Read the Bottom’s Body Language

During a bondage scene, top and bottom should maintain an intense communication. Usually, this means verbal communication. However, there are some scenes in which the bottom might be gagged. Actually, even in a scene where their mouth is not covered, a bottom might find it difficult to talk or to specify what’s happening. Besides, the body usually tells us when something’s going wrong before we can verbalize it. For all these reasons, it is important to read the bottom’s body language during a scene.

Breathing is always a clear indicator of how things are going. If your bottom is breathing normally, that’s fine. If their breathing is slow, it might be that they are reaching a state of relaxation, which is good. However, if your bottom is gasping for breath or if they’re breathing too quickly, they might be having respiratory problems. And that’s not good, never.

The other main indicator of your bottom’s state is pulse. It is normal that your bottom shows an increased heart rate, due to the excitement of the scene, and the restraint provided by the ropes. However, if your bottom’s face becomes too pale or if it gets red, you should verify if everything is ok. Likewise, if your bottom shows signs of an uncomfortable dizziness or if their hands tremble, you should check whether there’s a circulatory problem or not.

A basic indicator of the correct tightness of a knot is whether or not the skin areas at both sides of the knot show the same color. If you see a clear difference, the knot might be too tight.

Finally, watch the eyes of your bottom. A wondering glance or an unusual size of the pupils —either too big or too small— might indicate some problem.

On the whole, read the bottom’s body language constantly, because their welfare is your responsibility.