If you are curious about the world of shibari and you want to get into it, here are some tips! First, and foremost, you want to find your rope community & get educated. Something that I’ve noticed over the years is that while people who do shibari are often a part of the greater kink community, that is not always the case, and the two communities do not always overlap. People in the world of shibari do not always attend other kink events, and other kink events often, but don’t always include shibari. It’s very common to find events solely focused on and dedicated to shibari alone. Many cities have shibari meetups, open play play sessions, shibari workshops and classes, and shibari munches.
It’s time to get educated! Rope may seem simple, and it’s tempting to just jump in, but don’t move too fast. Rope does prevent some risks and it can be dangerous, so it’s very important to educate yourself. Hop on Fetlife* and look up some local or online workshops and classes where you can learn about shibari and gain skills. Facebook as well as the dating and community app, BLOOM, are also great places to look, among others. If you’re not sure whether you want to be a rope top or a bottom, try both! As with other kink techniques, it’s very helpful to experience both topping and bottoming in order to be safe, aware, informed, and experienced. It’s very important that if someone wants to tie people up with rope, that they first experience being tied themselves. And if you only want to be a rope bottom and get tied, you don’t have to try tying someone else, but it is recommended that you at least explore it. Who knows, you might like it and you might end up being a rope switch! There’s also the beautiful art of self-tying, where you tie yourself up! There’s even self-suspension! But we won’t get into all of that today!
Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more Shibari journal entries from me. If there are different aspects of Shibari that you’d like to hear about, let us know! We would love to hear your feedback!
*If you aren’t familiar with Fetlife, you should go check it out! www.fetlife.com and explore! It’s like social media but for kinky people. You can post pics and videos, find events like play parties, workshops and classes, connect with kinksters, etc.)
