, household management, disguise, physical sports, and martial arts plus many specialized activities related to the culture and time. The accomplishments expected of young women in Victorian times echoed this idea. To update this, the arts related to more recent technical innovations, such as photography, could be added.

The Indian treatises on love suggest that both men and women should be well versed in as many of the Sixty-four Arts as possible. Two arguments as to why these arts should be studied are presented in the texts. First, a person who is accomplished in them is automatically given an honorable place in society. Second, through the application of these arts one can more easily win over the object of desire, be it husband, wife or lover, and provide more fulfillment. Easily be self supporting by the application of these skills. Even a bare knowledge of these arts adds to the charm and interest of a person. In the West today, over-specialization is a problem, which tends to inhibit the minds capacity to intuitively express the many facets of knowledge. Yet the Art of Love relies on the other arts for its support. Without these modes of expression our existence would be boring and restrictive. Humanity depends upon these arts as a means of communication and self-expression.

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The Best Sex Positions for Female Orgasms

Surveys and sexuality reports tell us that roughly only 20% of sexually active women have orgasms during intercourse. Assumptions will need to be made about that number because we don’t know if that includes manual stimulation of the clitoris during intercourse or not and several other issues that might skew the statistics. Let’s work with that number, however.

Orgasms are important to women no matter how convincing the idea of being in the pleasure without being goal oriented. Some of the time you can do this and some of the time you want an orgasm, pure and simple. Cultural constraints, modern media, lovers and friends can all influence how you might feel about your body, emotions and your ability to orgasm. You want what she’s having and you want it now.

If that’s the case with you then you’re going to have to know a whole lot more about your body and how it works in order to journey to the fertile fields of G-spot and vaginal orgasms. The positions come after you have the knowledge of your interior topography down and know your hot-spots from your not-spots. Self-pleasuring is the necessary evil! Set aside the time to spend with yourself soon. An hour three days a week should do it.

So here is a quickie lesson. You can find more out at Tantra.com, too. Most women’s clitorises don’t come near to getting the attention that is needed to stimulate that part of the anatomy during intercourse. If any position is going to do this then it is the C.A.T. (Coital Alignment Technique) position (this is a modified Missionary position where the man is on top and he has shifted his body up a bit towards his partner’s head so that his pubic bone rubs on her clitoris in an up and down (head to toe) motion. The other is the Woman on Top where the woman is leaning down, not sitting up, and she is doing the same motions as the man does in the C.A.T. position. That is, she is moving in a head to toe, up and down rubbing motion so that her clitoris is getting stimulated. Both of these positions do not, however, involve much G-spot or deeper A-spot (a spot above the cervix, deeper in the vagina, A is for Anterior Fornex) stimulation.

The first step, in discovering your vaginal, or yoni, hot spots, is to find your G-spot and begin to arouse, investigate and find orgasms through manual or digital (finger, G-spot wand or vibrator) stimulation. You can stimulate your clitoris first as it’s important to be very turned on when investigating your G-spot. Both are very connected with one on the inside and one on the outside, kind of back-to-back. They share nerves, blood flow and vibrational energy with each other! While I personally don’t feel that G-spots like much vibration yours may be different, but I wouldn’t start with a vibrator, I’d start with fingers (yours or a partner’s) or a Lucite wand. I have an earlier blog about the analogy of the upper palate in the mouth and the G-spot location so read it if you want to here. It may help.

Ok, let’s assume you’ll find it and have a good experience with noticing the pleasure, though maybe not an orgasm, in your early sexploration. You can up-the-ante by starting to strengthen your PC muscles by doing Kegel exercises. These will help tremendously; stronger orgasms, healthier pelvic floor, more orgasms, better (no much more) awareness of your body, great sex tricks by you for your lover and a bunch more reasons if you need them. The last and best thing about strong PC muscles is that when you move into more Tantric practices you will be able to move the sexual energy up, throughout your body more easily and effectively. That’s when it all gets really juicy!

So the stage is set for take-off. Next, you’ll discover a set of positions that you can try, modify, and try again to get the best out of them. I'll give you clues and tips for having the best intercourse sex ever.

The famous anthropologist Desmond Morris wrote: “A group of 27 couples were asked to vary their sexual positions experimentally, employing postures that would allow greater stimulation of the two vaginal 'hot spots', and it was found that three-quarters of the females involved were then able to achieve regular vaginal orgasms.” In other words, it has been confirmed that becoming more uninhibited and less self-conscious is an important ingredient in freeing orgasms and in producing multiple orgasms in women. Sexual liberation can translate to sexual ecstasy when a sense of freedom and playfulness is brought to lovemaking. Experimenting with even the most subtle of movements, or shifts of a single position, can make a huge difference in getting the right kind of stimulation.

Let’s look at the position from the Kama Sutra called the Splitting of the Bamboo. In this position the woman lies down on her back and the man straddles her as in the Missionary Position. She then raises one of her legs and places it on her lover’s shoulder. Her other leg stretches out to the couples side or she can bring it up closer to her body by bending it at the knee. After a brief time the legs are switched and then switched again creating a back and forth motion that can sweep the head of the lingam across the G-spot in a windshield wiper like fashion.

