Dojo of the Five Element Rope

Date & Time:	Sunday, December 11, 2011 ·11:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Location:	Center for Sex Positive Culture - Main Space 1602 15th Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119   @ map
Cost:	Cost: $25 each or $40 for both
Dress code:	Loose clothing that you can move easily in and a piece of 6 mm hemp or jute rope that is approximately 20' long.
	Tantra arrived in Japan in the 8th century where it began an interweaving with traditional shamanic Shinto and the sublime Taoist magic of refugees arriving from the fallen Chinese Tang Dynasty. The intermingling of these deeply complimentary magical and spiritual practices of the Far East was unique and became known as Mikkyo. Mikkyo was later adapted advantageously into the foundations of many primordial Japanese military/sword cults. One particular style of bakujo called senyojo: battlefield rope arresting techniques - became a crucial tool for the safe and secure transport of valuable captured prisoners from the battle theater. Our bakujo arrest & capture/restraint applications are explored utilizing the foundations of Mikkyo (Tantric and Taoist Magical operations) to inform and balance the psyche and spirit of the practitioner under perilous 'battlefield' conditions. The practical side of this training offers a rough & tumble approach to classical Japanese rope restraint, whereas the esoteric side affords insights phenomenally intrinsic to the power-play between operator and receiver. 11am-1pm Class 1: demonstration, history, theory, energies, etiquette (reshiki) (No limit) 1:30pm-3:30pm Class 2: hands-on instruction and practice of basic techniques (te hodoki) (Limited to 20 participants.) Bret and Eric have been practitioners of this martial art for a collective 28 years. Though there are many branches of bakujo, senyojo was the branch most focused on by the bushi (samurai). The two main categories of senyojo they do are called hayanawa (fast rope) and shin no nawa (true/real rope). The instructors will provide rope for sale that is the proper length and type for bakujo. When: December 11, 2011 Where: CSPC Main Space Time: Part 1: 11am – 1pm Part 2: 1:30pm – 3:30pm This is a FSPC event. CSPC discounts do not apply RSVP required to WorkshopRSVP@sexpositiveculture.org – limited space available in second class

Graydancer's Ropetastic Unconference Extravaganza Comes to the Suspension Capital of the World!

Seattle GRUE

	Friday, August 19, 2011 06:00 PM
	Sunday, August 21, 2011 01:00 PM
	Center for Sex Positive Culture

Tickets -	$80 per person

A GRUE is an un-conference - a gathering that is participant driven and self-organizing. Rather than impose an outside agenda on the attendees, the schedule is generated through a fast-moving group exercise facilitated by Gray. The group creates a day filled with a variety of subjects, some of which deal with rope and some of which stretch far beyond. Gender theory? Power dynamics? Scene design? STD awareness? Kinky spirituality? Cyber-security for perverts? All of these and many more have been covered in past GRUEs.
The one thing that every topic has in common - whether presentations, discussions, hands-on skillshares or laughing explorations into new territory- is passion. Everything that happens at a GRUE is something that an attendee is passionate about. The day is filled with energy, open exploration, unexpected connections, realizations, and discoveries. Like a structured contact improv dance, working within a proven framework every GRUE is different, beautiful, and unique to the needs and abilities of the people there.

Be prepared to be surprised. As over two dozen other GRUEs in the U.S. and Canada have proven, the unconference and kink go hand in hand to create something amazing.

The Seattle GRUE will be donating a portion of the profits of this event to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and another portion to support independent sex-positive community educators.

Schedule:
Friday August 19th, 7-10pm or so: Meet-and-Greet. Location TBA
Saturday August 20th, 9:30am-6pm: GRUE! at the CSPC, Main Space.( Lunch is provided on site.)
Saturday Night, 9pm-2am: 2 Play Parties at CSPC, included in GRUE price. (Non-members must fill out consent forms.)
Sunday Morning: 10am-whenever: GRUE pancake brunch at the CSPC, Annex.
Register here: http://center.ticketleap.com/grue

Shenanigan Report!

Last Saturday, TwistedMonk and I had a blast playing around with shape-making during a suspension. He did a fabulous write up on his blog with a few photos. That afternoon while putting up the rigging for his big party at the Little Red Studio, he told me of his crazy plan.

"So, do you have anyone in mind to do that with?"

"I'm looking at her."

"I'm in!"

That was all of our planning. Maybe we will workshop it into something more performance like. That was a great spectacle for his guests, and a complete blast, but not polished or smooth. There is much to be said for jumping in and just seeing what happens.

I'm excited to see the rest of the photos. Big thanks to Malixe for the photography and permission to post!

Fun video tutoral

My dear friend Michael Sol did a quick and dirty video with RiggerJay on Guerrilla Bondage. Michael is a treat to watch, even if he does get the names of the nerves wrong that he warns people not to pinch. Always humourous and ever the Kinky Scoundrel.  Enjoy!

