Shibari How To: Lesson 10/Rope Materials

From http://www.bdsm-chicago.com/cram:

Rope Materials

Types of Rope

Cordage: rope, twine, or thread has always been an essential part of man’s tool kit These have been made of both animal and plant fibers, and now, synthetic fibers and wire are used as well. Examples of animal fiber cordage would include sinew for sewing, the Mexican braided rawhide reata, and the twisted horsehair hackamore. Probably every long-fiber plant known to man has been used at some time or other in history to make cordage. To judge the significance of rope, it should be noted that the maritime economies of Europe would never have come into existence without it and the New World would, in all likelihood, would never have been discovered and settled by Europeans. Without rope, the pyramids might never have been built, mountains may never have been climbed and there would be no shibari.

Different Ropes for Different Folks

Here, I will discuss the various types and and give my opinions of them. Owing to human diversity, I don’t expect everyone to agree with me or my reasoning. Hey, what makes the world go round anyway?

Rope for Shibari can be classed as either natural fiber or synthetic fiber and is further divided as being made by twisting or by braiding. Braided rope is made by braiding fine yarns of fibers over a core. The core can be of the same material as the shell or can be completely different, for example, nylon is often braided over a cotton core. Twisted rope is made by spinning fibers into yarn, usually with a right-hand twist. Multiple yarns, usually three, are then twisted or set into strands using a left hand twist. Multiple strands, usually three again, are then twisted or laid into rope using a right hand twist again. The twists in opposing directions create torque which is what holds the rope together. To determine the handedness of the twist, hold the rope in a line away from your body. If the twists or spirals of the rope recede to the right, you are looking at a right-hand or Z twist, if they recede to the left, you are looking at a left-hand or S twist. The latter is less common, by far, than the former and to my eye, simply looks “wrong.” Twisted rope is preferable for shibari in a couple of ways: most knots are designed so that the natural friction of the twists working against each other helps in their setting and stability. Twisted rope also leaves beautiful ligature marks on a subbie’s skin after the bindings have been removed–a lovely reminder of a happy time.

Synthetic Fibers

I don’t like them! let’s get that out of the way first. I don’t like them for Shibari, at least. The main synthetic fibers would be polypropylene, that nasty hard stuff that floats and is used for things like water-ski tow ropes: nylon; rayon; and the weird compounds used for climbing rope. Synthetic ropes have, as a class, certain advantages as well as disadvantages. On the positive side, they are very stable. They tend to be waterproof and will wash well. On the negative side, the can produce significant rope-burn very easily when moved quickly over the skin.

MFP ( Muti - Filament Polypropylene ), don’t confuse this with other types of rope that are not suitable for Shibari use! I personally use this type of rope for most of my Shibari work. It’s easy to keep clean, and comes in dozen of colors if you order from rainbowrope.com

Climbing rope, always braided, can be made out of several different materials, including kevlar.

Rayon can be twisted or braided and is usually used for sailing as halyards and sheets. It is very stable, has a nice texture and is very expensive.

Nylon can be twisted or braided and is very stretchy. The most commonly available types, what you would find packaged in the hardware store, are not nearly as strong as one might expect. Nylon is very slippery and doesn’t always hold knots well. In humid weather, it seems to have a moist feel to it, making it rather distasteful to me. Braided line uses a core which is not always of the same material as the surface braid. When the materials are incomparable, washing or exposure to water or humidity can and will substantially alter the characteristics of the rope.

Natural Fibers

I prefer natural fibers, well, some natural fibers. Some of them are truly nasty and are totally inappropriate for bondage. Stability varies greatly between the fibers and, of those suitable for bondage, their resistance to moisture is such that I regard them as un-washable

A word here on washability: I don’t advocate washing rope and feel that caution and personal hygiene are the answers to the problem. According to Jay Wiseman (Jay Wiseman’s Erotic Bondage Handbook, Greenery Press, Emeryville, CA; 2000, p 116) there are no known cases of anything being transmitted to anyone through rope. True, I don’t do a lot of casual play any more and, even in light of the “harshness” of the rope I use, I’ve never had an instance where I’ve caused skin to break even slightly, so for me, it’s never really been an issue.
Manila

Manila is made from the leaf stems of the abaca plant, a member of the banana family. The fibers vary in length from 4 to 15 feet.and are classified as hard. This is very stable and strong rope. S=2D²/300 tonnes for new, top quality rope. Typically, manilla is treated with petrochemicals to inhibit mildew and has a smell like diesel fuel. This rope is totally unsuitable for bondage, the chief disadvantage is the possibility of infection from fiber splinters that break off and become embedded in the skin.

