Start by slowly caressing the outside of your anus, and move at a pace that makes you comfortable and excited - it could lead to your best orgasm yet. Mutual masturbation adds variety and excitement to the usual routine of penetrative, reciprocal sex or solo masturbation. You know exactly how to hit your sweet spot and you always have a good time on your own, and yet masturbating with an audience can feel like a different matter.

You might have heard some sex educators claim masturbation helps men improve their sexual performance for partnered sex. It’s a perfectly healthy thing to do, with a myriad of health benefits,' says sex therapist Mia Sabat.Take time to figure out what really makes you horny: doing so will make your self-pleasure sessions even more climatic. Some women love to make a spectacle of themselves during this intimate moment of solo pleasure – and some couples like to indulge in mutual masturbation, where each person provides their partner extreme pleasure by any means necessary. To hep you get started on your journey to sexual self discovery we spoke to psychotherapist Christine Webber and sex therapist at Emjoy Mia Sabat about the benefits of masturbation plus 37 tried and tested tips on how to pleasure yourself: What is masturbation? When you’re finished, don’t just rush off into the next part of your day, give yourself a couple of minutes to just be still and quiet and let the experience ‘install’ - this is a bit like Savassana at the end of a yoga class! Equally, if a guy ejaculates or has pre-cum during mutual masturbation and then either starts penetrating his partner’s vagina with his fingers or penis there is (again, relatively low) risk of semen transfer which can lead to pregnancy.

My clit nearly retracts into my body and hides under the clitoral hood, which is also a really neat tool for varied external stimulation: It feels vastly different to touch the external pea-like area head-on than it does to stimulate it indirectly. When you ejaculate, the release of hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin prompt a boost in your mood. The first time I masturbated, it was an overwhelming experience; I didn't know what I was supposed to feel, and once I felt the rush, I didn’t expect to feel it so strongly. Sex, regardless of how you define this, ‘works your pelvic floor muscles to help prevent erectile dysfunction and incontinence,’ adds Dr Lakhani. I instinctively knew it was something I needed to keep to myself, but I apparently didn’t do a very good job because about a week or so later, my mom came to talk to me about it (LOL).First time I saw them, I caught him masturbating (inside his jeans), and other times they usually have their hands down each other's pants or up their tops. Mutual masturbation can be really shame-busting, empowering and create deep bonds between you and your partner. Mashable is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without express written permission. While on your back, with a pillow propped under your head, spread your legs and bend them at the knees. It can be incredibly vulnerable and intimate to share something that most people do in ‘secret’ or by themselves.

Because the opening of the vagina is often seen as an entry point, it’s not unusual for this area to be neglected.

Another important aspect of sexual experimentation is learning how your body responds to touch, and testing out different ways of touching yourself can be exhilarating.