Floor-to-Air Curriculum

4 levels of guided learning

Level 1

Beginner

Curriculum

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Level 1 | Beginner

Getting Started

Safety, communication, rope handling, knots, friction & basic harnesses.

16 Videos

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Safety

Laying the groundwork for a safer, risk-aware practice starts here.

  1. Safety 101Level 1. Next video.

Module 1 | Getting Started

This module is designed to be moved through in order, as each class builds on previous concepts. Explore basic technical concepts, communication between tops and bottoms, and different dynamics between partners by taking turns tying and being tied.

  1. Why Do Rope?Level 1
  2. Members onlyWrapping The Body: Part 1Level 1. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyWrapping The Body: Part 2Level 1. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyFirst PatternsLevel 1. Membership required.
  5. Members onlyHojo CuffsLevel 1. Membership required.
  6. Members onlyPlaytime: MaximalismLevel 1. Membership required.
  7. Members onlyMovement in RopeLevel 1. Membership required.
  8. Members onlyPatternless TyingLevel 1. Membership required.
  9. Members onlyPlaytime: TensionLevel 1. Membership required.
  10. Members onlyForward Fold and HogtieLevel 1. Membership required.

Module 2 | Branching Out

This module is all about games for connection and testing your skills, easy wins and finding the fastest paths from drilling to playing with a few new instructors. Dive deeper into good tension, improvisational tying, and early pattern memorizing with games for better bondage and easy-to-learn (and tie) harnesses.

  1. Members onlyCan You Get Out Of My Rope?Level 1. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyRolling The DiceLevel 1. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyOne-Rope RodeoLevel 1. Membership required.
  4. Members onlySimple HarnessesLevel 1. Membership required.
  5. Members onlyMinimalistic TiesLevel 1. Membership required.

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Level 2 | Intermediate

Study Partials and Get Playful on the Floor

Begin preparing for air by learning how rope structures support the body and respond to load.

28 Videos

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Safety

Level up your risk awareness as you level up your practice.

  1. Members onlySafety 201Level 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyHand ChecksLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyAnatomy- Nerves and FaintingLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 1 | Bodies & Flow

This module is about low effort, high impact tying. Low effort doesn’t necessarily mean easy though! Making a little rope go a long way is a skill in and of itself. Take time to learn about moving bodies and making high impact choices. Notice that proper placement and good tension are all the more important when you don’t have a lot of rope to hide behind. Finally, finish strong with a new variation on the full-body hogtie.

  1. Members onlyHandling Drills For FlowLevel 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyMotion & IntentionLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyLess Is MoreLevel 2. Membership required.
  4. Members onlySimple Harnesses For FlowLevel 2. Membership required.
  5. Members onlyTengu HogtieLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 2 | Suspendable Forms

It’s time to start learning harnesses suitable for suspension. These forms have a lot more steps, as the rope isn't merely holding the body anymore but is reinforcing itself to be able to withstand more load. Practice each pattern until you can do it by memory and use the harness guides as a bridge between video learning and memorization. Feel free to jump around between this module and the next play module to keep your practice time feeling fresh and fun! Most of these courses will contain information about how to attach an upline to each harness. Do your best to tie along; we'll dive into anchoring techniques in more depth soon!

  1. Members onlyTengu HarnessLevel 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyBooty BasketLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyButterfly HarnessLevel 2. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyXana HarnessLevel 2. Membership required.
  5. Members onlyDiamond Leg TieLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 3 | Review & Play

Everything you see here will be familiar from Level 1, so we’re challenging you to bring fresh energy. Your goal here is to notice your partner. Pay less attention to the fiddly details of the rope and more attention to things like breath, touch, space, energy and whatever kinky extras match your dynamic.

  1. Members onlySimple HarnessesLevel 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyMinimalistic TiesLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyCan You Get Out Of My Rope?Level 2. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyRolling The DiceLevel 2. Membership required.
  5. Members onlyOne-Rope RodeoLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 4 | Uplines

You’ll need to expand your gear as well as your skills at this point. Don’t proceed if you don’t have access to a safe rigging structure, like a freestanding shibari rig or professionally installed point capable of safely carrying human load. Your very best bet is your local rope studio, as in-person learning support becomes much more important now too. Beginning to load ties and play with uplines and suspensions is an exponential jump from playing on the floor, so be mindful that this module might feel like a lot to take in all at once. Take it slow, watch everything all the way through, and tie along with what you can. As you progress through the curriculum, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to review these concepts in context.

  1. Members onlySuspension Points 101Level 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyUplines & Lock-Offs 101Level 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyUpline DrillsLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 5 | Partials Practice

These partial suspension classes were selected so that you can review the first harnesses you’ve learned and start to put your new upline skills to the test under load. Go slow, stay low, and don’t forget that good communication is key. Bottoms, explore what it feels like to have some of your weight suspended. Notice what it feels like to settle into new sensations. If practice at this point feels more like studying than playing, jump around between courses in this module and the next to make time for fun and connection too.

  1. Members onlyFirst Partials: WristsLevel 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyTengu & Waist PredicamentLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlySelf-Hug TieLevel 2. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyXana PartialLevel 2. Membership required.

Module 6 | Review & Play

Check back in on some of the more minimalistic forms you were studying at the start of this level. Are your body-handling skills smoother, your tension more reliable, and your rope pinches decreasing in frequency?

  1. Members onlySimple Harnesses For FlowLevel 2. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyLess Is MoreLevel 2. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyTengu HogtieLevel 2. Membership required.
Optional

Box Ties

Classic upper-body harnesses with the arms tied behind the back.