Sisal

Sisal is made from either of two fibers from tropical plants, cesarean and henequen. These fibers are shorter than manila but have the same drawbacks and are classified as hard. If the breaking strain of Manila is given as 100, sisalana=80 and henequen=65. Again, unsuitable for bondage.

Coir

Mentioned for curiosity value, coir is made from the fiber of coconut husks, is very light and floats. The rope is very rough and stretchy with a breaking strain of about 25% of manila.

Cotton

In Japan, cotton is used for static bondage (no suspension). It comes as twist or braid and is often died red, or, occasionally, other colors. Cotton has a very low strength index and is best used for decorative work. I’ve seen some lovely twist in hardware and tack stores but it’s usually too large for bondage.

The Real Shibari Nitty-gritty

This is the rope I make and use myself. From left to right: jute, raw hemp from Hungary, and sized hemp from Hungary. The sizing in the leftmost rope probably has a casein content as the twine I made it from smelled just like Elmer’s glue when I got it. The Preferred diameter is 6 to 8 mm or 1/4″.

Hemp

Hemp is a soft fiber that grows in many parts of the world, It is very absorbent and was usually tarred for use as standing rigging in old, square-rigged ships. The strength index of hemp is 100, identical with that of manila. This is a common rope for shibari in Japan. There is little or no danger of fibers breaking off in the skin and the feel is not uncomfortable at all. Hemp will stand up to repeated wettings but it shrinks at least 10% when wet and may not expand fully unless stretched. David El, in San Francisco, finishes his hemp rope with mink oil. I use mine raw and am happy with it that way. One day, perhaps, I will try out various finishing techniques on the ropes I make.

Jute

Another soft fiber, this is my favorite rope. It is nowhere near as abrasive or uncomfortable as it looks. The fiber is from the east Indian linden plant and has a pleasant licorice smell. It is processed with small amounts of creosote which some people may find unpleasant or irritating though, in my experience irritation is exceedingly rare. I know some subbies who, after being tied a few times who can go into headspace just smelling the rope. Jute is definitely not water-friendly since wetting expands the fibers and weakens the line. I have no idea what the strength index is though it is the most commonly (as I have recently been told) used rope for bondage and suspension in Japan. The trick is to inspect the rope and make sure it’s not fraying and to replace it before that starts to happen. Old rope can be used for static bondage, of course, where strength is not critical. Knots set well in jute but remain easy to untie. I use this rope raw, with no additional finishing but James in Seattle has been doing some experiments finishing jute with paraffin. He tells me my rope creaks when he uses it.

Shibari How To: Lesson 9/Basic Rope Info

From  http://www.bdsm-chicago.com/cram:

BASIC ROPE INFO
By MorTis

Now when dealing with rope bondage, one of the most important things if to figure out what kind of rope you want to use! (duh!) Now almost any kind of rope can be used for bondage. Nylon and cotton are the most commonly used in the US, Hemp and Jute are the most common used in Japanese bondage photos, and in Japan. The only thing you want to stay away from is rope that is hard (like normal plastic), or rope that is cored (meaning it has one material on the outside, and is plastic center in it).

The qualities that make up the most important properties of selecting rope is the material , its strength, length, size (diameter), tooth and feel overall feel of the rope.

Material: Rope can be made out of almost any kind of natural or syntheic fibers. Every fiber has its own characteristics.

Length: how long is the rope you want to use?

Size (diameter): How large / wide is the rope. (i.e. 1/4″, 5/16″, 5/8″ or 4mm, 6mm,or 8mm etc.)

Strength: How much weight the rope can hold under a load. For static bondage, this is not a very important factor, but for suspension bondage this is a very important factor!

Tooth: How the surface of the rope feels, how well the surface helps the rope keep knots

Finishing the ends: When Cutting rope, you have to make sure the ropes end will not unravel.

Shibari How To: Lesson 8/Scene Checklists

From http://www.bdsm-chicago.com/cram:

Pre - scene check list

1. Communication: talk about what you plan on doing, any kind of medical or psychological problems that may come out in the scene you’re going to do.

