Bael Drop-In Series - Negotiation & Trauma Informed Consent: The Living Document

I’m interested in engaging with kink or rope, I found someone (even just myself) to do this thing with, and now what? How do I negotiate when I don’t even really know what I want or have a ton of experience in this thing? Where do I even begin?

We have developed our own negotiation and informed consent living document from a Queer and trauma-informed lens over our years as kinksters. A living document is a document that is continually edited and updated, meant to be flexible to match the flow of our dynamic and ever-shifting lives. This is the one we use all the time in our own lives and want to give you some hefty base to develop out your own! In this class on trauma informed consent and negotiation for kink and shibari rope bondage, you will learn the crucial skill of navigating boundaries and discussing past traumas with sensitivity, promoting a safer and more inclusive experience within your scenes and broader kink/rope life.

We have modified our cumulative intro to shibari cumulative curriculum for in-person learning without the pressure of having to attend every class. All of our core curriculum classes have a different topic that pulls elements from previous classes, but require no prerequisites for any individual class. Come to one, a few, or all!

These classes are built to be accessible to absolute beginners, but there is something to learn for all skill levels in each class of the Bael Series. We provide technical challenges where applicable for more intermediate students and we strongly believe that having a beginner mindset is crucial to being safe and successful in rope. Our discussion and theory heavy classes are also always changing as the scene changes and we learn and grow as teachers and practitioners ourselves!

You do NOT need a partner for this class, all of the material will be demonstrated and adapted for self-tying. We will aim to provide multiple ways to achieve each tie to account for differences in bodies, mobility, and general accessibility as best we can. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to support you.

Due to these accommodations and the hands-on nature of our teaching style, we have very limited capacity on our classes. Tickets are available at the door if we are not sold out on this page already.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

Bael Series Classes:

Negotiation & Trauma Informed Consent - The Living Document - January 23rd

Nerves & Safety + Components of Rope - February 20th

Non-Collapsible Single + Double Column Ties - March 12th

Creating Connection - April 23rd

Frictions, Hitches, & Weaving - May 21st

Building a Rope Scene - June 18th

GUIDELINES:

What to bring: We will have loaner rope and cutting tools, but feel free to bring your own! We strongly encourage bringing a pencil/pen and a notepad/notebook for notes.

COVID Precautions: Masks required. All participants must be vaccinated. If you test positive up to 7 days after the event, please let us know so we can inform all other attendees while maintaining your privacy.

Attire: Come as you are. We suggest something comfortable and cozy (ahem, Cass) but come in whatever outfit you like! Tighter fitting, but easy to move in clothing is usually easier to tie in.

Location + Time: 7-9pm at the 418 Project (155 River St S, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060). We will have the privacy of the full studio space in the large theater, but we will be ticketing at the main lobby entrance. If you arrive after 7:10pm, please call or text the number on the door as the doors lock behind us for safety and privacy.

18+ EVENT, ID REQUIRED AND CHECKED AT THE DOOR.