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How to Vary the Missionary

It has been and remains the most common position around the world, in every culture, since the beginning of modern man. It is instinctive - not something that a lot of people spend much time thinking about.... It just is. What are we talking about? - of course! - the missionary position.

The missionary is a face to face sexual posture whereby the man is lying down on top of the woman for intercourse. Why is it so popular? A primary reason would be that humans require face to face as eye contact as it is essential to pair bonding. This means that as humans we need to have sustained eye contact to achieve intimacy and to fall in love. For this same reason, lovers talk very low with their heads close together and "gaze into each others eyes". Another factor in its popularity is the obvious reality that it makes it a whole lot easier to kiss. As kissing is usually what initiates foreplay, it is natural that intercourse utilizing this position is a natural progression of events. It is also widely believed that the missionary position is one of the best positions for conception and as such has an innate biological reason for its continued popularity. Penetration is deep and the woman's cervix is tipped back thus making it easier for the sperm to make its way up the cervix and into the fallopian tubes.

Traditionally, the man has been in control of the act of sex and in this position he is certainly in charge. Typically males find this extremely satisfying. He can control the flow and the pace utilizing this posture in a manner which suits himself. The important psychological aspect of sexual control leads many men to prefer to be the aggressors - in charge of the situation while, as a general rule, often women too like this position for some of the same reasons. Many women are able to achieve orgasm in this position with the deep penetration playing a role, but there are a fair number of women who can't; as there is often not direct stimulation of the clitoris involved. Whether or not this is true is dependant on many factors including: how much direct stimulation the particular woman needs, her body type, the positioning of her clitoris, and the exact posture of the man. The downside of the missionary is that if the man is significantly larger than the woman, it is often uncomfortable for her, as she is bearing a good deal of the man's weight. For this same reason it also can be difficult for the woman to move her pelvis and respond to the man. The male may become quite physically tired employing this position for long periods of time as he may be trying to support himself on his arms or elbows.

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