From edging to gooning, there’s plenty we can do to make our orgasms feel O-so good.
But women can also take advantage of one specific trick that many men say helps them climax more intensely than ever before.
Pompoir – also known as vaginal gymnastics or Singapore’s kiss – is a form of exercise you do with your vagina during penetrative sex, contracting the muscles to squeeze your partner’s penis – either to make them ejaculate, or as they’re ejaculating, to amplify the orgasm.
Don’t worry, it can feel great for women too, with one Redditor who posted about the practice calling it a ‘yummy’ sensation that has her seeing ‘stars’.
And while it may sound like glorified kegels (which is true to a certain extent) there’s a whole lot more to pompoir than that…
What is pompoir?
‘Pompoir is the sexual practice of training your kegel muscles to be so strong you can contract your muscles to such a degree that you’re able to pop things, like a ping pong ball, for example,’ sex educator Gigi Engle tells Metro.
The idea is that your strengthened vaginal muscles can then apply pressure to the penis and force a man to ejaculate, as and when you choose, as well as give them immense pleasure.
You can use different movements like squeezing, tilting, gripping, pulling, twisting, pulsing, locking and sucking – all by manipulating your vaginal canal in different ways – but it takes time and practice.
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Pompoir’s sexual history
Allegedly, pompoir originated in India more than 3,000 years ago, amongst the Devadasis – a group of female dancers who were meant to worship a deity and look after their temple.
It’s thought this worship included sacred prostitution to satisfy male worshippers, and vaginal gymnastics formed part of their sex education where they learned various sexual techniques to please men.
Since then it spread across Asia and then the world, initially in sex work circles before it became such a mainstream practice that these days you can even attend a course to learn exactly how to put pompoir into practice.
Bel Di Lorenzo says she transformed her romantic relationship with vaginal gymnastics and published a book The Gohddess Method to coach other women on how to do the same.
‘You’re basically turning your lady parts into a five-star massager,’ Bel says on her blog. ‘You’ll be gripping him tight and not allowing him to let go, you’ll be milking him as if you were giving him a vaginal handjob, you’ll be pulsing and sucking, and pushing him around.’
It’s not just for male pleasure…
There’s a common misconception that pompoir only benefits men in the pleasure department. Spoiler alert: this isn’t exactly true.
While there isn’t any solid scientific evidence to show the benefits of pompoir, anecdotally there are claims you can become aroused more easily because kegels increase blood flow to the vagina.
Women have also reported stronger orgasms, increased libido, and a closer connection with their partner.
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According to Gigi, women who strengthen their vaginal muscles to such a degree for sexual purposes may also be into female domination.
‘By having that strong of a pelvic floor you can force them to cum and essentially milk your partner, forcing them to submit to you,’ she explains.
‘You take over their bodily faculties and erection because your vaginal muscles are so strong, and because you’re so hot, sexy, and dominant, they can’t help but succumb to you.’
Safety first
If you’re keen to start practicing pompoir, then just proceed with a healthy dose of caution. Essentially, although kegels are perfectly safe, over-tensing can cause issues.
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‘You don’t want to over exert your pelvic floor – there is such a thing as having pelvic floor muscles that are too tense,’ says sex educator Gigi.
‘This is a problem for people with sexual conditions like vaginismus, when the vagina suddenly tightens up which can be painful and upsetting.
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If you have a gynaecological condition that might be impacted, it’s worth consulting a doctor before proceeding with vaginal gymnastics – better to be safe than sorry.
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