How do you feel when you masturbate? Do you find yourself trying to get it done as quickly as possible? What if you took a few deep breaths and slowed it down, syncing into the feeling of pleasuring yourself.

When you masturbate, a feel-good chemical called dopamine is released into your body. Additionally, endorphins and the hormone oxytocin, which is another hormone that makes you feel good and calms you down by lowering cortisol (stress) levels, is released during orgasm.

Here's a 20 step guide on how to up your masturbation game. Are you ready? Because things are about to get heated.

1. Find a comfortable spot like your bed or a couch

2. Keep some lubricant or body oil nearby

3. Set the mood for relaxation by creating your own pleasure sanctuary; dim the lights, light a candle, open or close a window, turn on or off the heating. Take your time to set up your space in a way that makes you feel relaxed

4. (Un)dress to suit your preference. How do you like to seduce yourself? Do you prefer to be naked or to wear something silky? Do you want to wear a sexy piece of lingerie or do you feel best in underwear and tracksuit pants?

5. When you’re ready and feeling comfortable, begin by running your hands slowly over your body, taking some deep slow breaths and getting comfortable with the sensation of your hands moving along different parts of your body. Inhaling and exhaling

6. How does it feel when your hands move slowly along your body? Are you picturing them as your own or someone else's? Let your mind wander

7. Choose a finger you’ll use on yourself to start and trace it along the top of your body, moving down from your breasts towards your pelvis and vulva

8. Now, start to move your fingers back towards your breasts and begin to rub them slowly in a circular motion, focusing predominantly on your nipples. How do your nipples feel? Are they erect? Do they feel soft? Do you feel any other sensations in your body when you touch them?

9. Move your hands from your breasts down your body and make circles with your fingers just above your vulva

10. If you'd like to add lubricant or oil, do so now by adding it to your fingers

11. Glide your fingers inside of your labia (lips). Circle around your vaginal opening with your fingers. Do these fingers belong to someone else? Feel free to fantasise about whose you’d like them to be. Don't judge yourself for whoever comes to mind. It's just a fantasy and doesn't have to be real

12. Press your clitoris slowly with your fingers and rub it in circular motions. Press harder and then slower

13. Experiment with different size circles and different directions of movement. You may like to make diagonal movements, increase or decrease the speed, press more firmly or gently, or go back to more circular motions

14. Experiment with lifting your hips up to meet your hands

15. Rock back and forth, moving your hips and pelvis in a rhythm

16. Move your fingers down and tease yourself, slowly beginning to move them inside your vagina, if that feels good. You can also just keep them rubbing on your clitoris glans outside your vagina

17. With your other hand, touch your breasts and your nipples. You might enjoy rubbing your palms together to create heat and slowly moving them over your breasts

18. If you feel like you're close to climax, experiment with edging by stopping when you feel close to orgasm

19. If you have already climaxed, you might like to try continuing what you were doing slowly to see if you can climax again

20. Maybe you'd just like to keep exploring. Let your imagination run free. Your body is for you to discover.

Image credit @by___marianagarcia