The Arts of Seduction

by Seema Anand

  The most important thing to remember—for therapeutic sex, thrusts should be done very, very slowly. Ideally, they should be combinations of shallow and deep thrusts and done in sequences of ten.

  Begin with nine shallow thrusts followed by one deep one. When you have mastered that move on to eight shallow and two deep, and so on, until you can manage one shallow and nine deep thrusts. According to Taoist philosophy the art of thrusting should be learnt and practised as one would a musical instrument, because you need to master it with the same expertise.

  In therapeutic sex, unlike normal sex, there is to be no foreplay.

  Begin each position immediately with penetration and spend time on regular thrusting (like in normal sex) to get the rhythm going and to get all the processes of the body working. It is essential that the woman be lubricated artificially and thoroughly to avoid discomfort. Once the organs, glands and hormones heat up, the specific positions can be performed. There should be no kissing during therapeutic sex.

  Position 1

  This position is meant to improve the concentration of semen in the man as well as cure internal bleeding in the woman—the word ‘bleeding’ here refers to heat draining out of the abdominal area of the woman. This position will address a number of problems—infertility, lack of energy and blood flow.

  This position requires two sets of ten thrusts at a time. Start with nine shallow, one deep and gradually increase the number of deep thrusts every day.

  The woman should lie on her right side, legs spread wide. The man lies on his left, full length alongside her, between her legs.

  The man must do one sequence of ten thrusts, very slowly, and then lie inside the woman for about twenty minutes. During this time the man should remain totally still while the woman makes very slight rotational movements with the pelvis only—no other part of her should move. The breathing should be centred in the lower abdomen—it is important for both partners to focus and centre the breathing carefully.

  At the end of the twenty minutes the man should do another ten thrusts and then once again lie still inside the woman before bringing the lovemaking to an end.

  If practised in the correct fashion, the flow of energy will begin at the top of the lungs and travel through to the spleen where it will circulate before flowing back to the top of the lungs.

  This is to be practised every day for fifteen days, twice daily during the waxing half of the moon. There should be a period of at least seven hours between the two sessions.

  Position 2

  This position is practised in order to calm the mind and relieve stress. Interestingly, it was believed that for a man the stress relief was felt in the head and shoulders and for a woman it was felt by a calming of the sexual regions. This position was supposed to bring relief to both.

  In this position, the woman lies on her back with her legs stretched out in front of her and her arms stretched out to the sides. She must have a rectangular cushion under her bottom—the shape of the cushion changes the angle at which the base of the spine is lifted and therefore changes the speed at which the energy flows.

  The man should kneel in front of her, between her legs, keeping his back as straight as possible, because only in an upright position can you ensure the unrestricted passage of energy up to the head and a lying down position is best for the waves to spread to the lower abdomen.

  This position is conducted with three sets of thrusts (nine+one) done one after the other. The entire process should take no less than ten minutes and no more than twenty.

  After finishing, the man is advised to come out of the woman and lie beside her.

  The movement of breath is very important in this position. The partners must breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, very slowly and deeply and they must alternate the exhaling and the inhaling so that they are inhaling each other’s breath. This is done in order to exchange energies and create a very intense focus, as in meditation.

  The partners are asked to imagine the breath to be orange in colour and to physically visualize it entering and exiting the zones of stress. Interestingly, contrary to what we normally hear about clean air going in and unclean air coming out, the breath in this position had to be visualized as orange both going in and coming out because this was an exchange of energy. What one partner exhaled was being inhaled by the other—on a loop. So you were charging your breath with your own energy and offering it back to your partner.

  This position was to be practised three times a day for twenty consecutive days, preferably in the spring or autumn as extremes of temperature are unsuitable to this position. The times of day are not specified but there had to be at least two hours between each session to digest the energy.

  And finally—if at any point in this position you wished to culminate in an orgasm, it was not forbidden. Once you had followed all the instructions it was okay to finish any way you wanted.

  There is some disagreement on the translations of how many times a day this position should be performed but do what you can—there should be no side effects.

  Position 3

  This position is said to help with the problem of stomach wind but it has far-reaching benefits. The ancients believed that gastric wind paralysed the internal organs and slowed down the functions of the whole body. Therefore, this position, by expelling wind, reinvigorated all the vital organs, including the sexual organs.

  The woman must lie on her side (either side is okay but left is better) and bend her legs. The man must lie at a right angle across her body and enter her vagina from behind. Note: even though he is entering from behind it is not in the anal canal, it is still ‘regular’ sex.

  Four sets of ten thrusts are to be done and the rhythm is to be nine deep and one shallow only—this thrust pattern should not change. There is some debate as to whether it should be one set four times a day or four sets all at the same time. You should try what suits you best.

  The thrusts should be very slow and the pace of the thrusting should match the breathing. Breathe in for the length of the inward thrust and breathe out as you pull out. This is a good way to control the pace of both the breath and the thrusts—if you feel one is getting faster control it with the other.

