|
News
&
Events
Words
Images
Links
Archival Abby
Abby's Bio
|
Luxurious Loving
Trying Tantra
Barbara Carrellas is a
powerful personality. She brightens a room not only with her dazzling
smile but with her electrifying energy. It's an enriching experience
just talking to her. So I knew her book Luxurious Loving would be full
of that same wonderful energy. I'll admit, I did have some misgivings
about the Tantra thing. I mean, I'm more for a sloppy quickie in a dive
bar bathroom than the whole light candles and romantically soak in a
hot tub, so spending hours bent like a pretzel and concentrating on
breathing as opposed to focusing on the come shot is fairly anathema to
moi. I needn't have worried. Because, yes, Barbara's book does touch on
Tantra and summarize the Kama Sutra. But it also covers all kinds of
other smart and sensual ways to slow down and reconnect with your
partner, as well as increase the erotic energy in all aspects of your
life.
Ms. Carrellas is the founder of Urban Tantra, "an approach to sacred
sexuality that adapts and blends conscious sexual practices from Tantra
to S/M," and she introduces many different kinks and disciplines (no,
not THAT kind of discipline!) that are sure to enhance your sexual
experience. There are little historical tidbits and pertinent
statistics interspersed with instructions for Kegel exercises, Tantric
lovemaking positions and Techniques for Prolonging Arousal. You'll
learn new ways to breathe and caress, touch and massage, climax and
relax. Every page will have you literally panting for more!
The book is an easy read, with gorgeously erotic black and white photos
illustrating the sexy lessons. In each chapter, Barbara focuses on a
new sensory experience -- Imagine, Breathe, Sniff, Gaze, Move, Moan,
Taste, Soak, Caress and Connect -- encouraging you to isolate and
explore. The tips are all tantalizingly simple and easy to implement.
Barbara's explanations are conversational, as you'd imagine they'd be
presented in a live workshop. There's no cutesy chat or condescension,
though; it's just frank talk from a friend who knows. In every
paragraph, Barbara's enthusiasm and sense of humor shine through, with
exclamations like "Enjoy it!" and "Make love to that camera!"
In Breathe, the exercises range from Conscious Breathing to Moving
Energy All Through Your Body, beginning with your breathing while
masturbating and then moving into Breathing Together. Her unique
invention, the Precision Sense Focusing Device, will teach you how to
create new erogenous zones. Each chapter stands on its own; you could
even make an entire evening out of single paragraphs. Might I suggest
you start with this one, the opening paragraph of Move, even before you
buy the book?
"Try this little game: Tell your lover to lie back and encourage her to
remain motionless while you pleasure her. Tease her. Kiss her all over.
Suck her earlobe, stroke the inside of her thigh. Massage her breasts
and kiss her deeply. Every time she moves, stop what you are doing
until she is perfectly still again. Then continue. Unless your partner
is the world's most accomplished submissive, it will be impossible for
her to remain completely still while you use every one of your erotic
talents to arouse her. She will move, if only inside."
It goes on and gets steamier! And it's only an intro! Probably the
thing I appreciated most about the book is that I learned new things
but never felt, well, overwhelmed. Usually, sex books that go into
Tantra and such just seem like so much work! I found myself actually
wanting to have sex -- as soon as possible! -- while reading this book,
instead of putting it down and eating a box of Oreos instead. I'm not
sure that comes across as a ringing endorsement, but believe me, it is!
My congratulations to Ms. Carrellas for writing this accessible manual
to a more sexually fulfilled future!
You can find out more about Barbara Carrellas on her web site, www.barbaracarrellas.com, and you can purchase the book at Amazon.com.
[Written Dec. 2006]
|