I don't understand the concept of being 'hands free'

Hi @ladfromupnorth, Welcome to the Aneros Forums. I am pleased to hear that you've begun doing the needed reading to begin understanding this whole re-wiring concept leading to prostate based orgsms. I'll try to address some of your questions.

Posted by: @ladfromupnorth

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One thing I've never been able to truly get my head around, is the idea of just sliding the massager in and then not doing anything.

Well it's not quite that simple, please see the thread "Do Nothing" What does that mean?

Posted by: @ladfromupnorth

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I listened to a podcast with Forrest Andrews and he said you just let your muscles do the work - which is of course what I've already read here. But, do I consciously contract my sphincter in order to move the massager, or do I just lie there and wait for my sphincter to contract itself?

Initially, I think one needs to learn to actively use their pelvic floor muscles to make their Aneros model move and massage their prostate, so yes, this is a conscious act of developing your muscles. One of the ways you can work on this is through Kegel exercises. Please see @BigGlansDC 's thread Kegels do feel real good if you do them faithfully! and the threads Kegels Question, The Kegels do work! Especially with Aless!" and Kegel Workouts! for some words of wisdom on this exercise regime.

Posted by: @ladfromupnorth

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Or, if some other muscle (a) which muscles specifically and (b) do I consciously contract these muscles or do I hope they will contract themselves?

Please see the Aneros WIKI Pelvic Floor Muscles. The main muscle you will be concentrating on is the pubococcygeus followed by the anal sphincter muscles. Initially, you will have to exercise these muscles to build muscle memory in relation to your Aneros device. As these muscles become fatigued due to exercise they may then spontaneously go into spasm, these are the 'involuntaries' often referred to as the start of orgasmic contractions. Please see @B-Mayfield's post AROUSAL AND GENERATING SENSATIONS WITH ANEROS for an introduction to some of these muscle contractions.

Good Vibes to You!

I'll let others weigh in but yes, in my experience and based on what I've heard Forrest discuss and other aneros discussions the "hands free" means quite literally using your hands.  Movement of the Helix and thus massage of the prostate is accomplished through contractions of the anal muscle and the pelvic muscle, along with varieties of combinations.  There are other wand style massagers that you do manipulate with your hands but the Aneros devices are designed to be moved with muscle levels of contractions.

At some point you may encounter involuntariness where your muscles contract somewhat on their own without your conscious intent to contract them.  I found for myself that initially I was overcontracting and it took a lot less movement (also with a Helix Syn V) to get my body to start reacting.  I've also almost exclusively not used the vibrations other than out of curiosity, saving them for later experimentations.  

So just lean back or on your side, relax and enjoy the journey! 

ETA: and follow what @rumel advises - he's sort of like Yoda (or was for me ... helpful links and advice!)

@rumel and @HesNot - thank you both for your replies and tips. I'll read through the links and follow your advice! May report back if I have further questions. 😎