To cut to the chase (a situation you don't want to be in with a tiger, even if you are armed), 'Tiger Style' is like a doggy style, but involves standing on the part of the giver (or top). This can accomplished in several ways, the most natural being the receiver (or bottom) bending over, with their upper body angled downwards with their hands and forearms on the ground, and their legs bent slightly. Obviously height differences can be a problem, so one of the solutions is to get the receiver onto the bed!

In this version of 'tiger style', the receiver essentially presents themselves sexily/lewdly to their partner, their knees on it but the rest of their legs sticking out. The giver is therefore standing up, and ideally this height difference works out perfectly where the penis can easily by placed and then repeatedly thrust into the vagina or rectum.

Why exactly it is 'tiger sex' is not exactly known, as tigers don't stand up in any way, and certainly don't bother with beds. Perhaps the additional tightness and control that can be accomplished by the position is a reference to the male tigers' barbed penis, which is able to remain in the female for a long time, making it more likely for ejaculation and pregnancy.

The good thing about 'Tiger Style' looking a lot like 'Doggy Style' means it's easy for everyone to picture right away, and mentioning that it involves the 'giver' having to stand isn't so out there that people might shy away from it. Although the basic physics of one person standing and thrusting and the other bending down not on their all-fours means that it definitely helps if both of you are in good shape to keep it going for a decent amount of time.

Carpeting means it will definitely feel better on the feet and the hands, but you depending on the thrust power, you might slip forward over a few minutes. A hardwood floor might be better for a bit of that grip that would come to the feet and the hands, but of course a bed makes everything much simpler, since it's traditionally where a lot of the sexy fun times happen, anyway.

By standing up, the giver has a lot more weight to work with, their bare feet digging into the carpet or slightly sticking to the hardwood floor. They can grab onto their partners hips or waist much more easily. One of the advantages of using the bed is that the receiver can also enhance their own good time by pleasuring themselves with a free hand, which can include playing with their clit, or jerking themselves off (it's also a good position for women to squeeze their PC muscles, adding extra tightness to the vaginal walls on his erection).

Sure, there's doggy style, which is so well-known and familiar that you've probably seen more people in that position than actual dogs. It's popular enough that Snoop Dogg named his first album after it, and that was over twenty five years ago. But dogs and tigers are both mammals, so it would make sense that their respective positions look similar, and look a lot like how many, many mammals have sex (the male mounting the female from behind).

Not to be outdone, there is also 'froggy style', and it has nothing to do with how frogs have sex, since the male mounts the female from behind (yes, frogs do it 'doggy style'). Instead, the 'frog' here refers to the position the receiver is in taking the act, which looks somewhat like a frog. They either squat and bounce upon the erection, their legs bent and feet on the floor, so they look like frog likes. The other, more 'porn-like' froggy-style position has the giver is standing up and holding the receiver up by their legs, holding them open for easy penetration, but they are not facing each other (the giver's chest pressed along the receivers back).

Okay, buy why the animal names? Well for one most people will recognize these references as dogs, tigers and frogs are pretty much well known from childhood onwards. Even if the positions are not exactly known or end up looking anything like you would imagine, familiar names might help people at least want to figure out what they are (the same can be said about how the zodiac symbols don't look anything like their actual constellations). Another reason may simple be that when it comes to the animal kingdom, we're seeing how they have sex, and just trying to imitate that to some degree. After all, we're all part of the animal kingdom.

Spicing up your love life with new positions isn't a recent phenomenon, or even a late twentieth century fad. In fact, for almost twenty five hundred years, the Kama Sutra has been the best known sex (and lifestyle) manual the world over. While most people know it best for its list of many, many positions for lovers to try, there are many other parts of the book involving sexual, personal and spiritual health. In a lot of ways, it was like the very first Men's Health of Cosmopolitan magazine, because it discusses the nature of relationships and how to be happy within them when it comes to the day to day aspects of life together, and also has a bunch of stuff of how to get sexy between the sheets (kind of like those two magazines, where you pretend to buy it for the first part, but all your care about is the second).

It wasn't published in English until 1883, and in prudish Victorian England, it caused a huge controversy, and became one of the most popular 'underground' books of all time. It is a wonderful reminder not only how different cultures can view sex, but how these views can change over time, sometimes going from less tolerant and open (when the book was originally written to Victorian England) to more so (from Victorian England to today). It's also quite impressive to realize that not only is this celebrated in book form in India, but in temples as well, where you can find explicit sculptures and designs carved into the walls. It definitely emphasizes the fact that sex and spirituality has always been entwined in Indian culture. The overall idea being that the positions themselves aren't nearly as important as the excitement you have with your lover when trying these new positions, and it's the love and commitment between the two of you that makes these romantic explorations worth trying.

While having some hot sex at the edge of the bed and not even realizing the windows are open so that the neighbours could hear everything might not sound like a spiritual endeavour, it can be if you want it to be. Sex and intimacy go hand in hand, and even in the middle of a one night stand, you may just lock eyes with the person you're having sex with and stare so much deeper than you expected, realizing that you are sharing a very special and pleasurable moment that doesn't come along all the time. No matter how much sex you have, you're not having it all the time, and even if you like doing it regularly, diminishing returns makes the infrequent and special times all that more memorable.

When looking through the Kama Sutra you will definitely find that the focus is not just the actual positions you'll take, but how you feel about the person you're about to get into these positions with. Love and affection makes the raw pumping and thrusting of sex that much more deeper than simply physical contact. That's why Tiger Style can be a lot more than just 'humping at the side of the bed'. The fact that you are your partner want to experiment, even if not much may really come from it, says a lot about your relationship and how you feel about each other. The chemicals that sex and the orgasm itself releases into your brain relaxes the body, eventually slowing the heartbeat.

'Tiger Style' will not save your marriage or relationship, but how you and partner approach trying something new (and not necessarily even a sex position) can say a lot about the state of your relationship. If your partner proposes it and you shoot them down immediately because you think it might be dumb, then the problem might be your attitude, and not the possible 'dumbness' of having sex on the side of the bed.

On the surface there's a lot of difference between taking baking classes together and trying new things in bed, but deeper down they are very close together. There are a lot of genuine challenges and issues that you will have to face in a relationship, some expected, some very sudden and shocking, but how you two treat each other outside of these intense times are very important. Getting along at more lighthearted moments - whether oddball sex moves or taking dancing lessons - means you'll get along at the heavier ones.

And if you're trying out 'Tiger Style' with someone you have no intention of seeing ever again, then you can look at it as maybe simply being another position to file away in the positions lists. Just wanting to give it a shot shows your partner at the moment that you are good, giving and game (the three keys to great sex, according to sex advice columnist Dan Savage).

'Tiger Style' didn't really need a name, and was probably practiced by many, many people over many, many years (considering there's probably a carving of it on a temple in India) before the internet decided it was the new hip fad for the week. But the fact that we all got on board and decided to go with it, and maybe try it in that instance (knowing it was now officially 'a thing') shows that we all really like to have fun with it comes to bedroom, and that we always want to try something new (or something old that is repackaged as new).

You will definitely be able to appreciate the simplicity of this move, since a lot of times a new one like this is just an older position in a slightly different place. Maybe if you try incorporate any of these on stairways, it'll become something completely new, like Lion Style. Even if it's just for fun, why not name a slightly different position as your own discovery. Go online and make a post about it (maybe not on Facebook or twitter, but a more adult-oriented social media spot or message board). Celebrating sex in this way will always make you more excited for any new thing that comes along, whether it's a new partner, a new toy, or a new position.

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