What do you plan to do?
Safe words or other communication codes?
Does the victim have any injuries to look out for, or to work around?
Is the victim diabetic, asthmatic or epileptic?
Have any other medical problems? Have supplies for any medical needs around.
After care needs?

2. Make sure all your emergency equipment is where it’s supposed to be.

EMT shears where you can reach it fast! (like on your belt, or in your boot).
Keep water handy
Have cranberry juice for people with sugar imbalances ready.
Have any medication handy if needed.
Make sure your emergency equipment is handy and working.
Keep a blanket and towel around, it’s possible for body temp to drop during and after a scene.
Know where there is a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and flash light.

3. Check and clean all your equipment.

Prepare all your rope. Make sure it’s clean, and no frays or tears in the rope.
Check your ropes, remember this is the only thing that keeps your victim secure!
Always check the equipment first, and test it on yourself. You don’t want to find the equipment is faulty on someone who is immobile, this is extremely dangerous to their safety!

Scene check list

Communication: check on your victim during the bondage, make sure everything is OK. Check to make sure there are no blood flow or nerve pressure problems happening.

If there are blood flow issues, it’s not an emergency! So do not freak out! Just adjust the rope and position to help with that. Some victims do not mind numb body parts. Usually a limb can stay numb for hours before any damage starts to set in. Consult a doctor more about these issues.

Nerve (compression) damage - This is a serious issue and should be taken care of ASAP! A victim will know the difference between numbness and nerve damage, that is a bad bad bad pain (meaning not a good pain) and can cause semi-long term or even possible permanent damage. Also sometimes nerve damage will not hurt, and just feel numb, and how you tell this is if they can NOT move the fingers or toes at all. With numbness a person can still move their fingers and toes even though they are numb.

If you need water or orange/cranberry juice for sugar levels, do so! If bondage will be for a long period of time, they will need to replace water.

Adjust rope if you need too! Everyone’s physiology is different, on one person a tie may be perfect, but may not work on someone else. Sometimes just moving the rope 1/4″ of an inch can turn hell into heaven, or heaven into hell for the person. So if it does not work, experiment a little. Remember nerves are microscopic in size!

Post-Scene checklist

Some of these can be started during or at the end of the scene.

Communication: check on your victim’s needs and see how they feel.

Start after care!

When taking your victim out of ropes, most likely they will not be able to keep their balance, especially if they were in sub space or exhausted or weak from the scene.

When taking rope off, there will be rope marks. You can either leave them, and let the blood fill naturally. Or you can give them a message to help the blood came back. Either is acceptable, but usually the victim will like the message more.

Your victim will be cold, and/or wet. So keep a blanket around to put on them to warm them up. And a towel to dry them off.

Most likely your victim will need water, sugar or possibly food to replenish!

Clean and organize your equipment and rope.

Assess the scene when possible.

Emergency Removal:

Remember that rope is cheap, and easily replaceable, a good victim is not! So if there is a problem, and you don’t think you can safely remove the victim in time, DO NOT hesitate to cut the rope off with EMT shears! You have to recycle your victims, so you can use them over, and over and over! ==B)

1. First, you have to keep your cool! A top that loses control can be more deadly than any situation!

2. Secondly, assess the situation. Sometimes cutting a person out right away can put them in more danger then leaving them in and taking them out slowly.

3. If others are going to help you, keep control of what is going on! Tell them what and when to do things! Someone else doesn’t know your rope work, and can put your victim in danger by cutting or removing the wrong rope at the wrong time! Having a spotter is a good idea, but either way, keep control of the scene!

4. Do not hesitate to call 9-1-1, it’s better to be safe then sorry!

5. Work on some major After Care!

Shibari How To: Lesson 7/Schools of Bondage

From http://www.bdsm-chicago.com/cram

Schools of bondage
by MorTis

Schools (or classifications) of Shibari
I have heard 100’s of different activities people do with bondage, and I want to more clearly categorize them. I came up with 5 major schools that I could classify into these major schools. Now, an activity could be in more than one school at the same time, and you can use more than one school in the same session. There may be more, but these are what I came up with.

