Orbiting
The million ways of circling the clit
A Circle is not a Circle
Eight out of ten women love some sort of continuous, circular motion around the clit during arousal.
What’s interesting, though, is that there’s a huge variety of “circles” and one woman’s favorite circular motion could actually hurt for someone else, or not feel like anything at all. Here’s an in-depth look at the main varieties, how they work and why they feel good.
A Circle is not a Circle
Eight out of ten women love some sort of continuous, circular motion around the clit during arousal.
What’s interesting, though, is that there’s a huge variety of “circles” and one woman’s favorite circular motion could actually hurt for someone else, or not feel like anything at all. Here’s an in-depth look at the main varieties, how they work and why they feel good.
The Science of Circles
Why do continuous motions like circles, ovals and figure-8’s feel so good? Because they repeatedly stimulate a wide area...
Expand detailOrbiting Variations
Location
When it comes to circles and the clit, the hood skin is almost always involved. The closer to directly touching the clit, the more intense the feeling. The further away or less direct (through hood skin)...
Expand detail
Wonderful Combinations
Double Circles
This can be difficult, like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. But many women like a circle with one hand or tongue or penis tip on the opening or butt, with another circle at the same time on the clit. With both happening at once, it can be intense and pleasurable. The tricky part is that often the speed/pressure that feels best on the clit is different from the speed/pressure that feels best on the opening! See Diana’s demonstration.
Constantly Changing Circles
While many women like consistency when approaching orgasm, during the buildup, variation can increase pleasure.
“When any one part gets too much attention, it doesn’t feel as good, so I like when each circle is different from the last one all the way from really big massaging ones to really tiny light ones right on the button. Then when I’m close, I like to just stick with the last one that was happening for the whole rest of the time.”
Skipping
One way to extend pleasure is to skip over certain parts of a repeated motion—literally lifting your finger, tongue, etc. and skipping a part of the pattern. This can build anticipation and intensify the orgasm.
“Take the motion that works for you and take a piece of it out”
Heads up
An interactive version of maria’s vulva is about to fill your screen. (Really.)
Why?
You get to try the technique and hear different ways women guide partners.
Then, Try it Yourself
Bringing it to the Bedroom
Helpful Guidelines
- Repetition. It’s tempting to just try a circle once and decide if you like it. But to really give one a chance, you have to repeat it to see how the pleasure builds over time.
- Ladder up. When in doubt, start with the most gentle, least direct circles (away from the clit, feather-light) and gradually throw in more intense circles and see what feels good.
- Start with a favorite. When exploring together, start with what you both already know feels good and turn it “more circular” in some of the ways above.
- Direction. Many women have a preference for either clockwise or counter-clockwise circles. Why do they feel different? Because with clockwise motion, the left edge of the clit gets hit harder than the right side. And vice-versa for counter-clockwise.
Most Common Challenges
- Too fast. Steady, slower circles feel better for most women than lightening fast. Many partners tend to speed up when things are going well instead of keeping steady. When in doubt, start slow. When it’s working, keep working it.
- Too much. Because each of the variations takes some time to build up, and if something hurts, you’re right back at square one. It’s best to only try a few at a time.
- Too soon. For most women, these circular motions only feel good in the buildup and approach stages, so starting right out of the gate with orbiting may not work out.
