7] ANNE
= HOOPER’S
AMA
UTRA
CUA Sshe
LOVEMAKING
TECHNIQUES
REINTERPRETED
FORT TODAYS
LOVERSCONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 6
PREPARING FOR LovE 14
TOUCHING AND CARESSING 24
KissiNG AND MOUTHPLAY 44
KAMA SUTRA POSITIONS 66
ANANGA RANGA POSITIONS 90 PERFUMED GARDEN POSITIONS 108
THE POSITIONS OF THE TAO 136
BEFORE AND AFTER LOVE 150.
INDEX 158
ADDITIONAL READING 160
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 160INTRODUCTION
When I was first asked to write a commentary for a new edition of the Kama Sutra, I
was less than enthusiastic. In the '60s and '70s there seemed to be dozens of versions
of the Kama Sutra. Alll were removed from my oun lifestyle, and
1 didn’t feel there was much I could relate to in the text, Although
P'm fascinated by human sexual nature, I’m not very interested in
sex practiced as a style of gymnastics. I would defend freedom for
the aficionado of soph
that athletic poses had much two do with my own sex life. So it was
cated sexual positions, but I've never felt
with reluctance that I sat down and began to read a copy of the
Buirton and Arbuthnot translation, which was first published in
1883 and which I have quoted extensively in this book. To my
surprise, I got far more out of the experience than I'd thought possible. 1 began to
understand the sense of humor behind some of the more exotic poses and realized that
many of the poses were not just about sex—they were also about the union of body
and mind. Some of the sexual poses in the Kama Sutra are yoga positions, and the
goal of yoga is to create mental and physical harmony. The Kama Suitra makes sense
in our sophisticated world in that we still strive for the
The Kama Sutra and its associated texts, the
Ananga Ranga, The Perfumed Garden, and the
Tao, are not as baldly sexual as we might assume.
There is a connection between these ancient
writings and life in the 20th century. It’s a con:
nection that centers on feelings. Although it is
possible for usito interact sexually with many
people; unless we have-also cultivated'some lave
xperience of ecstasy
and warmth toward the person who is atousing
us; we won’t get near the real goal of kama, The
concept of kama involves the “enjoyment of
appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing
feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling, assisted by
the mind together with the soul.” As a concept,
kama is just as relevant to us now as it was ta the
Indians in around ap 400.