1. Artistic (for art, photography, etc)
2. Torture/Interrogation (hojojustu)
3, Erotic Bondage (Kinbaku-bi, this would include sex)
4. Sexual humiliation (kinbaku-bi, seen most in Japanese photography)
5. Restraint (hojojustu, Most commonly seen in Western bondage photography)
6. Meditation

Levels of Bondage.
(borrowed from sscc)

1) implied bondage - immobilization by suggestion or command but no use of physical materials.

2) symbolic bondage - use of physical materials for appearance or symbolism, but with restraint or immobilization low or not intended.

3) structural bondage - the bondage is achieving some physical purpose but not necessarily restraint or immobilization.

4) effective bondage - escape resistant restraint or immobilization is the major factor, although appearance, symbolism and other physical purpose may also be intended.

5) applied bondage - including furniture, fixtures, equipment and fittings etc. anything not classed as ‘toys’ in the bondage.

6) absolute bondage - if you can’t escape it, it’s absolute enough for this term, that’s the main intent anything else is a bonus.

Shibari How To: Lesson 6/Mythology, Spirituality and Modern Feminism

Mythology, Spirituality, and Modern Feminism
of Rope Bondage in Japan

Mythology:

In Japanese there is an ancient saying that “binding the body, frees the sole.”

This was taken from a publish article, and is from a Japanese point of view of BDSM in Japan. So please replace any female reference with any other appropriate sexual term….

“Unlike other cultures, Japanese women find it acceptable to be humiliated and bound for carnal pleasures. We can analyze this attitude from a mental and cultural point of view. Japanese women, just like the Nawashi, think binding a woman frees her soul. How is this possible? In Japan, it is said and believed that bondage, submission and humiliation frees a woman. To understand this contradiction, you must remember that the Japanese are a very hardworking people, life is short, and all Japanese live stressful lives. Shibari is used as a tool to break free from stress and the daily routine of a simple, normal woman. In addition to this, we can analyze the importance of Shibari in relation to the attitude of the modern woman in Japan. At present, there are no more Geishas left. Feminism and equality of the sexes in Japan is standard practice though it still lags the rest of the developed world. Many women know deep inside that it is not good to abandon traditional roles and that is why, when these women find a good Nawashi, they let themselves be punished by him. The Nawashi in Japan say that the best Dorei’s or M-jo are proud women with great self-esteem, because when they are bound and humiliated, they free their egotistical selves and are left with their biological truth.

At present, Shibari and Nawakesho (ropes as a cosmetic tool) exist. I believe that Shibari is one of the best erotic tools and an endless source of sexual pleasure for both men and women. The Nawashi finds bondage and humiliation empowering. The Dorei experiences an enjoyable torture, since the Nawashi can make her writhe with pleasure, bringing her to orgasm. I personally recommend the practice of this art form when used with knowledge, wisdom and respect.”

Spirituality: Shibari is and can be a very spiritual, intimate and erotic art form and can add to almost anyone’s lifestyle. You can add any rituals into it, or use it in any of your rituals you already have!

Shibari How To: Lesson 5/History

History of Shibari
by MorTis

Western vs. Eastern Bondage

Now there is generally 2 classification of bondage; Western and eastern (Japanese) styles. Both were created for different purposed orginally, and both evolved from different uses. Western bondage was created as a form of torture and inhumane imprisonment in mid-evil Europe usually used in physical prisons. Japanese style was a more humane form of imprisonment because they did not have physical prisons generally, and could be used for interrogation and punishment. There are many styles of each of these bondage forms in the modern day. The only technical different between the two is, western style tends to use a single strand of rope, where as the Japanese style tends to use rope doubled up. Modern western bondage tends to be used mostly for restraint for other activities, where Japanese bondage tends to be used for sexual humiliation, as it’s the main focus.

Bondage in Japan.

Hojojutsu:
Originally kinbaku-bi started out as a form of incarceration in Japan in the 1400-1700’s. At that time, the local police and samurai used it as a form of imprisonment. There were no jails in Japan, very little metal resources. But they had lots of hemp and jute rope. So rope was what they had to use to keep prisoner immobile. This came out or created part of the martial art called hojojustu and some other martial arts. Even today, police in Japan carry a bundle of hemp rope in the trucks of police cars incase they need it. Some other countries like Singapore still actively use rope for incarceration and transport of prisoners.

4 laws of Samurai Hojojutsu:
1. Do not let the prisoner escape his bonds
2. Do not cause any physical or mental damage to the prisoner.
3. Do not allow anyone outside the clan see your clans techniques.
4. To be Artistic about the design.

