Title: The Kama Sutra Year: 52 Sensational Positions for Erotic Pleasure Author: Eleanor McKenzie Publisher: Fair Winds Press Publish Date: 2005 Pages: 128 Genres:: How-To Guide, Non-Fiction Reviewer: J. Henry

Rating:

Well detailed in her instructions with a sufficient amount of photographs to illustrate the proper positioning and mood, Eleanor McKenzie offers couples a more sensual way (with more variety) to engage in sexual intercourse. “Sex is food for the mind, body and soul, and we underestimate its importance if we serve up exactly the same dish week in, week out,” she states in her introduction. McKenzie is well versed in the art of kama sutra since she’s written several books on it along with stretching and strengthening the body.

The art of kama sutra is more than just positions; in fact, the original Kama Sutra was a book created in India more than 2,000 years ago revealing the way “relationships were conducted in Hindu society.” McKenzie’s The Kama Sutra Year aims to entice sexual creativity and enjoyment by displaying a new position for each week of the year.

The positions are divided into separate feelings and expressions for you and your partner. You can choose to try the more Intimate positions which concentrate more on closeness between partners; Passionate relies on the building of emotions during sex that can be very lustful or may begin slowly; while Energetic positions rely more on gaining the best posture for entry and gaining quicker satisfaction for both partners. The stances in the latter section can also show a lot of dominant positions from the male perspective. The final section, Tranquil, focuses on the meditative aspects of sex, allowing partners to experience their positions in a meditative way--both emotionally and physically--before engaging in slow and satisfying intimacy.

Some of the positions look very much the same. For instance, ‘splitting the bamboo’ and ‘yawning posture’ which concentrate on the female lying down with her legs outstretched around the male. One may realize that the ones offered may be essentially the same stances just slightly altered, if at all.

The full-page, four-color photographs provide much-needed insight into the proper angles at which the male or female should be to achieve maximum pleasure, yet some positions like ‘cat and mouse share a hole’, in which the woman must make sure the man is properly inserted while she lies on top of him, is awkward at best as the male must maintain penetration depending on the curvature of the penis and the dexterity of either partner.

The Kama Sutra Year is definitely a useful tool for couples who’d like to experience more than your “run-of-the-mill” positions such as missionary and straddling. Here, McKenzie offers couples a way to not only enjoy each other physically but become more in tune with what turns each other on just by being near one another, experiencing your partner’s breathing patterns, or simply feeling the texture of each other's skin.