If you’re looking for ways to maximise your sex life, we’d always recommend swotting up on new sex positions: whether for G-spot stimulation, deep penetration, or even spicing up spooning. There’s so many different poses you can try, which all come with their own colourful names: from Doggy Style to the Praying Mantis.
Which takes us onto another sex position with a name pulled straight from the animal kingdom: The Python. One of the lesser known Kama Sutra sex positions, this position is all about maximising skin contact and combining amazing internal and external stimulation.
While you might be worried that this position is on the trickier side, don’t worry, we’re here to guide you through it! And in order to give you the expert advice you’re looking for, we’ve tapped Gigi Engle, a certified sex and relationship psychotherapist and sex expert at the LGBTQIA+ dating app Taimi.
Why you’ll love The Python
As you may well discover, there’s lots of reasons to love The Python sex position.
However, as Engle explains, one of the main reasons is that it provides a lot of opportunities for clitoral stimulation. “This position gives lots of clitoral stimulation, since you are sliding up and down your partner’s body, rather than moving up and down,” Engle says.
The position also holds a lot of similarities to the Coital Alignment technique, a variant of Missionary which also features clitoral stimulation, with the giving partner brushing their penis/strap-on against their partner’s clitoris. “It’s a similar principle to the Coital Alignment technique only in reverse,” she explains. “But in this case, the person with the vulva would be on top.”
The Cobra also offers a sensation of fullness which can be veerrrryyy satisfying. “Since your legs are together, it’s more likely that you’ll have a feeling of fullness,” says Engle. “Depending on your body, the Cobra can be quite a shallow sex position and a lot of the nerve endings are in the first third of the vagina.”
How to do the Python
Now, for the technical bit:
- Have your partner lie flat on their back with their legs together and their arms at their sides.
- Straddle them on your knees, and lower yourself onto their penis or strap-on. Once they’re fully inside you, slowly stretch out so you’re lying straight on top of them, aligned limb-to-limb.
- Grasp their hands in yours and together move your arms out to your sides. Before you start to slither around, lift your torso like a snake ready to strike.
- For added leverage, ask them to keep their feet flexed, then push against them with your toes.
- Slide up and down their body, controlling the rhythm of the penetration and being sure to maximise the clitoral friction and skin-to-skin contact as desired.
How to make the Python even better
So, now you know all about the Python and how to do it, it’s worth investing in the tools which can help make it happen!
For those who will be exploring the sex position with the use of a strap-on, it’s worth examining your preferred dildo to slot in your harness. Key things to think about include girth, length, material, colour, and the curve of the dildo (some dildos are designed for G-spot or P-spot stimulation and are shaped accordingly, for example).
Best strap on dildos for beginners
Lifelike Lover Lifelike Lover Luxe Realistic Multicoloured Silicone Dildo 7 Inch
Bondara Smooth Operator Purple Silicone Suction Dildo - 6 Inch
Lovehoney BASICS BASICS Slimline Anal Starter Dildo 6 Inch
For literally anyone exploring this position, be sure to use some lube – as with any penetrative position, lube can help you avoid any tears or discomfort. Just make sure the lube of your choice is condom and/or sex toy compatible; water-based formulas are a good option. Happy Python-ing!
Best lube
Megan Wallace (they/them) is Cosmopolitan UK’s Former Sex and Relationships Editor covering sexual pleasure, sex toys, LGBTQIA+ identity, dating and romance. They have covered sexuality and relationships for over five years and are the founder of the PULP zine, which publishes essays on culture and sex. In their spare time, they can be found exploring the London kink scene and planning dates on Feeld.