The most common practices for torture and interrogation were…
1. Flogging
2. Weight endurance: Kneeling on angled ground and weighting down with stones.
3. Long term lotus position tie. (legs crossed, head to knees, arms behind back)
4. Semi- and full Suspension. Arm behind back tied up, or fully suspension with stone weights
5. Japanese pony. I am not sure if this was an official used, but semi-suspend on a wooden pony, which put full body weight on the genitals.

Kinbaku-bi:
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a new form of erotic Hojojustu evolved. This was called Kinbaku-bi, which means “The Art of Erotic Bondage”. I do not think there is any real documentation that states how this happen. But it did. I personally believe it’s like how police tend to be kinky now, and use their handcuffs for sex, why wouldn’t a cop back then do that same. ==B). I also have a personal belief that there has been some Hindu (Indian) yoga/karma sutra influenced that came over when the Hindi brought Buddhism into Japan through china and spawned Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism, but I have no proof of this at all! They both happened around the same time and have similar techniques, but it’s a nice little theory of mine. ==B)

Photo books:
There have been photograph books that showed kinbaku-bi photography since the 1920’s in Japan. Which I think is amazing, and I wish I could get my hands on some. This helped fuel the fire of kinbaku in Japan, where is an excepted part of life for many. In the 1970’s there was a huge growth of these types of books in Japan, which is referred to as the “golden age” of rope bondage photography in Japan. I have heard this was influenced from the bondage magazines that come out in the 1970’s in the US.

The Internet:
In the late 1980’s and early ’90s when the Internet became more public, it was easier to get an images of Japanese rope bondage.

Eventually Web sites that popped up about the subject in the mid-late 90’s, and unfortunately one had incorrect information on subject, and called Japanese rope bondage “Shibari”, Shibari is the Japanese word for “tie” or “bind”, but has nothing to do with rope bondage, per sa. It mostly was a term used in engineering. If you went up to someone on the street and said the word “tie” to some one, they would just be confused. Talking to a Japanese person and saying “Shibari” would be the same thing, unless they were into rope bondage.

Shibari in America:
So with the influences of the web, Shibari has spread like wildfire through the US, at least the concept if not the practices. With a new generation and style coming out of American riggers (a rigger is a person who does the tying, or work with rope or cables etc). Since the late 1990’s events have had instructors teaching Shibari. In the late 90’s and early 00’s some local bondage groups have popped up to educate (such as CRAM in Chicago, and a lot others), and as of 2004 a (inter) national Japanese rope bondage educational conference happed, which was a great success called, ShibariCon. Personally I consider Shibari to the 3rd generation of Hojojutsu/Kinbaku-Bi.

Modern Shibari in Japan:
In Japan, the Japanese riggers usually call Japanese rope bondage just “bondage”, it’s funny that Americans tend to use ethnic words for Japanese rope bondage techniques when they do not themselves. In Japan they call “shinju’s” (which means pearls) just a “chest harness” and etc. But lately I have heard rumors that the Japanese riggers are starting to use the Americanized “Japanese” terms for what they are doing now. So I think that is very interesting that it’s doing a 360 & feeding back into itself.

Shibari How To: Lesson 4/Psychological Considerations of Rope Bondage

From http://www.bdsm-chicago.com/cram:

Psychological Health
Now I am not a psychologist either, and everyone is different, this is what I have learned from my experiences, so please talk to a mental health specialist if you need advice! Now this should fall under a medical section. But I wanted to give psychological health its own section because it is an extremely important, if not the most important thing, about bondage.

General
First off, bondage is all about control (or there lack of), and trust, which are 2 very mentally based concepts. When people are in bondage, they think, feel and (re)act differently they they would normally. For most this can be a very minor effect, for some it can be very extreme. Now psychological reactions are the hardest to figure out before hand, because unlike an injury it is not something you can physically see (well at least usually), and a lot of times a person being tied up for the first time may not know how they are going to psychologically react until it happens.

Clinical Studies
Now I have tried to find studies done on why people like/do bondage, but as far as I can tell, there has never been a clinical study done on bondage topics besides what percentage of the American population does it in their life. I asked some friends about that, and they all replied the same, which was no institution will support this topic because it too taboo.

