Health

How to Master Amazon Sex Position, According to a Sex Therapist

Published

1 month ago

March 28, 2024

The Amazon sex position is a fairly new sex position and a serious internet sensation—for good reason. This athletic, woman-dominating stance has a lot to offer among fun and different sex positions.

It gets its name from the mythical women-only warrior tribe, the Amazons, from ancient Greece. The Amazons are featured in many epic poems and stories, known for their battle skills, strength, courage, and beauty—oh, and for living on an island without any men. The Amazons have popped up again in recent pop culture, due to the Wonder Woman movie, the heroine of which (Diana Prince) is from the Amazon tribe.

With this history in mind, the Amazon sex position was born. It’s empowering and emboldening, making it one of the best sex positions for women.

What Is the Amazon Sex Position?

Amazon sex position looks like a mix of cowgirl/rider and missionary sex positions. The vulva-owner rides the penetrative partner—like in cowgirl position—only the giver’s legs are pulled up toward their chest.

Be warned, this position requires some serious flexibility, mobility, and balance. But if you’re ready to give the Amazon sex position a whirl, this is everything you need to know.

How to Do the Amazon Sex Position

The Amazon sex position is a riff on cowgirl, only the penetrating partner pulls their knees to their chest.

Katie Buckleitner

The penetrative partner lies on their back and bends their knees 90 degrees to table top position, to start. Ideally, they’ll draw their knees all the way to their chest—similar to happy baby pose in yoga—but this isn’t necessary for the position to work.
The receiver straddles the giver, aligning the genitals and holding the penetrative partner’s lower legs or knees. This will aid in their balance and support, but also lessen the giver’s fatigue from holding their legs up.
The receiver gently lowers themselves onto the giver’s penis or dildo, moving slowly at first. Once in position, the receiver can bounce up and down, using their legs for leverage, or gyrate with full control over speed and depth of penetration.

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Modifications to Make Amazon Position More Enjoyable

You can certainly add a whole host of sex toys for men and sex toys for women to the Amazon sex position—just be sure you have the balancing part down pat before you add something like cock rings.

1. Add a Wand Vibrator

Doxy Extra Powerful Wand Massager has a head circumference of 7.5 inches; the larger surface area doesn’t miss a spot.

Courtesy Image

This is a great position for sex toys. We’d suggest a wand vibrator, as the long base makes it easier for the rider to use on themselves—providing much-needed clitoral stimulation. Doxy Extra Powerful Wand Massager is an excellent choice for this. The cast aluminum head has a cushioned cover for greater comfort and tactile buttons to switch between settings and speeds. Just note this needs to be plugged into an outlet while in use.

2. Try a Couples’ Vibrator or Cock Ring

We-Vibe Sync 2, Dame Eva, and Fun Factory Nos C-Ring are among the best Amazon position sex toys.

Courtesy Images

You can also incorporate a couples’ vibrator, which is designed to be worn during penetrative sex. We-Vibe Sync 2 and Dame Eva are excellent couples’ toys that get the job done. You can also try a vibrating cock-ring like Fun Factory Nos C-Ring.

3. Use a Good-Quality Lube

Good Clean Love Almost Naked Lube and Lovehoney Water-Based Lubricant are compatible with any sex toy and condom.

Courtesy Images

Lastly, be sure to get a high-quality lubricant to enhance comfort and overall pleasure. A water-based lubricant is always the best choice, especially if you’re using silicone sex toys, as a silicone lube can break down the toy over time. Some great choices are Good Clean Love Almost Naked Lube, a water- and aloe-based lube that’s gynecologist-recommended and safe for use with silicone toys; and Lovehoney Water-Based Lube, which is compatible with all sex toys, as well as latex and polyurethane condoms.

Best Amazon Position Sex Variations

Top Cat

Why It’s Great

This is a slight variation to the Amazon sex position in that the receiving partner doesn’t straddle the giver. Instead, they kneel on the inside of their partner’s legs. This is great if the receiving partner has limited hip flexibility. After all, who needs to be that acrobatic when the same power dynamics can be achieved with greater ease?

How to Do It

The penetrative partner lies on their back and bends their knees 90 degrees to table top position, to start.
The receiving partner kneels in between their legs, rather than straddling them with their knees outside the giver’s hips.
The partner on top can lean forward on their hands for support or lie flat against their partner’s chest. The partner on bottom can wrap their legs around the receiver’s low back (this can help take the strain off the hip flexors).