New Suspension

Last night I went to the Grind's 10th anniversary. It was packed! I have been attending Grind semi-regularly for the last 6 years and it was interesting to realize that much the crowd has changed over the years. With the addition of the Chill and the RAW space, there hasn't been the same kind of packed, intense energy that was there last night. Even though the wait for a hard point was about 90 minutes, I loved the crowded feel. I hope people will remember how much fun the Grind is and attendance will be up.

Perhaps that is a bit tacky that I want there to be more people there so that I can get lost in the shuffle and ride the energy of a big crowd. I love playing at the Grind where the loud music and dark atmosphere envelope me and my partner, allowing us to create a bubble.  Exhibitionism isn't really my thing. If everyone would turn their backs while I was playing, that would be perfect. Yay for big crowds. Boo for big crowds watching me.

When we finally did get our turn on a hard point, it was toward the end of the evening. It always makes me a bit nervous how people when people start gathering when the Mean Man starts setting up a suspension. I did my stretches and focused on him and his movements. While I trust his knowledge, skill and experience when setting up his rig, its a good habit to watch a top make their rig. There is always the chance that I will catch a minor mistake and I always learn something. Tonight he had the block and tackle up, which meant we could get more creative with positioning since he could do all the tying on the ground and then lift me.

Trying to decide what to do is always tricky. I have so many persnickety body parts, figuring out how to tie me can take up a good portion on a scene. An inversion that could be turned into a hog-tie. Right-o! I love inversions, as they are so easy on my spine when he uses a 2 column tie on my legs. Hog-ties are a favourite of mine, as well, so restrictive. Yum!

With all the tying done, the Mean Man hoists me up. Laying underneath me, he swings and spins me while I feel him up. I love the feel of my hair swaying and losing and regaining eye contact due to the swinging.

"Ready to go up the rest of the way?"  As soon as I nod yes to his whispered question, he attaches an up line to the back of my chest harness, loops it through the ring and pulls to raise my torso, extending my back into an ever increasing arch. Halfway up, each pull elicits a loud groan from me that has people moving and looking over at our scene. A little embarrassing, but he starts me slowly spinning, so it's not easy to focus on what is going on around me any longer. My whole world consists of me and him and our connection. As the discomfort builds, he encourages me to move and I discover he has rigged the up lines so I can change the balance of my legs. I twist my hips so as to lie on my side and he uses one of the loose lines trailing from my bonds to spin me around. Tucking into a ball, I spin faster, building momentum. Releasing the tension in my body causes me to unfold and slow into a gentle, arching spin. In between  spins we lock eyes, touch hands and start the sequence again, looking for new variations.

These are the components of a good rope scene for me: connection, creativity, intensity and pleasure.

Even though I don't celebrate, Happy Easter!

And what better way to celebrate than by making peepshi! I was reading the directions and realizd that it would be far too easy to make all manner of sushi out of peeps.  In all honesty I probably will resist the temptation, as I have already eaten my yearly allotment of peeps. Someone please  make peepshi and tell me how decadently yummy they are.

My black eye is almost completely healed. This means I don't have to cancel the rematch between PopeBacon and I. We choose the Bondage is the Point party to pick up where we left off when I was injured at Kinkfest during a Take-up scene. Wish me luck!

Going to class.

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of the month, that means it's time for another one of Max's bondage workshops.  The workshop has been moved to 410 Dexter Ave. N.  Lunch at the Little Red Bistro is the plan.

March's workshops is Bondage from the Bottom's Perspective.

Here's something a little different - a bondage workshop that starts with headspace and works backwards to technique.

We'll start off with a demo showing several different types of bondage scenes.  We'll pull volunteers out of the audience for this portion of the workshop.

As we exit the scenes, we'll ask the bottoms to talk about their experience and how the specific elements of the bondage impacted them physically, mentally and emotionally.

After a short break Max will present a model for categorizing bondage bottoms and will facilitate a panel discussion on the bottom's experience in bondage scenes.  We'll be sure to leave plenty of time at the end for questions and discussion.

If you're looking for a "beyond technique" bondage workshop, this is for you.  Hearing what's going on in someone's head when they're bound will make you a more capable bottom and a more creative top.

Plus - you might get tied up.

This workshop assumes no previous bondage experience, and is appropriate for all genders and orientations.

My week.

