Rope Podcast

The 30Q Rope Challenge was created last year to gather and explore a diversity of people in the rope community’s experiences with rope. So many thanks to everyone who completed it so far! This is the second part of a two-episode special Fox and Mya discuss (without sharing any details from any individual respondents) themes and the most popular answers to questions that included: * Rope in the mouth - hot or not? * Favourite music during rope? * Which do you like more: how rope looks or how rope feels? * Do you like rope marks /burns / bruises? * Favourite body part to tie/be tied? * Dyed rope or natural color? If dyed, what color(s)? * Biggest influence in rope? The podcast hosts loved these episodes, and exploring the answers of their wonderful listeners and rope community. There were plenty of surprises - check out the episode at the links below now to listen!

The 30Q Rope Challenge was created last year to gather and explore a diversity of people in the rope community’s experiences with rope. In this, the first part of a two-episode special on the results, Fox and Mya discuss (at an aggregate level, with no one’s experiences shared apart from their own!) themes and what the most popular answers were from the community to questions such as : * What was your first rope experience? * Weirdest rope experience? * Favourite tie? * Sexual or non sexual rope? Why/ when? * Favourite suspension orientation? * Favourite kink to mix with rope? * Indoors or outdoor rope? * Do you like pain with your rope? * What do you like to wear for rope? * Scariest moment in rope?

Fox and Mya both have their own ‘rope user manual’ - a document they share with potential rope partners to share key information about the rope they each do. This episode talks about the concept of a rope user manual, and in it, the Rope Podcast hosts discuss: * Why you might have a rope user manual, and what purpose it can serve * The kind of topics you might address with it * What a rope manual can and can’t do * Their own manuals and what they do - and don’t - include and why * The different purpose and intent of their personal rope manuals * What they’ve seen others include in rope user manuals

Fox and Mya discuss the Ebi position in this episode, and how it can be used. Fox enjoys this tie a lot, while Mya more ’suffers through it’ - which Fox feels is perfect! In the episode hear them discuss (along with a bit of silliness today!): * What it looks like * What to watch out for in terms of safety and risk * Why and when to use the Ebi * How the Ebi builds suffering in Semenawa in different ways, and how to intensify this * Suspending the Ebi versus using it on the floor * How we’ve used an Ebi in scenes

“There are a lot of different variations in terms of human anatomy. Certain nerve pathways are quite set…and a lot of the anatomical studies show the variation in the nerve pathways is very small. But other nerves have large variations, therefore you can’t really tell where, because in 80% of the population the nerve pathway will be in this area +/- 1cm, but then in the other 20% you can have 7 different variations in the same nerve pathways.” WoodenTiger Wooden Tiger is a polyamorous, pansexual relationship anarchist who dabbles in ‘correctional sadism’ using rope bondage, along with a host of other kinks including pressure points, rough body play, knife play and firecupping. He draws on knowledge from experiences teaching physiology and anatomy at collage level, many years of martial arts and his training and practice as a registered acupuncturist. In addition, Tiger is one of the facilitators of Friction Live. Fox and Mya have enjoyed his classes on at @FrictionLive, and wanted to explore the brand of sa

Not many of us live in a world where we get to do rope all day, so in this episode Fox and Mya discuss: How do we manage rope in our daily lives? In the episode they explore some of the ‘real world’ obstacles that can get in the way of doing rope, and consider ways to work around these so you can fit rope into your life in whatever the way you want it. In the episode they consider challenges such as: * The space you have available to do rope * Money and the costs that can be associated with rope * Health issues and how to manage these * Kids and romantic partners * Family and friends * Finding a rope partners * Time and how to fit rope into your busy life

Fox and Mya watch *a lot* of rope performances as part of their fascination and interest in rope. In this episode they break down what engages them when they watch a performance. This is a subjective topic, this is definitely only their opinions and ideas - and they’d love to hear other views about performances in the comments

