Dee's Personal Notes & Reminders

Post-Skillshare Notes

Thank you for joining us during our Introduction to Shibari event! Here’s a glimpse at some of my personal notes when it comes to rope bondage.

I’m neither an expert nor am I a medical professional so take them with a grain of salt and a bucket of your best judgement.

That said, I hope that you continue to seek out learning when it comes to rope here or abroad—or consider going through our compilation of resources on the Shibari.ph website!

Bondage Safety – Safer Placement

We’ve covered during the skillshares that danger is an ever present part of bondage. We’ve compiled links so you can remember crucial details like general safety tips and where it’s safe to tie your partner (since just avoiding joints isn’t enough)!

Find this “Nerve Damage Flyer” and more links when you visit our Resources Page and scroll down to the Safety References.

Dropping & Aftercare

Sugar rushes tend to come with a crash and the same applies to Kink Spacing during bondage being followed by Kink Dropping.

We hope that your experience was a positive one and hope that saying goodbye to the natural high from kink doesn’t bring with it any of the unpleasant feelings and hard-to-describe issues that come with Dropping.

However, if it does, that’s perfectly normal and not a sign of weakness on your part!

Click below to find resources on providing proper aftercare when your partner feels down by visiting our Resources Page and scrolling to After Your Session!

The Single Column Tie

There are different ways to end/lock the single column tie: we have options like the square knot, the granny knot, the fast bowline, and more.

Each of these have their distinct advantages/disadvantages, one of those being the likelihood in which the knot might collapse when under different situations.

Jute rope tends to have better tooth or friction that keeps its knots in place, so I prefer using the Marumusubi (aka Somerville Bowline) especially when I use synthetic rope that are smoother.

This gives me peace of mind, knowing it won’t collapse as a result of pulling hard, bouncing, and when subject to other conditions, etc.

4 Ways to Tie the Marumusubi

Over time, you’ll develop your own style or preference when it comes to tying your knots, manipulating rope, and doing your checks.

When doing the Marumusubi, I prefer to form the loop by twisting the rope and pulling the rope head (nawagashira) through it. This gives me an easier time, especially when I’m working with rope that uses a longer rope head (like in certain kinbaku styles).

Here’s a video sharing 4 ways you can tie the Marumusubi so you can pick one that’s more intuitive or natural for you:

The 4 Criteria for Solid Single Column Ties

Even Wrap Tension
- Keep your wraps even and free from twists/overlaps as you apply them. This helps us to best emulate flat bands which distribute the tension and pressure across the limb instead of being solely focused on a specific area, which increases the chances of discomfort or injury.
Reasonable Wrap Size
- Keep your wraps at a size/level of tightness that’s not too tight that it chokes the limb nor too large that the limb can slip out.
- Recommendation: Dee likes to check if there’s enough space to slip in one finger or two slender ones and still easily slide them sideways. Finger sizes differ though and the specific anatomical considerations differ per body part!
Well Compacted Knot
- Too loose and your wraps can lose their tension. In worse cases— it might undo the whole knot. Study the structure of the knot itself and pull in the right places rather than relying on brute force.
- Recommendation: Having no twists and overlaps helps you keep your knots nice and small.
Reasonable Long Rope Head (aka Bight)
- Too short and they can slip out of your Marumusubi. Too long means you’ve used up rope that could have gone to your working end for further bondage instead.
- Recommendation: Dee likes to keep them around 2-3 inches long unless that specific tie requires a far longer rope head (like how some kinbaku styles do with their gote shibari).

Renai Rai’s Rope Bundling Techniques

Need to store your ropes? Here are Renai Rai’s three (3) ways to bundle your ropes!

Do you have more questions?

Send us an email at [email protected] or message us through the Shibari.ph Facebook Page.

Happy tying!