  Practise it for twenty days at a stretch.

  Position 4

  Strengthening the joints.

  The woman must lie on her right side. Stretching out her right leg very straight and long she must bend the left leg (which is on top) so that her body is partially twisted. The man must lie on top of her body supporting his weight on his own arms and penetrate her vagina.

  This is done with a total of forty-five thrusts for a period of ten days. The first forty thrusts should be done in the same manner as the ones we have spoken of earlier—nine shallow, one deep, gradually changing to more deep ones. The last five are a little bit different.

  These last five are all deep thrusts. With each thrust, as you penetrate all the way to the end of the vulva, keep the penis there and pulse slowly to the count of ten and then withdraw. Coordinate your breathing with the thrusts.

  The varying positions and pressure of the thrusts stimulated an assortment of points which activated the electrical impulses, which in turn set different energy flows into motion. By keeping this energy rotating around the body with the help of your breath, blood flow and posture you channelled it into specific areas of the body to aid in its healing.

  All of the above positions are based on stillness. Everything—breath, body, semen—had to be controlled in the same way as you would if you were meditating. Even the thrusts have to be done slowly and precisely in order to not disturb that stillness.

  For men it was not just important to control their ejaculation, they had to learn how to ‘injaculate’—to make the ejaculate travel back up inside their body instead of being expelled outside. Ejaculate (according to modern medical reports) contains a large percentage of the daily dose of nourishment for a man. If you were setting out to heal the
body through sex, then it didn’t make sense to deplete the body of all that essential nourishment, it was even better if you could reabsorb it. This was not essential but it helped.

  My Advice

  The idea of using sexual positions to heal chronic illnesses was written about in ancient Indian medical texts dating to between the tenth and sixth centuries bce and gradually spread east and west to China, Afghanistan and Persia.

  Over time, the knowledge of therapeutic sexual positions has gradually disappeared from popular practice in India. The Kama Sutra, for instance, does not categorize positions for healing purposes specifically. It addresses the whole subject in a more general manner, referring to the importance of sexual activity as an essential pillar of life and how it benefits the body, the soul and the mind but not what part of the body it will precisely impact, or how.

  Over the centuries many of the ancient texts and manuscripts have been either partially or entirely lost, so how much is missing from the instructions of these positions we cannot be sure of. Our knowledge is incomplete—does it really work, is it only useful for the man or is there any benefit for women as well, if you do it incorrectly can you harm yourself instead, etc?

  I would recommend trying it with whatever instructions are available, because you never know how much benefit—mental or physical—you will gain from it. And as far as I can tell there are no reported cases of any negative side effects.

  The detailed knowledge and practice of therapeutic sex still exists in China within the Taoist traditions. It is part of an extraordinarily complex philosophy that could take time to assimilate—definitely not for the casual weekender—but it is there.

  And finally there is the twenty-first century Western version of therapeutic sex based on scientific research, according to which sex can prevent heart disease, relieve stress and even keep the flu at bay. The instructions seem easier to understand, minus all the complex philosophy, but be warned—when you look under the surface it still comes with its own set of quite stringent rules.

  For instance, medicine says having more sex (at least twice a week) raises homocysteine levels and can prevent blood clots and heart attacks—and there are no specific types of positions or thrusts prescribed. The small print, however, is that these research findings only apply to men. Extra sex does not create a difference in the homocysteine levels for women at all.

  Orgasms have been shown to improve the quality of sleep, thereby relieving stress. The problem however is that most men will have an orgasm between three to fifteen minutes after they begin sex, while most women cannot come to orgasm before at least fifteen to twenty minutes and generally will miss out on it altogether. So it could be a great remedy but depends on who is having the orgasm.

  Having regular sex can keep the flu away. The antigens from your lover’s saliva will help boost your immune system. The downside—research shows that more sexually active people are exposed to more infections and therefore good hygiene is not just essential, it has to be your religion.

  But still—the benefits far outweigh the tedium of the rules.

  Sex can help improve brain function—sexual activity grows the nervous tissues around the brain that lead to improved memory and better comprehension. It can make you look younger, it can make you feel happier and more stable.

  The only real proviso is—the sex has to be ‘good, loving’ sex.

  Gems and Precious Stones

  According to myth, when the gods and the demons joined forces to churn the cosmic ocean to try and get to the nectar of immortality which was sitting right at the bottom, many other strange and wonderful things were thrown out of the waters—among them precious gems and sparkling jewels. They were beautiful and the gods wanted to keep them, but according to the prearranged terms of the churning agreement the jewels were the property of the demons who had gleefully grabbed the gems and stored them in the cavities of their rotting teeth for safekeeping. But soon it was noticed that there was more to the gems than their beauty because no matter how hard the demons worked, they never seemed to get tired—on the contrary, they seemed more rejuvenated with each passing day. It would take a long, long time before the ownership of the jewels finally passed from the demons to the gods. But the gods did not rest until they had them.