Pro Tip

The vulva-owner can slide up and down their partner’s body to better stimulate the clitoris, much like they would while doing the coital alignment technique.

Reverse Amazon Sex Position

Why It’s Great

Some people lose their inhibitions when they’re not making direct eye contact with their partner. This variation still puts the vulva-owner in control, but removes their sightlines.

How to Do It

The penetrative partner lies on their back and bends their knees 90 degrees to table top position, to start.
The vulva-owner slowly squats over their partner’s dildo or penis, facing away, and either balances on their feet (harder) or knees (easier).
Once settled, the vulva-owner can rest their hands on either side of their partner’s hips or stimulate their clitoris.

Pro Tip

How you decide to move in this position is entirely up to you, but we suggest a gentle bouncing motion or rocking back and forth.

Squatting Cowgirl

Why It’s Great

Squatting cowgirl allows the receiver to keep the dom energy alive without having to do any sexual heavy-lifting. This position makes bouncing up and down pretty easy, as they have the full power of their legs.

How to Do It

The penetrative partner lies on their back and extends their legs in the air, to start.
The vulva-owner, squats over the giver, facing them, lowering onto their penis or dildo, planting the soles of their feet next to their partner’s waist. Both partners can hold onto each other for support.
Think of this like a yogi squat—only with penetration. Bounce up and down, but be mindful not to hurt the penis-owner.

Pro Tip

If the vulva-owner starts to get the dreaded quad burn, swap to classic cowgirl. Because this requires a lot of hamstring flexibility for the giver, be sure to stretch first.

Amazon Position Sex Benefits

Amazon sex position encourages for direct eye contact, making it both hot and intimate.
It allows the vulva-owner to access their clitoris quite easily, as their hands are free. The rider may also be able to generate some contact friction on the clitoris while riding, but this will depend on each person’s anatomy.
Possibly the most exciting benefit of Amazon sex position is the power play it offers. The vulva-owner is in the dominant position, which can really flip cultural scripts. There’s something deeply hot about being dominated by your female or femme partner. Engaging in power play is a fun way to spice up the eroticism in the bedroom and be a better lover. It’s not just that the Amazon is a new and athletic position, it also offers you and your partner alternative roles in the bedroom.
Speaking of the athleticism involved, we also rate this position for its visual appeal. Sometimes it’s fun to try some sexual acrobatics.
Lastly, if you or your partner experience pain or discomfort during penetration, this position can be a lifesaver. Due to the position of the penis-owner’s body, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to penetrate super deeply, which can help with pain.

Potential Downsides of Amazon Sex Position

One big downside of Amazon sex position is it’s relatively advanced and hard to do. Since this position requires the penetrating partner to bring their thighs all the way to their chest, it can cause hip discomfort. For the person being penetrated, they may find it difficult to move up and down (or back and forth) while trying to keep their partner’s legs in place. You’re also going to need some serious core strength to rock this one.
Another setback? This position is a designated LDP (long dick position). Because the penis/dildo needs to reach past the inserting partner’s thighs, length is crucial. It can become quite challenging, if not impossible, if the penis or dildo lacks the length to reach. While size certainly doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of amazing sex, different positions are better suited for different anatomies.

Luckily, with our helpful toys and variations, you can customize this position to work for you.

Why You Should Trust Me

I’ve been in the sexuality space as an educator, writer, and therapist for over a decade. When it comes to the topic of sexual health and wellness, there’s basically nothing I haven’t written about and researched.

I’m a COSRT-registered, certified sex and relationship psychotherapist specializing in Gender Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD). I’m also an accredited GSRD therapist with Pink Therapy. I currently work for The Therapy Yard, a psychosexual and relationships clinic in London, England.

On top of my clinic work, I’m also an author. My first book, All The F*cking Mistakes, was released by St. Martin’s Press in 2020 and it’s about embracing your sexy self and living your best life.

My work regularly appears in many publications including Cosmo, Glamour, Men’s Health, and Refinery29.

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Health

Taking Racism out of the Kidney Disease Equation

Published

6 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Minesh Khatri, MD

The first sign something was wrong with Curtis Warfield came in 2005, when a lab test found protein in his urine during a routine checkup. In 2012, Warfield was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. Two years later, he started dialysis.

“When you get diagnosed, you’re sitting there kind of like a deer in headlights. You don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know what’s coming next,” Warfield said. “All you know, you have this disease.”