SEAF SEAF SEAF LRS SEAF SPA SEAF SEAF ROPE SEAF ROPE ROPE SEAFSEAF SEAF

One of my rope adventures this weeks was quite extreme. I was put in hog-tie done with one 20 foot piece of 2mm hemp.  I am a bit sad that I didn't get a photo of that.  For as intense as it was, I was able to process the pain and work through it nicely. I find it fascinating how one person can have varying degrees of success processing different physical stimuli.  The strictness of the tie was like candy to me.  It was delicious, the sensation of the rope biting into my wrists, chest and ankles.  Restriction of movement inspired me to discover the limits of the rope and just how much motion is possible within its bounds. Yum.

Of course I have been engaging in other activities that aren't nearly as fun or time consuming. Right now I am reorganizing my personal transportation.  I am going back to being primarily a motorcyclist.  My little car is now up for sale on Craigslist.  This will be the first time I have sold a vehicle. Should be an interesting experience.

What's your super power?

The Mean Man promises that he can always think of a way to make something, anything worse. This is what I think of as a super power: something you are consistently, often uncannily, good at naturally.

I'm not sure what my super power is. I am torn between two possibilities. One: I can make it better. Meaning I can find the bright side of anything and I can physically make people feel better. Or, two: my mutant ability to heal and resist injury.

A recent example of the latter is an inverted suspension by only 4 wraps of 6mm hemp rope. Not a Herculean lack of rope, but definitely not enough to be comfortable. It started as a horizontal, face up suspension. Not too strenuous, a bit hard on my neck. I was having a hard time staying connected with the Mean Man and asked for more touch and eye contact. Ever accommodating, he readjusted my leg and hip up-lines, lowered my chest so that my head was about two and a half feet off the floor and laid down underneath me. Neither the chest or hip harness were altered, making this a difficult position with all of my weight being supported at one point with so few wraps. We're talking quite a few pounds per square inch.

After he brought me down and the rope was off, an inspection of the skin that had been under the hip wraps showed minor irritation: red, a bit puffy and tender to the touch. By morning, I was left with a light red mark on each side on my hip, approximately 2 inches long. Now, two days later, you have to strain to see them. A bit unsatisfying to not have anything to show for a brutal scene.

So, I don't know. Mutant healing power? Or, always make it better power? Maybe I can have both!

Good stuff, pt. 2

The second scene I had this week was another illuminating session in regards to why I should teach anatomy classes. (If I may so smug and boldly proud of myself.) This scene was with a dear friend with whom I play with approximately once a year. He also was in attendance for the Anatomy & Bio-Mechanics for Bondage last Sunday. While our play did not radically deviate from his style, there were subtle ways in which he approached my body differently than previous sessions.

Later he told me how he took lots of notes that were fairly specific to me. It seems I add in enough personal experience when teaching that he learned more than a couple things about me physically that he did not know. It was a really wonderful scene that bumped up against my limits without breaking me on a physical level. That gave me some insight into how my negotiations could be more detailed.

He put me through 3 different positions, each more stringent than the next, working me into greater intensity, pushing my flexibility. It was quite wonderful. I love a good challenge. Halfway through the second tie I felt myself on the edge of my capabilities. He managed to keep me on that edge for the rest of the time! Pushing just enough after each little rest for a nice sustainable level of play.

So here I am, 2 days later and nicely recovered and happy. In the past, to get this settled, I need to play to the point of exhaustion. That kind of intensity precludes playing frequently. I would put that scene on the high on the "working smarter, not harder" scale. I will definitely look at how I can communicate to other play partner clearly enough to work in that same zone of intelligent intensity.

Good stuff.

This last week I have had two great rope based scenes.

On Sunday, after my anatomy class, I had a pleasant first time experience with a gentleman who had attended my class. I was very impressed with his creative application of the information I had presented. During the calls I give a fair amount of time to where in the body one is most likely to encounter nerves while practicing bondage.

The Radial Nerve, that runs the length of the arm, has two areas where it is closer to the surface of the body and therefor more prone to irritation that the other major nerves of the arm. I cautioned that anatomy texts and instructors can give them an approximation of where this irritation is likely to occur, but that each human body one comes in contact with is unique. I used myself as an example of the possible variations that one can encounter.

On my left upper arm, the Radial Nerve is easily irritated, regardless of where the rope is placed. My right arm has no such troubles. I have not yet experienced any nerve impingement from a chest harness that incorporates my arms on the right side.

The negotiations went smoothly and we progressed into the first tie, a chest harness which quickly proved to be different than any one I had ever been put in. After placing the wraps around my torso, he pulled my right hand behind my back and worked my arm into the harness, leaving my left arm free. Asymmetrical ties are always odd because they are harder for the brain to deal with due to being unbalanced. At the end of the tie, he looped just my left wrist to my right wrist, essentially leaving my left arm unencumbered.

The result was incredible. I was able to be rolled around on the ground in a full chest harness without any unintended discomfort. Normally, that would be a recipe for disaster in the form of nerve irritation.

Yay for creative tops who listen well!