How to get in touch with your body by giving your vagina a yoni massage

• Yoni massage is a Tantric practice that may help increase sensitivity in your vagina.
• It involves gently massaging your vagina without the goal of having an orgasm.
• This kind of massage may also help you connect to your own sexual pleasure and understand your body.

Yoni massage is a Tantric practice based on Hindu tradition that involves massaging the vulva and vagina in a mindful way. The goal isn't to have an orgasm, but to increase your sensitivity and help you connect to your own body.

Note: Yoni is a Sanskrit word that means vagina, womb, or source - it's often used in neo-Tantra, a sexual practice that derives from Hindu tradition.

Here's what you need to know about yoni massage and how you can practice it alone or with a partner.

What is a yoni massage?

In Tantric practice, the yoni is a center of pleasure in your body and a source of powerful energy.

"The receiver of the yoni massage can open to deeper pleasure and presence while experiencing the sensations within her body," says Isis Phoenix, an intimacy coach and yoga teacher trained in Tantra, and head of Isis Temple Arts.

Related Article Module: How to practice tantric sex: a slow, meditative form of intimacy that can improve relationships, according to sex therapists

Tantric practitioners say that yoni massage can help with a variety of sexual and emotional problems, though more research is still needed to see if these claims are supported by science.

According to Phoenix, yoni massage can help you:

• Increase blood circulation to your vulva and vagina
• Increase your genital sensitivity
• Develop greater awareness of your body
• Connect to your own sexual pleasure and desire

In a small 2006 pilot study, 20 women with sexual problems received a treatment similar to yoni massage called vaginal acupressure. A majority of the women reported that the treatment improved their symptoms including low sexual desire, difficulty climaxing, and pain during sex.

Yoni massage can also just be a simple self-care or pleasure practice.

How to practice yoni massage

You can try yoni massage with a partner or with a Tantric massage practitioner, but Phoenix recommends exploring the technique on yourself, first.

Before you begin, make sure you take a few minutes to relax, wash your hands, and find a comfortable position wherein you can lie down.

A step-by-step guide to practicing yoni massage

Once you're prepared, start the yoni massage by following these steps:

1. Start by massaging your belly - you can use massage oil if this feels more comfortable.
2. Move up slowly from your belly to massage your rib cage, breasts, and nipples. You can pinch or make circles around your nipples for extra stimulation.
3. Cup your vulva in the palm of your hand, feeling the warmth.
4. Gently massage the flesh above your vulva with your thumbs and fingertips. Move downward toward your clitoral hood, making circles but not directly touching it.
5. Massage your outer labia and then your inner labia, moving slowly and touching one area at a time.
6. Stimulate your clitoris by putting a finger on each side of your clitoris hood and moving your fingers up and down to conceal and reveal the clitoris. You should use mild pressure, starting slowly and gradually moving faster.
7. Start to touch your whole vulva now, massaging multiple areas at once. Move your hands up and down from the top of your clitoris to your vaginal opening, using more pressure than before. You can also massage the clitoris with one hand while touching your vagina or vulva with the other.
8. If you're open to penetration, you can slide the fingers of one hand into your vagina, using a "come here" motion to touch your G-spot. You can also just move your fingers however you like, getting more familiar with the sensations inside your vagina.
9. Stop whenever you feel ready - you may have an orgasm but this isn't the goal of yoni massage.
10. Give yourself a few minutes to relax after the massage, using breathing techniques again if this helps to calm you.

If you enjoy the experience of solo yoni massage, "setting up a consensual yoni massage with a partner is a lovely way to deepen intimacy," Phoenix says.

However, you should avoid using yoni massage as foreplay. "A yoni massage is a complete experience in itself rather than a build-up to intercourse or a reciprocal sexual act," Phoenix says.

There are professionals who offer yoni massage as a Tantric practice, but you will need to do your own research on your masseuse, as Tantra itself is unregulated.

You can find a directory of certified sexological bodyworkers here.

Insider's takeaway

Yoni massage is a sexual practice that may help you connect with your body and recognize your feelings of sexual desire and pleasure. More research is needed to determine the health benefits of yoni massage, but some people report that it can relieve sexual problems.

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