Oral sex is a highly intimate sex act. Many people actually find oral sex to be way more intimate than intercourse. Perhaps this is because oral sex triggers a lot of feelings of vulnerability, and it’s emotionally intense to let someone so close to your most sensitive parts. Yet, oral sex is also one of the most pleasurable and orgasmic sex acts, so learning how to enjoy it fully is an essential step in loving your sex life.

Oral sex positions do more than create specific angles and access to sensitive spots: they communicate your feelings and excitement about receiving oral sex. In researching our book, The Pleasure Mechanics Guide To Cunnilingus, we surveyed thousands of men and women about what they find sexy about oral sex. The overwhelming response was that those giving oral sex want their lovers to demonstrate their enthusiasm and excitement by participating. The biggest turn-off? Giving oral sex to someone who stayed still and silent. Exploring new oral sex positions can help you open up new channels to communicate your pleasure and arousal while receiving, and make giving oral pleasure a lot more fun as well. Here are a few positions to experiment with as you lean back and enjoy the pleasures of oral sex.

Best Oral Sex Positions For Cunnilingus

1. The Classic

The classic oral sex position for women receiving cunnilingus is a classic for a reason. One of the reasons oral sex is so pleasurable is the opportunity to lie back, relax and receive pleasure. Getting comfortable in bed and allowing your lover to lavish you with pleasure is a delicious and simple oral sex position.

You can experiment with a few modifications to make this classic oral sex position even more pleasurable.

• Uncover! Don’t make your lover suffocate under the sheets while going down on you. Throw off the covers and allow your lover to breathe freely while pleasuring you. The bonus? You get to feast your eyes on your hot lover in between your thighs. Make it even more intimate by making eye contact as your lover continues to pleasure you!
• Try placing a pillow under your hips to elevate your pelvis, giving your lover a bit more breathing room. Experiment with two or three pillows to gain more height. This position is also ideal for adding in fingering techniques to oral sex, a sure fire way to maximize your orgasmic potential and hit all your pleasure zones at once!
• Plant your feet on the mattress, allowing you to push off your feet and move your hips. This can be your first step in becoming a more active receiver during oral sex. By shifting your hips a little up and down, or to the right and left, you can help your lover’s tongue find your most sensitive spots. Once you gain more confidence and are ready to go wild, try moving your hips in circles and undulating waves to maximize your pleasure!
• You can also try adapting the classic oral sex position by wrapping your legs around your lover’s shoulders. This can be slightly acrobatic, so try it for short bursts and see how you feel in this position. Wrapping your legs around your lover’s shoulders is a way of communicating your enthusiasm and excitement during oral sex, and your lover may enjoy feeling the skin of your legs and thighs. Remember that enthusiasm while receiving oral sex is infinitely sexy: by offering yourself up and clutching your lover’s head between your thighs you are participating more fully, communicating your desire and excitement for oral stimulation.

2. Queening

If you want to take control of your pleasure and give your lover an overwhelming experience, try the Queening oral sex position. Like a true queen, you take your throne—by sitting on your lover’s face! Get your lover comfortable lying down in bed and then kneel over them, presenting your most intimate parts for them to pleasure. You can kneel up or down in order to control how much they can reach you, move your hips for your own pleasure and even experiment with engulfing their face in your flesh for short intense bursts.

Don’t be shy about suggesting this position; many guys fantasize about this experience and think it’s a total turn-on. Queening is truly an empowering experience, so if you’re ready to claim your erotic power and beauty, assume the throne!

3. Doggy Style

Ready to get primal? Get on all fours and allow him to stimulate you while you move and rock your hips. He can either be totally behind you, if you are comfortable with his face so close to all your parts, or he can lie down and use his mouth around your clitoris. Enhance the primal experience of this position by making lots of noise, expressing your pleasure with moans, groans and even growls!

4. Recline And Receive

If you have a comfortable recliner or reading chair, try putting a pillow on the floor in front of you, scooting to the edge of the chair and inviting your partner to kneel in front of you. This can also work on the edge of a bed. Inviting your lover to kneel in front of you and perform oral sex is a delicious way to allow them to worship your lovely body.

Oral Sex Positions For Simultaneous Oral Pleasure

1. 67

We all know the classic 69 position, but very few people can actually reach orgasm in this position. One of the greatest things about oral sex is taking turns. One person gets to totally relax and receive, and the other person can focus on giving as much pleasure as possible. 69 can be really distracting, and most people just end up moaning and gasping rather than focusing on giving.