Comfort / Sleepiness
The type of bondage you are doing, and how the victim takes to the tie, will greatly effect how the victim feels and reacts. If a tie is very comfortable, and they are enjoying it, and immobile, it very common for the victim to get sleepy. I like to describe it as putting a sheet over a cage causing the bird to think its time to sleep, so it does. Human do the same thing, if you bind them and they know they cannot move or get out, and are relaxed, the brain shuts down and will put them in a minor coma like state, so they feel sleepy and want to sleep. Doing a Japanese hog tie, its very common for a victim to be able to stay in it for 1-4 hours on the first try, and I will hog tie them and let them go to sleep, and they will wake up when they are ready to get out, and tell me that, and I will let them out.

Fear / panic attacks
Now depending on the actions taken during a bondage scene, it is possible for a victim to have a panic attack. Now bondage is all about trust, so if the victim loses sight on this issue, or something happens that they did not expect, either action wise, or mental based, its possible for them to have a panic attack. The best thing to do in this situation, is talk to them and calm them down, and start removing them from the bondage calmly.

Psychology of Rope Bondage

Now there are three questions I have come up with when dealing with psychology involved with doing bondage…

3 Questions to ask about doing bondage…
The first, What does bottom/top receive from it?
Secondly, Why do they need/want that? and
Third, Where does it take them?

Generally there are many different reasons for everyone to enjoy bondage, there is no right or wrong as long as all parties are happy and getting what they need from it and also what they want from it! But there are several reasons why people do enjoy bondage, from both points of view. Some of them include what is listed below, but I am sure there are more then what I could come up with…

Control:
Probably the most important key of bondage. For most giving up/receiving, or losing/taking control is the main reason for loving / needing bondage! All the rest generally have something to do with this in some degree or form, but do not have to be the only reason.

Meditation: being bound for some can put the bottoming into sub space, or into a meditative state.

Stress Release: Giving up control can relieve a lot of normal daily stress.

Restraint: For use with other play.

Artistic: It just plain looks kool. ==B)

Shibari How To: Lesson 2/Rope Safety

From http://www.bdsm-chicago.com:

PHYSICAL ROPE SAFETY:

Now this is some common problems (but not all the possible problems) that come along with rope bondage, or bondage in general. I am not a doctor, or health expert, so if you need more insight or info, please consult a health/medical professional.

PHYSIOLOGY CHANGE
It is very common to have someone’s body go through changes while in bondage. The mind works differently, thus the body starts working different also. Both the top and bottom have to expect this.

CIRCULATION CUT OFF (Numbness)
The most common problems with rope bondage is blood circulation being cut off. This most likely happens with the wrists, upper arms (you can feel a divot in the muscles on the outer upper arm) and ankles. Rope can easily cut off the blood supply to the limbs, hands and feet by pinching the veins / arteries. At first, this will make the finger or toes start to tingle and feel like tons of little needle pricks. This tells the person that blood is being cut off to the area. If not relieved, the area will go numb. Now damage is not actually being done at this point, it is not am emergency. It will take at least several hours for damage to actually happen even as much as 8 or more, so do not freak out when this happens. As long as a person can move their fingers and toes freely they should be fine.

If there is a circulation problem - just fix what is causing it, rearrange the rope or change the position of the limb. Some rope victims even like having numb limbs while bound so for them it is not a problem at all. Mostly what happens when blood circulation is cut off, is less oxygen is being given to the cells, and less waste (nitrogen) is being removed from the cells. But when circulation is regained, things will turn back to normal shortly. Note:In hospitals, the common practice it to flip patients over every 4 hours, to make sure if they do not have damage numb limbs or get bed sores.

NERVE COMPRESSION (limpness)
Now nerve compression is a lot more serious issue then blood circulation problems. Nerve compression can happen faster than circulation problems, even instantly! It can leave temporary, semi-permanently or even permanent damage! This is caused by the rope crushing the nerves that are between a bone and close to the surface of the skin. This happens most commonly in the upper arms just below the shoulders in the divot, wrists and ankles just like Circulation cut off … but can happen anywhere and is totally different with every individual!

The feeling from nerve compression will vary from it feeling similar to going numb from circulation problems BUT will NOT be able to move their fingers or toes, too a serious drilling pain (and not a good pain)! Your victim will know if they are feeling a nerve crushing pain, but if they are going numb, the best thing to do is make sure they can move the hands and feet on there own frequently. If they can not do that, there is a problem and remove them from the rope immediately!

