Passion Play

Heat up the cold days of winter with sublime sex.

By Niika Quistgard

Need to generate a little warmth this winter? Crawl between the sheets with your lover and indulge yourself. Winter is the perfect season for loosening your libido. It's also good for you, according to ayurveda">Ayurvedic wisdom, which views sex as one of the pillars of health, along with sound nutrition and adequate rest. Sexual energy is creative power. If you squander, deny, or abuse it, you sacrifice vitality. Nurture your libido, and it will flourish, enhancing your capacity for expression.

To be sure that your passion is as healthy as it can be, bear these two Ayurvedic principles in mind.

KEEP IT REAL. Fantasy may jump-start desire, but body and soul can be left unsatisfied when the imagined and the actual don't match. Make love real. Ignite your heart and senses. See your lover and yourself as divine, radiant creatures absorbed in blissful union.

MAKE IT LAST. After a session of erotic delight, take a pee (to reestablish the downward movement of vata), a bath (to encourage relaxation), and a nightcap (to restore sexual fluids and tissues) of scalded cow's or almond milk, sweetened with dates or honey and a pinch of saffron.