How To Be A More Sensual Couple

HOW TO BE A MORE SENSUAL COUPLE

According to some of the nation's leading sex experts, the best sex is married sex, as long as it contains the ingredient that many happy husbands and wives secretly share -- sensuality. Sensuality means sharing delight in the five physical senses -- touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. To the happiest couples, it also means incorporating a critical "sixth sense" -- playfulness. Playfulness can also break the ice in the challenging area of sexual communication. Once you've rediscovered your sense of playfulness, you're ready to explore ways the five physical senses can enhance your pleasure.

TOUCH.
Touch enhances sensuality by stimulating the release of endorphins, the body's mood-elevating chemicals. Caresses can reduce blood pressure and make people feel calmer and happier. The stress-reducing effects of sensual touch can set the stage for fulfilling lovemaking."

SIGHT.
First, try simple eye contact. "You've heard the phrase 'drink to me only with thine eyes'. "Gazing into each other's eyes is very sensual."

HEARING.
Music was the highest-rated aphrodisiac in a study by the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. Three-quarters of the couples surveyed said it enhanced the mood for love.

SMELL.
Fragrant aromas can work romantic wonders. Zussman recommends perfumes, cut flowers and scented soaps and candles. She suggests that couples visit bath and body shops together and select the fragrances they both like.

TASTE.
"A jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou" were all the 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam needed to become amorous. Tickling the taste buds does more than satisfy the appetite for nourishment. It arouses other appetites as well, making what happens after dessert even more delicious.

Once you appreciate the limitless possibilities of monogamous sensuality, it's easy to see why promiscuity is ultimately unsatisfying. Sensuality builds long-term, intimate relationships; affairs do not. Marriage nurtures the trust and deep relaxation sex experts consider crucial to satisfying lovemaking. Even if your marriage has become boring, you can rediscover the sensuality within it. It's there. Nurture it. "If sex is the fire in marriage, then sensuality is the spark that keeps it burning."

By Michael Castleman