Intro to Shibari with Christian Red

Are you interested in learning more about Shibari, the Japanese art of rope bondage? Perhaps you've seen some photos, videos, or even live performances and it's caught your eye, or maybe you're looking for a new hobby that has some interesting practical applications... 

Come and join our introductory workshop and give it a go! 

Shibari is the art of binding with rope for enjoyment and control.

This beginner-level workshop will address the most pressing questions, such as:

• Why do people like being tied up?!
• How do we bind our partners or ourselves in a risk-aware way? 
• How do we tie knots that don’t fall apart?

Once we’ve established safety and core skills, we’ll start building on them by tying in a more free-flowing way, and looking at how we can approach Shibari in different ways depending on the reasons why we are tying.

Our aim is to create ties that feel good from inside and outside of the bondage. 

What to expect:

We will include a mixture of learning through discussion, theory, demonstrations, and hands-on practice.

This course is designed for beginners and people relatively new to rope. You're equally welcome if you've never explored rope bondage before, OR if you've dabbled a bit and want to bring together what you've been learning in a more structured way.

You don't need a partner to attend. Some of the workshop activities are more easily done in pairs, but a significant portion of the exercises can be done solo through self-tying. It is also possible to partner up with another participant if you'd like, and we will give you some tools to support conversations around negotiating consent. If you already have a friend or practice partner who you know is coming, you are also welcome to stick together and practice with each other throughout. 

We are welcoming of all genders, sexualities, and relationship orientations.

The schedule:

This is a one-day workshop taking place on Saturday 7th December. Doors will open at 10.45 am, giving you a chance to settle in, grab a drink, and mingle (if you like) before we get started at 11.00 am. The class itself will run until 6.00 pm with a break for lunch plus shorter, ad-hoc breaks throughout the day as needed.

The venue:

We have selected a great venue, which is designed to be inclusive and accessible. The entire studio is on the ground floor with all doorways allowing a wheelchair to pass through. The facilities include all-gender toilets and an accessible toilet with grab rails. The venue also benefits from free parking and excellent public transport links.

Seating during the workshop will be either on floor mats (with cushions and blankets available for extra comfort) or on chairs. You are also welcome to bring your own "backjack" or other back support/seating to make sure you are comfortable.

If you have any questions about the suitability of this event, please contact us and we can provide the information you need to make an informed decision.

What to wear and bring:

Please bring at least two lengths of 7.5 metre rope (between 4-6 mm thickness). If you don't already have some, we have added the option to pre-order some from us, which you will then receive at the beginning of the workshop.

Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely. Layers are generally a good idea.

We will provide some drinks and snacks throughout the day and recommend bringing your own water bottle, a packed lunch and/or something that can be shared with the group (labelled if possible for those with allergies). Places to get food locally are limited so come prepared!

About your hosts:

Christian Red is a rope/takedown teacher based in Nottingham who has been teaching since 2012. His focus as an educator is giving people tools and ideas to express themselves by breaking complex topics into simple ideas. Christian Red's involvement in the kink community has lasted 20 years so far. In recent years, he has taught at Prague Shibari, Athens Rope, Anatomie Studios, Rope On!, Rope Office Hours, String Fling, UKREX, and Oxford Peer Rope. He's also a bloody awesome human, and a trusted teacher and mentor.

Lex is an embodiment-focused sex and kink educator guiding individuals and groups in explorations around topics such as consent, sexuality, pleasure, intimacy, identity, relating, and power. They are the founder of Pleasure Rebels and The Kinky Classroom. Professionally trained as a Certified Sexological Bodyworker, Embodied Facilitator, and Certified Dominatrix (among other things), a big focus of their work is around how kink - done ethically - can be used as a route to empowerment and us becoming whole, integrated humans.

Joining the workshop:

We have tiered pricing for this workshop to try and make it as accessible as possible. If you feel that price is still a limiting factor to your attending, or if you would like to discuss a payment plan, please get in touch and we will see what we can do!