Masturbation is the act of touching your body for sexual pleasure. People with vulvas generally tend to use their fingers, hands, or vibrators to masturbate (or let’s face it, other household items such as showerheads and sofa arms).
Vulva owners may enjoy vaginal penetration during masturbation, such as fingers or toys internally, or prefer external stimulation that focuses on the clitoris and vulva.
Whatever you’re into, VUSH’s sexpert Steph shares the juicy details about how to actually position your body while masturbating. It’s easy to get into a routine once you know what works for you, but there are actually many different ways to masturbate.
Why masturbation positions matter?
When trying to add variety to your sex life or self love practice, you might first think about buying a new sex toy or exploring a different erogenous zone on your body. How often do you think about switching up the position you’re actually masturbating in? Here are some reasons why you should mix up your masturbation poses:
Benefits of experimenting
Experimenting with different masturbation positions can have many benefits. Not only will it help you broaden your sexual repetoire, it will give you a chance identify new interests and turn ons. Changing up your masturbation poses can teach you new things about your body. You might learn something game-changing about the way your body becomes aroused or your capacity to experience pleasure. You may even find a new way to orgasm — who doesn’t want that?
Variety in orgasms
It’s important to mix up your masturbation poses so that your body doesn’t start to rely on one type of pleasure (keep in mind — this is something that constantly fluctuates, so don’t worry, you will never become so dependent on one type of sexual stimulation that you can’t change it).
It is common for vulva owners to experience orgasm more easily alone compared to with a partner. If having more orgasms with a partner is something you want, try masturbation poses that mimic partnered sex. This can encourage orgasm during partner play. For example, if you always masturbate on your back but often have partnered sex on your hands and knees, try masturbating on your hands and knees!
What are the best masturbation positions and poses?
Wondering what the best position for masturbation is? Here are our 7 best picks:
1. The Missionary Maz
Lying on your back is a go-to masturbation position for many. When you’re on your back, position your legs apart in a comfortable, starfish-like position. You can also try bending your knees up with the soles of your feet facing the earth or bringing the soles of your feet together into a butterfly pose. This masturbation pose can be enhanced by adding some light movement, such as a tense of the pelvic floor muscles or a raise of the hips into a bridge pose. There are plenty of ways to change up this simple position — experiment with what feels best for you.
The main benefit of masturbating on your back is that it offers easy access to the vulva. Whether it’s clitoral or vaginal stimulation you're after, it’s all relatively accessible when you’re lying on your back. All you have to do is reach down! Another plus is the fact that it’s relaxing and not super labour intensive, so it’s easy to maintain during those masturbation sessions that never seem to end.
2. The Horny Plank
Have you ever tried masturbating on your stomach? All you have to do is lie flat on your tummy and reach one hand underneath you to stimulate the genitals (picture Aimee from Sex Education). It’s perfect for clitoral stimulation because it adds a layer of friction and pressure. Masturbating on your stomach also encourages a gentle humping movement, which is a great way for vulva owners to get off!
A modification for this masturbation pose is keeping your face down and using both hands. This means putting all your weight into your upper body and face, allowing for hands-free stabilisation. An added bonus for this pose is if you’ve got your face smooshed into a pillow, you might have more opportunity to make noise without the whole household working out what’s going on.
3. The Independent Cowgirl
Our first vertical position — on your knees. Think cowgirl/cowboy sex position, just without the partner.
Start sitting with your knees with your bum resting on your feet, or raise yourself upright so that your bum is no longer in contact with your feet and your body is in an upside L shape. This one requires a lot of weight in the knees and lower body work, so it goes without saying that it’s not recommended for anyone with knee problems. You could try straddling a pillow to reduce some of the weight in the knees (but more on pillows later).
This masturbation position allows you to engage your core, glutes, and quads. Try rocking or and swaying your hips to-and-fro, from the left to the right or from the front to the back. You can also try alternating between that sitting down and sitting upright position to get the glutes working.
4. The Solo Doggy
Getting on all fours is not just for partnered penetration, why not give it a try by yourself? With one hand on the bed and the other on your erogenous zone of choice, you can access a lot of movement from this position. Try moving your body in a way that feels natural, whether that be a cat-cow shape or moving the hips in a circular motion.