Warfield, a Black man, was 52 years old, had been healthy, and had no family history of kidney disease. As his condition worsened and he worked his way through treatment options, he experienced a form of racism without knowing it: a math equation that counted his race when it estimated his kidney function.

That equation, called the estimated glomerular filtration rate or eGFR, is an important variable that helps dictate the course of treatment for an estimated 37 million people with kidney disease across the country. The eGFR equation estimates how well a person’s kidneys are filtering blood, taking into account a person’s age, gender, and levels of creatinine, a waste product naturally made by people’s bodies that is cleared out through the kidneys. But it has long involved a controversial variable: race.

If a person self-identifies as Black, the equation adjusts their score, increasing it. No other races are counted in the equation. As a result, Black people have higher eGFR scores than people of other races. Those scores, which estimate how well kidneys are functioning, influence doctors’ treatment recommendations. The lower the score, the more likely a patient is to begin dialysis or even to receive a kidney transplant.

As the disparities facing Black people with kidney disease became more widely studied, the race-based eGFR has been increasingly challenged by nephrologists, high-profile kidney disease organizations, and, crucially, medical students who questioned their educators about the biological basis for differentiating between Black and non-Black people.

Warfield has been advocating for other people with kidney disease since he received a transplant in 2015. He joined a multi-organization task force spearheaded by the National Kidney Foundation in 2020. The task force spent months diving into the issue, challenging the inclusion of race in the eGFR, and ultimately initiated two new equations for estimating kidney function.

The new, race-neutral equations came out this past fall. And in February, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the nonprofit organization that manages the organ donation and transplant system in the U.S., proposed dropping the use of the racialized eGFR in favor of a race-neutral eGFR. As a result, kidney care in the U.S. is at a watershed moment of moving past a deeply entrenched, institutionally racist equation.

Dropping the race factor from kidney estimations is a crucial step in reducing disparities in kidney disease and treatment, according to specialists on the National Kidney Foundation’s task force. Black Americans are at a disproportionate risk for conditions that contribute to kidney disease, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. While Black people make up less than 14% of the population in the U.S., they encompass 35% of people on dialysis, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

“People that are Black are much less likely to be referred to transplant even when they are on dialysis. When referred, they’re much less likely to be listed. When listed, they’re much less likely to be given a kidney transplant. There are disparities every step of the way,” said Rajnish Mehrotra, MD, chief of nephrology at Harborview Medical Center and a University of Washington professor of nephrology and medicine.

Those disparities were the basis of increased questions from medical students over the past several years, Mehrotra said, particularly when it came to the equation the students were learning to assess kidney function.

“They were told in the class that there’s an equation in which it reports a different number if you’re Black versus if you’re not Black. And they challenged the premise of that, as in like, ‘What is the evidence that there is a difference there?’’ Mehrotra said. “And so the deeper we dug in terms of searching for the evidence to support a differentiated reporting by race, we came to the assessment that the evidence supporting that is not strong at all.”

University of Washington Medicine, where Mehrotra works, became one of the first institutions to do away with the race variable of the eGFR equation back in June 2020.

But there was a broader movement going on as well, involving the premier professional societies for kidney specialists, the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology, as well as patient advocates (including Warfield), clinicians, scientists, and laboratory technicians, all convening with the goal of phasing out the racialized eGFR in favor of a race-neutral approach.

In June 2021, a year after Washington Medicine dropped the racialized eGFR, the task force formed by those organizations released an interim report questioning the use of race as a factor in diagnosing kidney care.

The race variable in the eGFR had come about based on research from the 1990s, according to the report. Published in 1999, the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study was one of the first to include Black people – an earlier kidney function estimation equation was based entirely on white, male patients’ information – and it found higher levels of serum creatinine among Black adults than their white counterparts, the task force authors write in their report.

At the time of the MDRD, making a mathematical adjustment based on race was seen as an advance because including Black people in studies at all was an advance, according to the report.

But within the MDRD is a troubling justification for higher creatinine levels among Black people: earlier studies had shown that “on average, black persons have greater muscle mass than white persons.” The three studies cited there, published in 1977, 1978 and 1990, compared different health measures, including serum creatinine kinase and total-body potassium levels, in Black and white study participants. The studies all state that separate reference standards are needed for Black people, attributing differences in results to differences in racial biology.

Today, those conclusions would be challenged.

“Our understanding of race has evolved over the last quarter century,” said Paul Palevsky, MD, the president of the National Kidney Foundation and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, one of the primary organizations in the task force. “Rather than being biologically based, race is much more of a social construct than anything else.”