In this position the woman may discover that one side works far better for her than the other. If the couple decides to stay in that position for a while she can begin to move her buttocks and legs in small, specific ways to increase the friction and pleasure. She can lift her buttocks, shift it to one side slightly, have her lover put a small pillow under her on one side or the other, slide her leg up further on his shoulder – I think you get the picture. There are a million subtle shifts that can occur that will make a significant difference in the results!

None of this is possible, though, unless the woman knows her hot-spots intimately, which is why she must self-pleasure and discover them. Oh, and it takes a lover who is willing to explore and have fun trying new things. Rear Entry Positions are next

Sometimes it takes becoming more uninhibited to try Rear-Entry Positions. If either partner is self-conscious of their body then that is the first thing to let go of so that both can enjoy this fabulous category of positions. There isn’t a person alive who thinks they have a perfect body. Gals, most men love looking at jiggling breasts and round buttocks. They aren’t going to be critical if they know you are enjoying every minute of the pleasure the two of you are creating so go for an edge and let go into the experience and the pleasure.

If you haven’t discovered how to find your G-spot yet then that’s a good place to start to amplify the sexual ecstasy from Rear-Entry Positions. There are some good articles on Tantra.com for this. It’s best to explore your G-spot with fingers and dildos before expecting to have orgasms via intercourse. It’s a fast path to G-spot orgasms, once you’ve had a taste of orgasmic sensations with a little sex play, so hang in there. These explorations may also lead to multiple orgasms in women, or men, and possibly female ejaculation.

Without a doubt this is one of the best position groups there is. Your ‘animal’ nature can really let loose! Rear-Entry Positions aren’t always the most appropriate, though. The moment must be right. This is because it’s often more appropriate to be facing each other. Eye contact, breath connection, heart chakra connection and deepened intimacy are all facilitated through facing your partner.

Rear-entry positions enhance G-spot stimulation. In addition, they leave the man’s hands free to touch and stimulate the secondary erogenous zones along the back and buttocks and the breasts and chest, much like the tiger that uses his paws and teeth. Variety is easy to come by in this position. You can adjust the angle of penetration, the ways you move about and the depth of penetration in the basic position. This allows the woman to tailor-make the experience for herself while having a lot of room to increase the pleasure for her partner. It also enables the woman or the man to stimulate her clitoris.

Try this position first up on your knees, instead of having the woman flat, on her stomach. It’s best for her to support herself with both her hands so that she can keep her spine moving and undulating. Make a study of how it feels as this is a base to explore from. Use the different ‘modalities’ of rhythms and depths of penetration. Try pumping and squeezing your PC muscles in this position.

Now, try sitting down on your thighs. What has changed? Take notice. What works for you in this variation when you apply the different ‘modalities’ of movement to the position? Lean forward and lie your head down. This is a good position to stimulate your partner’s inner thighs. You can also help him stay focused on non-ejaculatory pleasure by applying pressure to his perineum (the external area between the anus and the scrotum that covers his Prostate Gland or P-spot). This will help him from going over the top, so to speak.

Keep these exercises soft, fun and explorative. Take your time and enjoy every delicious moment. You are becoming an artist – enjoy it!

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The Teachings of the Kama Sutra

Men and women have a different mental approach to sex. A woman's self-image and feelings about her partner greatly affect how easily she gets amused. Couples are most highly sexually charged early on in a relationship. Romance and emotional, rapport play a major part in a woman's sexual feelings, in fact, love can be the strongest aphrodisiac of all and may keep her libido strong for as tong as she feels good about the relationship and is enjoying regular, loving sex. For men, however, having a new partner - and a new body to explore - is the main stimulus. The way his new lover looks and feels, how she dresses, her unique scent [natural, rather than bottled] and her voice are powerful stimulants. To continue to be aroused by a partner, a man may need variety in lovemaking, such as change of positions, sexy clothing or sex toys [see pages41, 109-10]. Plenty of ideas for spicing up sex can be found throughout the book.



In women, sexual, arousal varies according to the time of the day or day of the month. Women may find their libido strongest around the mid-point in their menstrual cycle, at the time of ovulation, or just before or after menstruation. Other factors that affect a couple’s desire for lovemaking include age, illness, overwork, stress and emotional difficulties, such as trying for a baby. Many of these problems can be overcome through communication, simply by talking over the issues and perhaps by adapting lovemaking. For example, a sensual massage {see pages/46-9] can ease tension and

stress, and prepare partners for lovemaking. Side-by-side positions [see pages 84-5] are less strenuous and encourage tender, loving, more emotionally enriching sex. The woman-on-top position [see pages 82-3] adds spice to a sexual relationship, and shares the physical demands of lovemaking. The psychologist David Reed identified four psychological, stages of sexual response: seduction, sensation, surrender and reflection. These form a kind of erotic mental pathway. 'Seduction' is the sexual attraction that triggers arousal. 'Sensation' is the stage at which the senses - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste - are stimulated during arousal, bombarding the brain with sexual, signals. "Surrender" is mental and emotional, release, allowing climax to occur. In the postorgasm 'reflection' stage, couples evaluate the lovemaking that took place, mentally awarding positive marks, which help strengthen the relationship, or negative marks, which may weaken it. Emotions such as stress, fear or anger block this pathway. Just before climaxing, men enter a stage of 'ejaculatory inevitability' when orgasm cannot be prevented. But a woman can be distracted by a sound, word or thought right up to the moment of climax and may then Iose interest in lovemaking.

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