If there’s one thing that could be said to be the foundation of any great relationship, it’s intimacy. After all, it’s intimacy that makes earth-shattering sex as incredible as it is. Intimacy is what gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling when you think of your partner or catch yourself staring at them from across the room.
However, while most couples pour a lot of energy into keeping the sex hot or planning enough date nights, they don’t consciously think much about how they can nurture deeper intimacy in general. But activities are fantastic for that, both in and out of the bedroom. Here are some ideas to get started with.
1. Try intimacy yoga
If you and your partner are like most people, you could probably stand to exercise more often. Plus, exercising together is a beautiful way to work on your intimate bond, especially if you choose the right options. For example, couples’ intimacy yoga is a terrific opportunity to tap into and connect with each other both physically and mentally.
In couples’ yoga, participants work together to achieve all sorts of different poses via methods like assisted stretching and flexibility building. It’s also a terrific way to be physically close to your partner while also associating that feeling with an intense sense of calm and general well-being.
2. Cook and eat together
There’s a reason why so many special dates – including first dates and romantic dates – involve going out to restaurants or otherwise sharing food together. It’s because food and romance make beautiful music together. They both involve pleasurable experiences that get most (if not all) of your senses involved.
Cooking for and with someone you love can be a seriously intimate act for that reason. So why not try diving into that together? If you don’t know how to cook, take a class together. And if you do know how to cook, try exploring a series of new cuisines, flavors, and ingredients together. Develop a collection of different menus and dishes that really mean something to you as a couple, and make it a point to prepare them together often.
3. Have deep conversations
It’s impossible to underestimate how powerful a deep, soulful conversation between two people can be. Think back to the days when you and your partner were first seeing one another. If the two of you were like most, you fell in love in the first place via activities like phone conversations that lasted for hours and vulnerable pillow talk sessions late at night.
One of the best things a couple can do to maintain a deep level of intimacy is to keep those conversations going and make room for them in their lives together. Make it a point to spend unstructured time together that facilitates discussions like these. Ask each other questions. Share confessions, fantasies, and secrets. Anything goes, so long as it gets you talking and brings you closer.
4. Explore a new experience together
Just as sharing a meal or a deep conversation with another person fosters intimacy, so does sharing a new experience. Plus, learning and experiencing new things keeps life really interesting, in general. So if there’s something you or your partner have always thought it would be fun to try, why not dive right in as a way to reinforce your intimate bond with one another?
Maybe you’ve both always wanted to learn how to dance. Sign up for an interpretive dance class, explore community theater, or hire a ballroom dancing instructor. Or perhaps you’ve been thinking about starting a sex toy collection to spice things up in the bedroom. Sign up for a monthly subscription box from a service like Seductive Pleasure Box, and start looking forward to trying multiple new items every month. Be creative!
5. Actively embrace micro-affections
Big, grand gestures like expensive presents or surprise weekend getaways are wonderful ways to show a partner they’re loved and valued. But it’s important to understand that the little gestures – micro-affections – can mean just as much (if not more). Micro-affections include (but may not be limited to):
- Prolonged, meaningful eye contact
- Holding your partner’s hand when out in public or watching TV
- Taking the time to thank your partner for things they do or remind them how much they’re loved
- Going out of your way to touch or caress your partner lovingly before leaving the room
- Making it a point to tell your partner you love them before leaving for work or going shopping
Ultimately, intimacy is the most precious thing any couple has going for them, so taking care of yours is the way to keep your relationship happy and healthy. Start with the ideas on this list for sure, but don’t be afraid to come up with some of your own, as well.
