Written around 1172 AD, the Ananga-Ranga is an Indian love manual aimed at preventing the separation of man and wife. It claims that husbands and wives stray from each other because they are in need of sexual variation and excitement. The book was translated into English in the late 1800s, but was not made extensively available to the public until the 1960s because it was considered too racy!

Followers of Tantra utilize the teachings of this ancient manual in their sexual activities, including some sexual positions. Here are some of the sexual positions described in the Ananga-Ranga. Since the manual was written for husbands and wives, all of the positions are for a man making love with a woman.

Although the Ananga-Ranga sexual positions are used by followers of Tantra they can be performed by anyone who wants to get more out of sex.

Level Feet Posture
As the woman lies on her back, the man lifts her body and straddles her legs over his shoulders. The woman allows the man to do what he will with her body. He takes control in this position, so it may be appealing for women who like to be submissive.

The Refined Sexual Position
The woman lies on her back and straddles her legs on either side of the man's waist as he kneels. He enters her as he lifts her buttocks. He may choose to knead her buttocks or stimulate her anus while he is lifting her.

Winged Eros
The man sits with his arms locked at his sides and his legs lying flat and straight out in front of him. The woman sits on top of the man, inserts his penis into her and lifts her legs as she straddles them on either side of his head. She clasps her hands around his neck for support and reclines back until she is comfortable. She then rocks her pelvis back and forth.

The Crab Embrace
The man and woman lie on their sides, facing each other. As the man enters the woman, she places her outside leg over his outside leg (the outside leg is the one that is not lying flat). He, in turn, places his outside leg between the woman's legs.

The Transverse Lute
The man and woman lie on their sides, facing each other. Both stretch their legs out with knees unbent. The woman raises her outside leg slightly to allow the man to enter. The man then raises his outside leg and rests in on the thigh of the woman's outside leg. The man may choose to position his head slightly higher than the woman's to allow his penis to rub more directly on the clitoris.

The Snake Trap
The man sits propped up on his arms with his legs straight out in front of him. The woman sits on top of him and facing him with her legs straight out and straddled around the man's waist. She is also propped up on her arms. They both reach behind them and clasp each other's feet. They then rock back and forth. This position tends to only work if the man and woman are approximately the same height, as a big height difference makes it difficult to reach each other's feet.

The Ascending Position
The man lies flat in a submissive position. The woman sits on top of the man and inserts his penis into her. She then crosses her legs as tightly as possible while ensuring that both partners are comfortable. She then moves up and down creating ultimate friction of the man's penis against her clitoris and G-spot.

The Inverted Embrace
The man lies flat in a submissive position. The woman inserts his penis into her and lies on top of him, chest-to-chest. She clasps her hands on his waist for support and moves back and forth.

Also Check out: Tao and the art of Lovemaking