In September 2021, the task force released their two new equations that estimate kidney function. Neither uses race as a factor. One is very similar to the racialized eGFR, which measures creatinine. The other equation adds a second test that measures cystatin C, another chemical in the blood that serves as a filtration marker.

Both equations have been recommended because even though creatinine testing is available at virtually all laboratories across the country, cystatin C is not, leading to a higher price tag and decreased access to the test. The process to move laboratory practices toward the new standard is underway, said Palevsky, and he’s hopeful that the major labs will make the change over the next several months.

“In medicine, the time that it normally takes from when a clinical practice guideline or recommendation is published to when it really seems to enter into clinical care is about a decade,” Palevsky said. “In this case, what we’re seeing is a very rapid implementation of the new equation.”

The new equations are slightly less precise compared with the old equation, Palevsky and Mehrotra agree. But the estimates are just that – estimates – and should be used as just one part of a much more comprehensive clinical analysis of a person’s health and needs.

And as racial disparities across medicine continue to be studied and understood, the impacts of factoring in race in health care decisions can have a corrosive effect beyond an individual person and their diagnosis, Palevksy said. “As we teach medical students and residents, if we use race-based algorithms, we are reinforcing for them this concept, this false concept, that race is a biological determinant of disease, which it is not,” Palevsky said.

Systemic racism factors into Black people’s health outcomes in many different ways, from chronic stress of experiencing racism to limited access to healthy food to bias of health care providers. These problems are deeply entrenched and require their own sustained solutions.

The new eGFR equation, though, is a step in the right direction, Palevsky said.

“Will it solve the problem of disparities in kidney care? I think we would be deluding ourselves to think that a simple change in an equation is going to solve much, much deeper-rooted problems,” Palevsky said. “Certainly just changing an equation isn’t going to solve the problems of disparities, many of which are rooted in historic racism.”

Those disparities will only be meaningfully lessened by large-scale investment into the health of poor communities. But the eGFR equation is a meaningful step for Black people with kidney disease, nonetheless. The benefits of the new eGFR equation, Warfield said, expand beyond the equation itself.

“It’s opening eyes and doors to other disparities that are going on, at least within the kidney community, and getting people to talk about and look at what all is going on,” Warfield said. “It’s good to have to know that the patient’s voice is now sitting at the table and being listened to, and not just decided by the medical community.”

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Health

Vegan, Vegetarian Diets Unlock Extra ZZZs

Published

15 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Kelly Wairimu Davis, MS

May 8, 2024 — Want to sleep better and longer? Ditch the meat. At least that’s what some experts are saying.

Vegans and vegetarians sleep around 30 more minutes per night than average, and up to 90% of them report good or excellent sleep quality, according to a recent survey published by the Sleep Foundation.

“Poor sleep leads to poor food choices,” according to Abhinav Singh, MD, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center and medical advisor for the Sleep Foundation. “That is why they are called comfort foods — because nobody who’s tired and sleep-deprived is going to reach for a salad.”

Speaking of salad, people who follow a raw vegan diet fared the best. The paleo or “caveman diet” — which centers around meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables — came in second place, followed by kosher and a standard vegan diet, respectively. All these groups had better sleep than those who follow no specific diet.

But linking a specific diet with better sleep can be a “slippery slope,” according to Cara Harbstreet, a registered dietitian and owner of Street Smart Nutrition. For one, self-reported dietary habits often come with inaccuracies. Survey respondents also had the option of choosing more than one diet.

“There are also different interpretations of dietary patterns, such as what ‘keto’ means to one person may mean something else to another person,” said Debbie Fetter, PhD, assistant professor of teaching in the department of nutrition at the University of California, Davis. “There are many forms of vegetarianism as well. This may mean respondents could classify their dietary patterns differently, which affects the results.”

Instead of focusing on a specific diet, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, Fetter said, noting that more than a quarter of American adults don’t meet this goal. Also, start incorporating more plants into your diet, she suggested. A whopping 90% of American adults do not get the recommended 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day.

“Sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on cognitive function, which may lead to impaired decision-making and influence health. For example, if someone is low on sleep, they may choose more energy-dense comfort foods instead of a nutrient-dense option, or they could feel too tired to engage in physical activity,” Fetter said.

Certain nighttime snacks can also help with sleep.

