Managing stress and emotions in ropes

This workshop is all about the emotional side of shibari, with a focus on the more challenging, darker aspects.

In the first part, we explore the topic of stress and stress management. Being able to recognize stress in a tied partner, and respond to it appropriately, isn’t just important for safety. It can also be used intentionally as a tool to guide intensity or to create emotionally charged, edgy scenes.

We'll take a close look at common stress signals, discuss which ones might be red flags, and explore how stress can be influenced in both positive and negative directions. Most importantly, we’ll learn how to intentionally use it in our rope practice.

The second part of the workshop focuses on intentionally creating and steering emotional states in a scene. We'll introduce mechanisms that help shape mood and emotional flow, and put them to use in hands-on exercises.

This workshop will involve physically and emotionally challenging situations. Some exercises may include deliberate physical discomfort or difficult emotional content. We invite you to explore this playground with us, to find beauty in the uncomfortable, and to deepen your emotional connection through rope.

Requirements for the person tying

• Solid rope experience: You should be confident enough with basic ties to focus more on your partner than your rope handling

• Basic upline management

• Willingness to step outside your emotional comfort zone and explore intense or challenging feelings together with your partner

Requirements for the person being tied

• Ability to recognize and communicate physical and emotional limits

• Willingness to engage with physically and emotionally intense experiences

Prerequisites:

good rope handling and tension management

Time: 6h

Ropes: 8-10pieces

Cost: 200 per Couple

Belial / Andi

Belial first encountered rope in 2010 and has been deeply entangled ever since. Over the years, he’s explored a range of styles and teachers, notably Barkas, who in 2019 granted him the privilege of teaching in their name. Today, Belial is the only resident instructor for Barkas Kinbaku in Europe.

Based in Vienna, he teaches at Kinbaku Studio Vienna (www.kinbaku.at), where he co-hosts regular rope evenings and workshops. His approach to tying is dynamic and intuitive, focusing on the emotional interaction between rigger and model, shaped by the energy they bring to each session.

Influenced by his background in Barkas Kinbaku and Osada-Ryu, Belial's style often leans into movement and improvisation, while keeping both safety and connection in focus. In his teaching, he values the balance between hard and soft skills, and includes his partner’s insights to offer a well-rounded perspective.

When not nerding out over rope or exploring the impact of emotion in play, he enjoys wielding a whip, cracking bad jokes, and occasionally asserting dominance over a stuffed pink pony.

Lena

Lena discovered her passion for kink in 2012 and has been exploring its many emotional dimensions ever since. While bondage was always part of her journey, it wasn’t until 2016 that she began to dive deeper into shibari - first as a bottom, then also occasionally from the other side of the rope. In 2019, she met Belial, who not only became her rigger but also re-sparked her fascination with rope as a form of connection and communication.

Lena’s main interest lies in the emotional resonance of rope and how intention, pacing, and subtle shifts can create complex, powerful experiences for both partners. She brings a bottom-centered perspective to teaching, offering insight into the felt experience of being tied. 

Together with Belial, she co-teaches workshops with a focus on emotional interplay, communication, and creating enjoyable experiences for both riggers and models. Her background as a trained sexologist supports her in understanding and articulating how physical experiences and emotional responses influence each other. She’s also part of the team of Kinbaku Studio Vienna. 

Outside of rope, Lena runs penumbra (www.penumbra.at), her full-time business for handmade fetish gear - combining craftsmanship and kink.