(STATs: Jay Wiseman says he could find almost no examples of permanent injury resulting from circulation restriction. The rules about testing hands for color or temperature are worthless. He says the only real sign of rope being too tight is pain. You can have numb hands for a long time with no problems resulting. Most people don’t like the feeling of numb hands and it can bring a bottom out of headspace. So it’s good to be able to spot them. I also find that if the bottom is playing with their fingers, that’s typically a signal that they’re going numb. There are two ways to get a numb limb: compress a nerve or compress an artery. It appears that cutting off the blood supply to a *nerve* isn’t harmful unless it is done repeatedly. A very interesting article I stumbled upon (http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec96/850996021.Ns.r.html) states that about 15 minutes after a nerve is compressed, the skin begins to feel numb. Fifteen minutes later, temporary paralysis can set in which will abate after about a minute once the blood supply is restored to the nerve. It’s only 40 minutes or more after the nerve has been compressed (25 minutes or more after the skin feels numb) that recovery time can extend into hours, days, and weeks. These are, apparently, called “Palsies.” These, too, recover, but only after extended healing times. I have suffered from “Handlebar Palsy” which occurred after too many hours on a bike (I could no longer do the Vulcan “Live long and prosper” sign) and it took about a week to heal after I stopped riding. So there’s PLENTY of time to react to a numb limb if the cause is a compressed nerve. And the consequences of dawdling simply extend the healing time from a few minutes to a number of days (not a good way to keep a sub around, by the way). If the cause is a compressed *artery*, then things get a little more serious if only because it takes more pressure to overcome the 100 mm-Hg (100 Torr or 2 psi) blood pressure than it does to compress the capillaries surrounding a nerve. I don’t know what damage ischemia (loss of blood supply) can do to muscles and tissue over the period of 30 minutes, so I’ll refrain from commenting further. I am reminded by an MD friend of mine that the damage cannot be TOO great: People have sewn limbs back on and had them work…. I guess the upshot of this long-winded (and very geeky) reply is that most of us do not like numb limbs and they feel bad; but they’re not quite as dangerous as they seem. This doesn’t obviate the need for a good bondage top to recognize and correct the problem, however. )

Other Instances to look out for while standing in bondage…

Knee locking: Do not let the victim knock their knees. This greatly changes the flow of blood, and blood pressure, and can cause them to pass out!

Pressure on sternum: Watch out for putting excessive pressure on the sternum, this can also make someone pass out

MEDICAL HISTORY and INJURIES:
You want to know about your bottom’s medical history and injuries. It is common for people to have injuries, and have medication needs. For example if someone is diabetic, you want to keep their insulin and / or juice around to help control their sugar level. It also common for people to have shoulder and knee injuries, so you have to plan to keep pressure off those joints or any other injuries the bottom may have. Also keep any medicine that may be needed in hand, such as breathalyzers, and medications.

ROPE REMOVAL (End of the scene):

Rope Burn:
When removing rope (and putting on rope), you have to watch out for rope burn. Rope burn is caused by friction of the surface of the rope against the skin. The faster you pull rope, the more chance rope burn will occur. This is not necessarily a bad thing though; some rope victims love rope burn! But if you don’t want to cause rope burn, you just have to pull the rope through slower. Also the different rope materials cause rope burn faster than others. Remember taking rope off can be as sensual as putting it on!

Joint Hardening:
If they are in a position for a long period of time, which usually starts after 15 mins, the joints will stiffen. This is because joints are meant to being free and moving, when they don’t move they freeze up. You will have to ease them out of the position let them move slowly into a neutral position. If they move the joints too fast, which they will try to do, it will hurt a lot! You will have to help support their legs/arms and then lower them slowly at their pace once they realize what is going on.

Balance:
When taken you victim out of ropes, most likely they will not be able to keep balance, especially if they were in sub space, or exhausted and weak from the bondage.

Rope Marks:
When you remove rope from the skin, you will see rope marks. Personally I consider this one of the more lovely and artistic elements of rope bondage! There are 2 things you can do: Just leave them alone, and let the blood naturally flow back to the surface of the skin, Or you can do a light massage on those areas to get the blood flowing back to the surface and most likely the rope victim will consider it the best massage they ever got! But both are fine, depending on your scene and preference of your play partner.