It’s a big day for the Rope Podcast! With one episode every two weeks since 2017, Fox and Mya have hit 100 episodes! And somehow haven’t run out of topics yet… The Podcast asked our Patrons what they would like to hear for the 100th episode, and they requested that Fox and Mya interview each other, about how rope fits into our lives and our preferences in rope. They also contributed some of the questions, so thank you patrons. First Fox interviews Mya, and she talks about: * Her origin story in rope * What rope bottoming does for her and the kind of rope she enjoys the most * Challenging ties Mya has done (there’s a lot!) * Rope related injuries she has had and how she handled them * Her evolution in rope and what her rope future holds. Then Mya interviews Fox. He shares: * How he had preconceptions that he couldn’t do rope for a long time * What he likes about rope and how it fits with his other kinks * His rope system and how a tie makes it into his rope system * How he plans his scenes and an example *

Fox and Mya discuss hair ties - one of Fox’s favourite ties. As a bit of a long hair fetishist, they are part of many of Fox’s scenes, and in this episode, the podcast hosts discuss the different ways to use hair ties and how you might incorporate them in your rope. They discuss in the episode: * Reasons for using hair ties * The length of hair you need to do a hair tie * Safety and risks of this style of tie * Types of hair ties * Some examples of where they’ve used hair ties in scenes (so many!) * The most critical skill you need to do this type of rope - it’s not what you think!

With the best rope-origin story we’ve every heard, listener Dropellet sends us a message with a few great questions, centering around her and her husband’s entry into kink. Fox and Mya discuss her message in the episode, covering: * How the way you enter rope affects your rope journey * How kinky rope really is * What the responsibilities of those doing rope to those who are watching - and what they aren’t * Can you even tell whether something is kinky anyway just by watching? * How to get started learning rope * Why the concept of a ‘normal body’ is unhelpful (and how kinky and popular doesn’t represent the kind of people who you’re likely to see at your local event) * Taking back ownership of your kink social media feeds

Fox and Mya discuss a visit to a local fetishwear event on Rope and Latex that they attended a few months ago (when there were no COVID cases in Thailand!). They attended as kinksters who are new to latex, and share their experiences and stories from the night - as well as their learnings. In the episode they discuss: * Watching a performance of fetishwear and rope * The environment of a fetish and latex shop * The kit they take with them * Fox’s experience of tying someone in latex * Fox and Mya’s rope play at the event * Handling miscommunication in a noisy environment * Learnings and tips about playing in this kind of semi-public context

“So far I’ve not come across any condition that we couldn’t adjust things in a way that still made [rope] enjoyable for the other person.” Alexielle. Alexielle is a rope switch active in the UK scene. She has a 24/7 D/s relationship with her collared pet Little-Boy-Blue as his owner and Domme, though Alexielle and Little-Boy-Blue switch in rope regularly. Alexielle is the presenter, along with Little-Boy-Blue of the ‘Diverse Bodies in Rope’ class, and we wanted to catch up with her about what this means, and why it’s important for all of us, riggers and bottoms, to be more aware of this topic. Fox and Mya discuss with Alexielle: ◦ What it means to tie diverse bodies ◦ Practical ideas on how she adapts her style and tying to diverse bodies ◦ Myths about diverse bodies ◦ The range of health conditions she has come across and how she manages these in rope ◦ Tips on how to discuss health conditions with your rope partner ◦ Neurodiversity and how you can adapt rope to suit this ◦ How she and her pa

After a short update on Mya’s health, Mya and Fox talk about escape games with rope. Often a more playful type of rope, the duo discuss: * Examples of rope bondage escape games you can play * Variations in your games and where you can find inspiration * Safety and risk * Who might enjoy this type of rope play * What you can learn from this sort of rope play * How Fox and Mya use it in their rope

Sometimes, you need simple rope to get the job done. In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss the type of tying that isn’t necessarily focused all about the tying itself, but is used restrain someone quickly for another purpose - often sex! Here bondage is a tool, and they talk in this episode about how you might want to use it. They discuss: * When you would and wouldn’t use this type of rope bondage * What rope adds to this type of activity * Specific risk factors to consider * What tops might need to manage when tying * Learnings for bottoms around this type of tying * The types of ties you might include * Toys to use and things to tie to * And finally, some surprising rope and sex interactions!

