Safety Guidelines for Bondage

Safety Guidelines for Bondage is a small book. La Quarta Corda (The Fourth Rope) prepared it, and it is freely available online. Its purpose is to provide bondage practitioners with a clear guide for all the safety precautions to take before, during, and after a Shibari scene.

It begins by stating that, even though Shibari is a realm of creativity, participants must take safety measures and follow them strictly. Moreover, safety depends on three principles: knowledge, awareness, and communication. Knowledge about human anatomy, ropes, and physics is indispensable for a successful Shibari session. Awareness, in this context, means staying attentive to the physical, emotional, and mental states of the participants. Thus, participants can detect any potential problem as soon as possible. Finally, communication is essential for a positive outcome of a bondage scene. Participants must communicate at all times, not just before the scene.

Readers should remember that it is not possible to avoid all risks. Even the most experienced Shibari masters face unexpected problems and difficult situations. However, thorough preparation can prove extremely helpful to face difficulties and emergencies.

Safety Guidelines for Bondage offers ten golden rules. These include trust among participants and negotiation of limits. Also, telling if something is going wrong, and never leaving your partner, among others. It explores the safety of every part of the process, from the negotiation and consent previous to the scene to the aftercare. Additionally, it provides a list of the most problematic areas and of the most common problems that can arise during a scene. And it also details all the necessary safety materials that should be available.

Safety in a bondage scene is the responsibility of everyone, just as it should be a positive and satisfactory experience for all participants. This guide provides valuable material about the safety measures that must be taken to ensure success.