Temperature,
Your victim will most likely get cold, from coming out of subspace, and crashing from subspace or several other reasons. So keep a blanket around to put on them to warm them up.

Water and food:
People lose a lot of liquids while in bondage, so it good to keep water around for them to drink during and after the scene. They will need it! Most likely your victim will also need sugar or food to replenish their system once out!

Other Aftercare
Depending on your scene and victim, aftercare varies from victim to victim. So communicate with your partners to see what they need. It can be anything from totally leaving them alone, to cuddling.
(see shevah’s hand-out)

Emergency Removal:
Remember that rope is cheap, and easily replaceable, a good Victim is not! So if there is a problem, and you don’t think you can safely remove the victim in time, DO NOT hesitate to cut the rope off with EMT shears! You have to recycle your victims, so you can use them over, and over and over! ==B)

1. First, you have to keep your cool! A top that loses control and be more deadly then any situation!

2. Secondly, assess the situation. Sometimes cutting a person out right away can put them in more danger then leaving them in and taking them out slowly.

3. If others are going to help you remove, keep control, and tell them what to do! Someone else doesn’t know your rope work, and can put your victim in danger by cutting or removing the wrong rope at the wrong time! Having a spotter is a good idea, but either way, keep control of the scene!

4. Do not hesitate to call 9-1-1, its better to be safe then sorry.

Shibari How To: Lesson 1/Safety

An update to this weekend’s activities between Yin and I is on the way. It is progressing well. Last night, for the first time, I fucked Yin until she said ‘enough’, or ‘I’m done’, or something to that effect (I was so into to being ‘in’ her that I missed exactly what she said and caught only the jist of it…). Anyway, I didn’t finish, but Yin did. More than just one time, by my count. It is still Yin’s weekend, and so I hope to get to finish tonight or tomorrow morning. The one nice thing, very nice in fact, is my ability to fuck Yin without end by delaying my finish. I have a new found skill and plan to take advantage of it.

In the meantime, I’ve been exploring how to get started with Shibari.

I found a site that I like: http://www.bdsm-chicago.com

This comes from there:

!!! MorTis’s 6 HARD RULES OF ROPE BONDAGE !!!.

There are a lot of rules for doing bondage, but here are 6 main Rules of Bondage that should never be broken!

There are a lot of rules for doing bondage, but here are 6 main Rules of Bondage that should never be broken!

1. Communication: The most important rule of all. Always keep communication open! Make sure you always know what is going on with your Victim. If you do not communicate you will for sure have problems. Every tie is different and works different on every victim so communication is key to learn and progress with your bondage play!

2. ALWAYS have a pair (as in two) of EMT shears with you at all times. They only cost between 3-7$ and easy to find, I get mine from rainbowrope.com. You can get EMT shears from medical stores or pharmacies, Rope or SHARP shears from mountain climbing supply or hardware stores. Also Hook knives are great for cutting rope and slicing off mummification materials. Never do any kind of bondage without having safety equipment on you. It can save a life!

3. NEVER put Rope going across the front of the neck. And personally I never put it going across the beck of the neck either. Also always make sure the rope is not able to slide up from the chest or back because it will end the neck. If rope ends up putting pressure against the neck, it can cause serious problems. The arteries can be constructed and cut off oxygen to the brain. The larynx can be crushed causing serious breathing problems. And rope on the back of the next can put unwanted pressure on the vertebras in the spin.

4. Never cover both the mouth and nose at the same time (mainly for mummification or head bondage).

5. NEVER leave someone who is in bondage alone.

( STATs: Jay Wiseman has collected stories for years and analyzes them. For example, he has investigated bondage-related fatalities (not just someone coincidentally having a heart attack while tied up, but deaths resulting from the bondage) and discovered that in 99.9% of the cases, the tied person was alone when they died. Either because they were doing self-bondage, or because the top left the room. So one of the first rules is: Never leave your partner unattended! Many other serious injuries result from falls, either because suspension equipment failed, or the tied person was standing or walking and lost their balance)

6. Patience. Remember to keep your kool. Either if it is learning what works with tying up your victim and figuring out what works best. It possible the rearranging rope as little as a ¼’ can turn hell into heaven with a tie. Or if there is an emergency. Always keep you head and assess the situation. If there is a problem, can you just untie them? Or should you cut them out?