  Precious stones come from mines deep in the earth or from under the oceans, they are made of the same minerals and substances that nourish the centre of the earth—the core of all life—so they are believed to possess all the secrets of life and regeneration. Gemmology, or the study of gems, is listed as one of the sixty-four skills in the Kama Sutra. The understanding of precious stones, their distinguishing features, a detailed knowledge of their uses in medicine, astrology, and Ayurveda, their importance in defining social status, etc. was an essential skill for both the lover and the householder.

  Gemstones were also supposed to have great health benefits and Ayurveda dedicates a whole study to the their medicinal power—especially in the use of sexual health. Are you suffering from sexual fatigue? Is age slowing you and your libido down? Been with your partner too long and boredom and monotony has set in? Or is it hormones and mucus discharges? The ancients felt that the answers to all of these problems lay in the use of gems and crystals.

  Reduced blood flow to the penis could be corrected with red coral. Diamonds could help a low sex drive. General sexual ineffectiveness can be helped with topaz or any orange-coloured crystal.

  Low sex drive? Try garnet or lapis lazuli.

  For weak erections, amazonite is recommended.

  Premature ejaculation—amber or blue moonstone.

  Loss of semen in urine—pearls.

  Sexual depression—dark opal.

  Gems and stones work on a ‘cause and effect’ basis—if you are having trouble getting an erection it could be because the blood flow in the lower abdomen is insufficient, the blood flow could be insufficient because the energy is blocked, the energy could be blocked because the kidneys are sluggish and the kidneys could be sluggish because of a problem in the lungs. The ancient Chinese believed that each organ has a mother and father organ that supports its functions—if the kidneys are sluggish they will be nurtured by the lungs which is its mother organ and if they are overactive they will be disciplined by the father organ which is the spleen. So the gems would be used to nourish the parent organ which could then balance the energy in the relevant location in the body.

  Gems could be used in several different forms. They could be made into jewellery or talismans but for sexual issues the best method was to ingest them—ground to fine powder and drunk mixed with honey or milk, some were even offered in paan. With gems that could not be ground, like diamonds, it was best to burn them with pure ghee and drink the soot or apply it as an ointment.

  In ancient India nine ‘basic’ gems are mentioned. Each gem is associated with a planet as well as a day of the week and ideally should be used in conjunction with one’s individual planetary ruling.

  Ruby (Day—Sunday, Planet—Sun)

  Powdered and mixed in ghee or honey for best results. Ideal time for ingesting or wearing is on Sundays between 5 and 6 a.m. This is the time when the body’s natural sexual energy is at its peak.

  The effectiveness of the ruby lies in its red colour—the colour of passion. Because the red colour stems from the heart of the gem, it is not just a surface pigment, it can transfuse its properties into the bloodstream, literally turning the person more ‘red blooded’. It is extremely effective in dealing with skin problems like eczema, acne, pimples and sallow complexions; transforming the skin with a youthful red glow, not only to make you happier but calculated to raise the temperature of your partner as well. It is a great remedy for vaginal itches—the friction of sex can sometimes scratch the vulva which in turn causes itching. Rubies were a preventative as well as a treatment for this. But the most popular function of the ruby is its role as the ‘kisser’s companion’. One doesn’t just say ‘ruby lips’ because of the colour�
��it was believed that a regular diet of rubies strengthened the gums, which in turn cures bad breath, making your mouth perfect for kissing.

  Pearl (Day—Monday, Planet—Moon)

  Pearls should be ground by hand using a pestle and mortar and drunk mixed with rose water or other aromatic plant juices, ideally between 5 and 6 a.m.

  Pearls are the gem of the moon and like their planetary father, they are the gem of romance. These beautiful beads work in a strange way—they cause excitement by calming. Tension causes irregular breathing which obstructs the blood flow to the genitals, making it more difficult for arousal to take place. If the breathing is calmed, the blood will flow better, the blockages are removed and it improves erection and clitoral engorgement.

  Pearls are used for breathing-related problems—they settle and regulate the breath which has the effect of reducing anxiety. This further calms the heart, allowing other channels to open up and energy to flow to other parts of the body.

  The changing phases of the moon shift the erogenous zones from one part of the body to the other—pearls allow the sensations in each erogenous zone to intensify.

  According to ancient texts, the oyster shell that houses the pearl can also be crushed and drunk to help in improving your sexual performance. The oyster is a prime example of sexual self-sufficiency—it can become both male or female at will. Through the course of its life an oyster changes its gender numerous times. And so the shell is believed to carry incredible sexual power.

  Even ordinary shells can be used although they are much, much weaker.

  Coral (Day—Tuesday, Planet—Mars)

  They should be crushed and taken with boiled milk, ideally between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays. Corals can also be worn as rings very effectively. If you are collecting the soot of corals, the cup should be made of brass.