Want to have better sex in the new year? Apply these principles to your life and you'll not only have a more pleasurable sexual relationship, but a healthier, richer, more fulfilling relationship all around.

1. Keep Priorities Straight

Your intimate relationship with your partner should be at the top of your priority list. Passion, desire and arousal will dwindle when sexual intimacy is pushed to the side. Take time to fully enjoy, appreciate and savor one another.

2. Communicate More

There is nothing more important to creating a better sex life than communication. Couples must be able to express their sexual needs, desires, expectations and fears effectively and comfortably with one another in order to experience optimal pleasure and satisfaction. Speak directly, honestly and openly with one another and be specific.

3. Focus on More Intimacy

Intimacy is a powerful double-edged sword. The more intimacy you have with your partner, the better your sexual relationship will be. The more satisfying sexual experiences you share together, the deeper your intimacy will grow.

4. Don't be Complacent

After a couple has been together for a while, it is easy to stop working on the relationship and take it for granted, which will ultimately lead to sexual boredom and loss of passion and desire. All relationships require ongoing vigilance to keep them fresh, exciting and satisfying. Each partner must make a conscious effort to avoid complacency.

5. Be Unselfish

Be sensitive to your partner's sexual needs and tend to them lovingly. Make them feel cherished and special by focusing purely on their pleasure and desires. An unselfish lover is one that is desired and appreciated greatly. Their unselfishness will stimulate the receiving partner to reciprocate, thus inciting more passion and arousal.

6. Resolve Conflict

Many couples avoid conflict because they think it will hurt their relationship, but it is the exact opposite. Conflict that is avoided doesn't get worked out. Conflict that doesn't get worked out, lies underneath festering and results in loss of passion, desire and intimacy. Working out conflict builds more intimacy and releases the negative feelings that can push partners away from each other. Face your problems head on with honesty and express your feelings to one another.

7. Have Fun Together

Couples who have fun together have a stronger and more intimate relationship, both physically and emotionally.
They enjoy each other's company more, are happier not only with their relationship, but life in general and they value the relationship more.

8. Develop an Adventurous Sexual Spirit

Couples who share adventure together are closer and more intimate. They are less vulnerable to sexual boredom and have more passionate lovemaking encounters. It keeps the relationship fresh and exciting and better sex will just naturally ensue.

9 Know the Needs of Your Partner and Yourself

You can't satisfy your partner if you don't know what their sexual and emotional needs are and you can't reach the level of pleasure and satisfaction you desire if you don't know exactly what it is you need. The more you understand your partner's and your own needs the better your sex will be.

10. Develop or Refine Your Lovemaking Skills

Sexual needs change over time and so do the dynamics in a relationship as we go through different phases and experiences of life. What works in one phase of your relationship may not work in another. Even if we are the best lover in the world, their is always room for improvement. Learning and growing in the area of sexuality should be on going through the course of our life and our relationships.

Basically, what this list tells us is that having a better sex life takes work, commitment and awareness. Although technique and skill certainly play an important role, it is only one of many complex variables interacting with one another. Achieving more satisfying and pleasurable sexual experiences is more about the quality of the relationship as a whole.

Author's Bio: 

Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed. is an adult sex educator helping couples have great sex, become better lovers and keep passion alive. Visit her site for more free sex tips, techniques and secrets and subscribe to her free Sex Tip of the Month newsletter.