“Once you master how to tie some thing, you will start tying some one.” @RiggerOdys Odys is a rigger/kinbaku artist and educator who discovered rope bondage six years ago. Initially inspired by the traditional Japanese style bondage of Akira Naka and Yukimura Haruki, he has studied with Naka for four years. In 2017 he created Kinbaku odyssey studio. He describes his style as sensually erotic semenawa. Fox and Mya discuss with Odys: ◦ His inspiration in Japanese bondage and what drew him to it ◦ Attending a Naka performance and the huge impact it had on Odys ◦ Erotic Semenawa and how hard it can be to define ◦ Where power exchange and control fits in rope bondage for him ◦ Sensuality versus sexuality in rope ◦ Rope and how he has developed his photography style ◦ How he connects with bottoms and builds trust both ways ◦ How he channels his own emotions into his rope and the shared experience with his partner

VioletRain is a Thai rope switch with an international background, who now lives in the States. A thoughtful and experienced rope-focused kinkster, she visited Thailand earlier this year and we had the pleasure to sit down with her and talk about rope. Through the discussion, listeners can hear abut how as a more experienced bottom but a newer rope top, she’s developing her skills. We also discuss with her: ◦ How an uninspiring single column as a first tie didn’t put her off a partial suspension for her second tie - which made all the difference ◦ How she started as a rope bottom and then grew as a top - and what has been even more powerful for her than classes ◦ A great tip on how to get the most from your classes ◦ The connection she makes between hiking and Rope! ◦ Her love of impact and whips and how she combines them with rope (Mya can attest to her gleeful sadism, see below!) ◦ Wha she’s attracted to as a bottom in rope versus what she’s attracted to as a top ◦ Her rope touristing and travels

Fox and Mya discuss face rope - which is essentially - rope on the face! The podcast hosts are big fans of face rope, and use it in a variety of ways, and when the Rope Podcast Patreon community voted this episode as their next suggestion, Mya and Fox were excited. They discuss in the episode: * What it looks like and how you might do it * The kind of scenes face rope can contribute to * Safety and risks of the tie * Mya explains her feels about being in this kind of tie, and aspects she enjoys and dislikes * Scenes they’ve used it in * And as a bonus, find out how many times Fox has broken his nose :)

EbiMcKnotty is a rope lover based in Quebec City, Canada. She has been self-tying since 2006, and started modelling as a tied-up person in 2007. She started tying others and self-suspending in 2011 when she learned with the Ichinawa-Kai and Kazami Ranki in London. She travels all over the world to learn and share her discoveries with her community. Grounded in the Japanese style, her ropes have been described as experimental, sweet, sensual and sadistic; usually all at the same time. She got into rope before fetlife existed, and partly because of this has always been a great energiser, curator and creator of rope communities, as well as visiting communities all over the world. We wanted to talk to her about her personal journey, and how that has linked with the creation of the many rope events and rope learning experiences she has been a part of. Listen to hear about: ◦ Her rope journey, which started before fetlife existed ◦ The pitfalls of the idea that all tops should bottom ◦ What draws her to th

Fox and Mya discuss the Teppou/Teppo or Rifle (possibly Musket!) tie, an asymmetrical tie with arms behind the back, one elbow pointing up(ish) one pointing down (ish). They discuss in the episode: * What it looks like * When you would and wouldn’t want to use it * Safety and risks of the tie * How it feels to be in this type of tie * Scenes they’ve used it in Click the links below to listen now!

Subay is a Shibari artist and founder of Kokoro Studio based in Hong Kong. She was first introduced to Shibari eight years ago and spent the first few years exploring and learning the different styles from several well-respected nawashi in Japan.  In 2014, she met and was deeply inspired by Yukimura Haruki, and from then on she dedicated herself to the study of the traditional Japanese style.  In 2015, Subay met Naka Akira and chose to focus her study on his style of semenawa.  She continues to explore her own style of semenawa which she describes as both feminine and inclusive. She teaches and performs internationally. Fox and Mya attended one of Subay’s classes on empathy and rope, and loved her focus on the feelings and emotions in rope, and in this interview explore these topics, along with: ◦ Some of the feelings Shibari brings out in Subay herself ◦ How a challenging experience with a Rigger led her to start tying herself ◦ Body image and stereotypes and generalisations in rope bondage ◦ What d