This position allows you to move sexual energy all throughout your body and really connect with your sexuality. It’s great for arching the back if that’s something that brings you pleasure! Masturbating on all fours also gives you great access to the booty if you’re into anal masturbation (but don’t forget to add lube!).
5. The Seated Stroker
There are various ways to sit on your bum and masturbate. Whether it’s sitting cross legged or bending your knees up towards your chest, you can easily stimulate the clit with your hands from this position. Seated masturbation is great for people who don’t want to contort their body into funny positions.
You can also incorporate a chair into this one. Start in an L shape then spread your legs open a bit wider. Whichever way you’re sitting, you can use your hands to touch your clitoris or chosen erogenous zone. You can also try some grinding in this masturbation pose!
Another option is to sit upright on a chair and cross your legs. A lot of people with vulvas find a lot of pleasure in crossing their legs as the friction between their thighs and against their vulva feels nice. In this position, try bouncing your legs a bit to get some motion going.
6. The Pillow Party
Using a pillow for masturbation is a common way for people to explore their sexuality when they are discovering pleasure and sex for the first time. Using a pillow is cost-effective (provided you already own a pillow) and gives you a chance to masturbate hands-free! There are a few different ways to do this:
When masturbating on your back, place a pillow under your pelvis to raise your hips up a little more than usual. This is great for engaging the core and glutes to enhance pleasure.
You can also try positioning a few pillows in between your legs when sitting upright or kneeling in a cowgirl position. This means you get to create a riding motion and rub against the pillow (kind of like dry humping — which vulvas love).
Another alternative is to place a pillow at the corner of your bed or on an armchair and grind against it while standing up.
Our last suggestion for pillow fun is to lie on top of it with it under your stomach in a cuddling position. From there, try a grinding motion.
7. The Slip n’ Slide
How often do you self-pleasure in the shower? The best part about taking it to the shower is the extra masturbation tool — water pressure! Don’t get it twisted though, the showerhead is for external stimulation, not internal use.
If you have a handheld showerhead, detach it and angle the water pressure against your clitoris. Alternatively, if you’re lucky enough to have a big shower floor, try sitting or lying down so the water stimulates the clit. Experiment with how close or far away you put the showerhead, various angles, and different motions or movements. Enjoy the feeling of the water all over your body by exploring different erogenous zones including the nipples or neck. The same goes for the bath — lie on your back with your vulva underneath the water faucet so the running water lands on your clitoris.
Masturbating in the shower means extra privacy and more opportunity to make noise since it will be drowned out by the water pressure (don’t overestimate how loud your shower actually is, though). It’s a chance to try out a different sensation to hands or vibrators! To take things up a notch, keep an eye out for a waterproof sex toy to take into your steamy shower or bath.
Nailed the position? What’s next?
Use lube
A good-quality lubricant enhances the experience of both internal and external simulation by making things feel smoother and more pleasurable. While the vagina does create a lubrication with arousal, this doesn’t always happen, and it’s completely normal to be turned on and enjoying yourself without feeling wet. Lube is extra important for clitoral and anal stimulation as these erogenous zones don’t naturally lubricate. Using lube is nothing to be ashamed of, it shows that you prioritise your pleasure!
Switch up location
As well as mixing up your masturbation position and pose, it can be super fun and eye-opening to change the location of your self pleasure sesh. Experiment with masturbation in bed, on the couch or a chair, in the bath or shower, on the kitchen bench, or even outside in the sunshine!
Use a vibrator
Vibrators really are your best friend when it comes to masturbation. Adding a sex toy to your masturbation practice can take your pleasure to the next level. They increase your chance of orgasm and offer sensations that are completely unique compared to the type of stimulation that hands can provide. Using a vibrator in different poses means you can experiment with the angle of the toy or pressure of the vibrations. It’s easy to fall into a routine when you use a vibrator to masturbate, so why not try out some new positions?
Read more on Stimulation:
If you’re looking for more masturbation tips, we’ve got guides on how to use a bullet vibrator, how to use a rabbit vibrator, how to use a clitoral suction vibrator, and even how to use a dual tip vibrator. Because we know that it’s easy to get choice paralysis when it comes to shopping for vibrators, we’ve also got a guide to choosing your first sex toy.
To learn more about the specific body parts involved in masturbation, check out our article on the discovery of the clitoris and our guide to pleasure and care for vulvas.
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