Bottom Led Suspension

In this shibari tutorial, Icky and their tying partner Lief share another one of their labbing-for-better-rope games with a fun Bottom Led Suspension exercise.

Much like just about every other element of shibari, communication takes practice – we drill certain ties and frictions, so why not another essential tying skill: asking for what we need. As Lief and Icky explain, communicating efficiently and effectively about desires and needs while in rope is a critical skill for bottoms but can be difficult when processing challenging feelings or sensations, particularly in suspensions. This engaging exercise allows both the person doing the tying and the person being tied to make decisions about the eventual suspension, creating an intentional space where the only ‘goal’ is being able to express exactly what we need to make our ties feel safer, more sustainable or simply more rewarding.

This exercise is best suited for riggers and rope bottoms with suspension experience, always allowing your own skill set to guide you. If you prefer to play on the floor, feel free to adapt the game to best suit your practice. The goal here is improving your communication and that starts with meeting yourself and your tying partner wherever you’re at in your shibari journey.

* Captions available for this series: English