“Tart cherries, yogurt, fatty fish like salmon, and kiwis (all included in the survey questions in some manner) are foods we know could support better sleep when eaten regularly,” Harbstreet said.

The survey found that yogurt eaters had the highest sleep quality (61%). Fruit and berry munchers were a close second (58%). Those who snack on cookies, cake, and brownies surprisingly came in third (53%). But only indulge in the latter on occasion, according to Singh, the author of Sleep to Heal.

“Processed foods and sugary treats should be infrequent, especially before bed, [because] eating processed foods at 10 p.m. can spike your blood sugar, which activates your kidneys,” he said. “Then your sleep quality is poor because [of] micro awakenings and even bathroom breaks at night, which can then start to fuel some insomnia habits.”

And a word of caution: it can be tricky to label certain foods as sleep-promoting or not, especially when we do not have critical information about the people who selected those foods.

“For instance, based on this survey, people who consumed cereal reported having the worst sleep quality — but we don’t know about these people’s lifestyles, sleep conditions, dietary or physical activity habits, socioeconomic status, stress level, and more that can all have an impact on their sleep. It may not be because of the cereal,” Fetter said.

Insomnia was the most common sleep disturbance among respondents in the survey. If you are having trouble falling asleep, here are a few things you can try: Skip spicy meals before bedtime, as it can lead to heartburn. Have a scheduled bedtime and wake-up time and stop drinking caffeine 6 to 8 hours before bed. Creating a wind-down routine — such as reading a book, journaling, or coloring in an adult coloring book — can also promote good sleep hygiene, according to Fetter. You could also try a “sleepy girl mocktail,” a viral trend that is a nonalcoholic concoction of sparkling water, tart cherry juice, and a magnesium supplement.

“How well it works is still up for debate,” Harbstreet said, noting that some people swear by it, others found no difference, and others reported the carbonation or sugar content seemed to negatively impact sleep.

For more information on better sleep, see WebMD’s Tips for Better Sleep.

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Health

Author Insights from Shannon Olsen on Writing, Teaching, and Books

Published

18 hours ago

May 8, 2024

School Specialty

In this inspiring episode of The Schoolyard Podcast, host Nancy Chung spoke with Shannon Olsen, a beloved children’s book author and former second-grade teacher. Shannon shared her journey from teaching to becoming a full-time author, highlighting her passion for creating educational resources and children’s books that foster a sense of family and collaboration in the classroom.

Shannon discussed her popular books, including her best-selling Our Class is a Family and her latest, Collaboration Station, which she wrote during the challenging times of distance learning. These books reinforce the importance of community and teamwork among students while transitioning back to in-person learning.

You’ll hear insights from Shannon on how her personal experiences and challenges as a teacher inspired her books. She shares touching stories about how her role as an author has positively impacted her own children and students across the country.

For aspiring authors, Shannon also offers practical advice on how to get started with writing and publishing their own books.

host nancy chung and author shannon olsen on a video interview, each holding up a children's book — *The Schoolyard Podcast host Nancy Chung and author Shannon Olsen hold up two of Shannon’s books.*

Tag, You’re It!

The episode wrapped up with our regular segment called “Tag Your It,” where Shannon and Nancy chose the book characters they’d like to be for a day. Listen in to hear their answers!

For more educational resources and to learn about Shannon’s author visits and publishing consultations, visit her website at www.lifebetweensummers.com.
To shop her best-selling books, visit her website at https://lifebetweensummers.com/shop/.
To view her TPT page, visit https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Life-Between-Summers.

Join us next time on The Schoolyard Podcast, where we continue to explore the magic of learning and the impactful stories of educators.

Shannon Olsen

Shannon Olsen creates resources for elementary school teachers, including picture books. She is the author of #1 best-selling books, including Our Class is a Family and both books in the series A Letter From Your Teacher. The themes are focused on building class community and positive relationships in the classroom.

Several of her books have reached the Amazon Top 20 Charts for all books sold. Her first book, Our Class is a Family, earned the #1 spot on Publisher’s Weekly for Top Children’s Picture Books. In August 2020, Amazon selected the book cover to be featured on their 83-foot billboard in front of Penn Station in New York City.

Prior to becoming an author, Shannon earned her BA in English and MA in Teaching from the University of California Irvine. With fifteen years of classroom experience as a second-grade teacher, she creates and sells downloadable resources for elementary teachers through Life Between Summers LLC. Her educational resources are available through the Teachers Pay Teachers website and her online shop at lifebetweensummers.com.

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