Miss Maggie Mayhem at the Exotic Erotic Ball 2008. Bondage by Luke Degre

Rope suspension bondage is one part performance part and one part pornography. Some people enjoy it as living statuary and others enjoy the opportunities it creates for easier sexual access. There are a number of places to find photographs and video footage of good rope suspension, but it is definitely something to see live. Then again, it would be fair to call me a bit biased. I’m usually tied up and hung in the air at least weekly and I’ve been known to go into withdrawals from time to time.

Is rope suspension risky? It absolutely can be. It isn’t something that just anyone can get up and decide to do on their own one day. You have to be entirely certain that the point is strong enough to support the weight of a human being without collapsing or tipping over. You have to have a good knowledge of the limitations of the rope or chain that will be used. Rope suspension can easily become breath play if it is misplaced on the body and slips once the person is lifted into the air. It is also imperative that a rigger can get the person they have bound out and safe as quickly as possible.

It’s not all fun and games for the person being bound. Someone that is completely comfortable in restraints on the ground may have a very different reaction once they’re up in the air. Even though someone may be limber and flexible, they may not be able to tolerate the swaying or spinning that can come with a suspension. Rope that didn’t feel too tight one moment can compress the chest and feel suffocating with a small change in position. A good rope bottom has to a clear communicator, familiar with the difference between the standard challenges of a suspension and the sensations and warning signs that something is dangerously out of place.

Aside from the aesthetic beauty of a suspension, it is also the thrill that makes being a part of a suspension exciting for some. I was initially drawn to it as a bottom because I couldn’t take my eyes off of what I was seeing. I keep coming back to it because of how it feels. While I am often chatty in the middle of a suspension, a difficult tie puts me into a meditative state. I have found that my endurance will hold out longer when I continue pushing myself to relax into the rope. Tension is no asset to endurance. I have to remind myself to trust the rope and my partner and ignore my body’s instinct to fight the bondage. Relaxing takes a certain amount of concentration and work, especially when cameras are flashing and people are talking. I think of the muscles that get ignored on a daily basis, I think of my breathing, I think of my pulse, and I think of the sensuality of rope being pulled across my skin. I am, without a doubt, a rope slut. My brain has ‘bondage buzz’ receptors and I find that when someone is annoying or frustrating me I can think of being restrained in artful rope and I feel calm.

Filed under: Fetish 411 |
Posted on December 5th, 2008
Posted by Miss Maggie Mayhem