Try the 67 position: the giver on top of the receiver, but with their body off to the side a bit. This way, you can enjoy the full body contact of having your lover on top of you while you are being pleasured, but without the distraction of having to give at the same time.

2. 69 On Your Sides

If you really want to explore the 69 position, try it with both of you lying on your sides. This prevents one of you from having to support your weight while hovering over your lover’s body. Each of you can drape one leg over the other’s shoulder to create access for oral stimulation. Side-lying 69 can be very slow and luxurious. Try taking turns—one of you stimulates the other for a few moments, and then switch roles. 69 is overwhelming for many people, as it is hard to focus on giving and receiving all at the same time. But it’s also thrilling, so try it out once in a while to add variety to your oral sex positions.

Oral Sex Positions For Fellatio

1. The Classic

The classic oral sex position for men is very similar to the classic oral sex position for women. Guys get to lie back, relax and enjoy all of the pleasure of oral stimulation. This position is great for the giver as well: it allows the giver to control the depth and speed of penetration. This position works well for an oral quickie, when you are using oral stimulation as part of foreplay. But if you want to make oral sex last a long time, this position isn’t the best choice.

The downside to the classic oral sex position for men is that the giver has to support their body weight, which usually means losing the ability to use their hands as part of the erotic stimulation. Hands are an essential part of giving great oral sex to a man, sao freeing up the hands is a great reason to explore new oral sex positions.

2. Standing Up

One great oral sex position that frees up the giver’s hands is having the man stand up while the giver sits on the side of the bed or on a low chair. The giver can also kneel in front of the man, using a pillow to be more comfortable. Sitting is more comfortable than kneeling for most people.

Receiving oral sex while standing up opens up a few great pleasure benefits. Most importantly, the giver uses their hands to add more stimulation to oral sex. Using handjob techniques during oral sex allows complete stimulation of the entire penis while taking the pressure off the giver to take the entire length of their lover’s shaft into their mouth. Standing also allows the man to move his hips, which a lot of guys find highly pleasurable. If you want to explore even more thrusting while receiving oral sex, read on and try the Irrumatio position! For now, just explore allowing him to move his hips gently to add more sensation while receiving.

3. Irrumatio

Irrumatio is a Latin term to describe oral sex where the receiver thrusts into the mouth of the giver. While this term has some negative associations, consensual Irrumatio can be incredibly hot and is worth trying out. With the receiver kneeling or sitting comfortable, the giver takes control and thrusts into the giver’s receptive mouth.

Trust and communication are essential here. The man must exercise enough self-control to keep the thrusting comfortable and pleasurable for his lover, while the receiver must stay relaxed and receptive enough to receive the thrusts. If you want to try Irrumatio, we recommend having a hand signal in place to communicate if the thrusts ever get too deep or too fast. This oral sex position can be wildly thrilling for both partners if done with respect and awareness.

4. Head Off The Bed

If you want to explore deeper oral penetration, try the “head off the bed” oral sex position. The giver reclines on the bed with their head off the edge, so the neck is bent backwards. This position lines up the mouth and the throat, allowing deeper penetration with less gagging. The trick here is getting the height right—the guy needs to be able to line up with the head without stretching or squatting. You can also try this oral sex position while lying on a dining room table or even a pool table.

Remember, deepthroating is a very advanced skill and won’t be pleasurable or even comfortable for everyone, so go slowly with exploring this oral sex position and make sure you’re both enjoying it!

5. The Throne

While there’s no male equivalent for the Queening position, men deserve to feel like royalty too! Receiving oral sex while seated in a comfortable chair, his lover kneeling in front of him, is perhaps the closest men can feel to sitting on a throne. Make it even more special by allowing him to watch a sports game, porn or another video of choice. Or put a special drink in his hand, or light a cigar before going down. The goal is to add extra sensual pleasures while giving the guy great head. Save this as a once in awhile treat to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or other important achievements, and you’ll have him looking forward to it all year long!

Exploring new oral sex positions can open up new pleasures for both you and your lover. Remember, the sexiest qualities during oral sex are confidence and enthusiasm. Each new oral sex position gives you permission to express yourself in a new way, showing your lover how much you are enjoying their generous oral stimulation. The sexiest oral sex position is the one that allows you to fully enjoy your lover’s stimulation, so explore them all and find your personal favorites!

This post originally appeared at YourTango.