Ya (The Arrow) is by far the safest Shibari suspension bondage. And actually one of the easiest ones to make and the easiest to recieve. The main characteristic for this position is the fact that the back (and most of the body) is completely straight. Hence there is relatively little strain on the body. Ya is an excellent beginner bondage and one that will provide you with a lot fun. Since it is relatively easy to maintain, it also allows for more activity, such as adding or removing discomfort.

The picture below shows the easiest way to make a suspension bondage: have the recipient lay on her belly, make the bondage using a beam and bring the beam up. But you can do it just as easily, using the traditional technique as described elsewhere, by tilting the recipient from a standing to a suspended position. These are the main points, you need to be aware of:

* Make sure the ropes under the body – i.e. the ropes the recipient’s weight will be pressing on once suspended – do not cross in order to avoid unnecessary pain and the risk of …accidentally crushing or damaging bones.

* Even out the pressure on all support points, so the weight is spread evenly over the bondage.

The two bottles (actually traditional Sake bottles) hanging from the nipples have been tied to the nipples and can (slowly) be filled with water or sand to increase the strechting of the nipples as time progresses and increase discomfort.

What is important is that there is maximum support for the body, that can be made either with the back towards the ceiling or towards the floor. There must be support for the shoulders and breast, the hips, the knees and the ankles as well as the arms. In the early stages of the suspension – or for novice recipients – you may want to add extra support around the waist and for the hips (around the upper legs) and sometimes the head (in which case the hair is incorporated in the bondage or a rope is tied through the mouth as a combined gag and headrest).

The bondage can be made either with the legs together, or the legs apart, in order to allow for access to the genital area.

There are many ways leading to Rome and as a result, based on the main position, which is to make sure there will be no strain on the spine by making sure it is straight or only very mildly curved, you can make as many variations as you like.

You can spend many, many sessions only exploring and using this basic position without ever having to resort to other suspension positions. One of the main advantages op the Ya position is that the recipient doesn’t have to be an athlete to be able to maintain the position, making the position suitable for older recipients and even for disabled people as well.

It is an excellent position to combine with other bondages, such as Emóno, which is what makes this position such a versatile one, even for the less experienced giver. Plus, the recipient is safe and not under a lot of strain (in fact just about as comfortable as she would be in bed) so you have time enough to experiment. Most recipients will be able to maintain this position for many hours without real difficuly.

If you do not support the head in the early stages of the suspension you may want to do so later, in order to relief the strain on the neck and shoulders (but replacing it with the humiliation and mild discomfort of a hair bondage or gag bondage or even some noseplay – hence the recipient will be faced to choose the lesser of two evils).

In the final stages of the session you may want to experiment with removing some of the support ropes (as long as you make sure the main supports remain in place) to increase the discomfort.

Bear in mind that the experienced giver has a variety of options. He can add eroticism, massage or all sorts of cruelty to a suspension bondage. For example, he will make the recipient swing, so she feels her helplesness and it is very likely some whipping, wax play and genital play is introduced as well.

It is a good idea to leave the recipient alone for a while (this does NOT mean, leave the room, just leave her be but stay around and observe at all times!!!) – especially in the early stages – to allow her to “get into it” as well as in between different parts of the session. Also, especially if the suspension will last for over thirty minutes, make sure you let her drink a bit every thirty minutes.

Note: If you make the suspension low enough (two feet / sixty centimeters above the floor) that will allow to giver to slip under the recipient and tenderly massage, kiss and stroke, do some fingerplay, tease with your nails, leave bitemarks and many other forms of erotic play.

 

The above article is a reprint from our information/educational site Kink Culture.
A joint project between Wasteland and PowErotics
Copyright © Hans Meyer