Members onlyMembers onlyMembers onlyMembers only

Optional add-on

Box ties are iconic in shibari, but they don’t work for every body. They’re an optional add-on to this curriculum & won’t count towards your progression.

Safety Check-In

Level 3 | Experienced

Take Full Flight and Bring Play to Your Partials

Explore suspension shapes, transitions, and the experience of leaving the floor.

20 Videos

Unlock Level 3

Safety

  1. Members onlySafety 301Level 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyMasterclass: Nerve Compression ManagementLevel 3. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyTying Different BodiesLevel 3. Membership required.
  4. Members onlySuspending Someone Heavier Than YouLevel 3. Membership required.

Module 1 | Bodies In Flight

All suspensions require adjustments and adaptations from both tops and bottoms. Micro adjustments of your own position from the bottom side and subtle changes to how you're moving and placing your partner’s body from the top side are a normal part of developing competence in suspension. The following three courses will help you think about bodies in flight from both sides of the rope.

  1. Members onlyBody Awareness 101Level 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyLeg OverlapLevel 3. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyActive Bottoming For SuspensionLevel 3. Membership required.

Module 2 | Play With Your Partials

Everything you see here will be familiar from Level 2, so we’re challenging you to bring fresh energy. Notice how your attention shifts away from your uplines and towards your partner when repeating familiar forms.

  1. Members onlyFirst Partials: WristsLevel 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyTengu & Waist PredicamentLevel 3. Membership required.
  3. Members onlySelf-Hug TieLevel 3. Membership required.

Module 3 | First Flights

In these next courses you’ll encounter two common first suspension forms. Both of these courses will include new harnesses within the class. As before, commit these harnesses to memory before trying to take them up into the air. When exiting new suspension positions, reverse your steps and go back the way you came. We’ve also given you a spicy new predicament to try out. We encourage you to study it before playing with it!

  1. Members onlyYoko TsuriLevel 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyMaeteLevel 3. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyTorsions On A RingLevel 3. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyScorpion SuspensionLevel 3. Membership required.

Module 4 | Get Low

Take some well-deserved downtime with these playful partials to keep things fun and spicy. Not all of these are review classes anymore, as we trust that you're starting to move more fluidly and thoughtfully between practice and play as needed.

  1. Members onlyLeg OverlapLevel 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyFloor Play FlowLevel 3. Membership required.
Optional

Box Ties

Classic upper-body harnesses with the arms tied behind the back.

Members onlyMembers onlyMembers onlyMembers only

Optional add-on

Box ties are iconic in shibari, but they don’t work for every body. They’re an optional add-on to this curriculum & won’t count towards your progression.

Module 5 | Take It Up A Notch

We're turning up the heat with these courses. This is a study section, so we’re asking you to put your lab time hats on and explore some suspensions (and a partial suspension) that we expect will challenge your technical abilities and introduce a new level of bottoming challenge. Before you dive in, however, allow Shakti Bliss and Margherita to guide you into what it means to intentionally explore discomfort in rope…

  1. Members onlyBeing With Pain In RopeLevel 3. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyMoon Tie SuspensionLevel 3. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyTip Toe PredicamentLevel 3. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyAdvanced Leg TieLevel 3. Membership required.

Safety Check-In

Level 4 | Experienced+

Transitioning

Bring your skills together for dynamic sequences & transitions in the air.

10 Videos

Unlock Level 4

Safety

  1. Members onlySafety 401Level 4. Membership required.

Module 1 | Transitions

Transitions in suspensions—in other words, moving the bottom’s body from one shape to another—will call upon all your confidence, technical skills and upline management as a rigger, as well as all your bottoming tools, if you’re the one in ropes. The reward? A new side of your suspension practice is unlocked: one that allows you to alternate more intense positions with less strenuous, “resting” positions, and so keep playing longer and more safely. Our advice? Make sure you always know how to get out, should you need to. Remember what you’re building and be two steps ahead of yourself. Remember, too, that moving from the floor into full suspension is already a transition! Study the courses carefully before you attempt any of these ties yourself. Just as you learned your harnesses by memory before suspending them, you should know where you’re going before you begin a sequence.

  1. Members onlyDynamic TransitionsLevel 4. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyButterfly TK SuspensionLevel 4. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyStudy On FallingLevel 4. Membership required.

Module 2 | Suspension Review

If you’re still catching your breath after the last module, this is your chance to remind yourself how much fun it is to play within your comfort zone. Get reacquainted with these Level 3 suspensions and pay attention to how the experience might have changed…

  1. Members onlyYoko TsuriLevel 4. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyTip Toe PredicamentLevel 4. Membership required.
  3. Members onlyAdvanced Leg TieLevel 4. Membership required.
  4. Members onlyMoon Tie SuspensionLevel 4. Membership required.
Optional

Box Ties

Classic upper-body harnesses with the arms tied behind the back.

Members onlyMembers onlyMembers onlyMembers onlyMembers onlyMembers only

Optional add-on

Box ties are iconic in shibari, but they don’t work for every body. They’re an optional add-on to this curriculum & won’t count towards your progression.

Module 3 | Improvising In The Air

You’ve come to a point in your practice where transitions hopefully feel comfortable and you’re excited to get creative. If that sounds like you, the following module is designed to challenge you. And if you think you need a little more practice, circle back to the previous modules until you feel ready…

  1. Members onlyBreaking Patterns GameLevel 4. Membership required.
  2. Members onlyBottom-Led SuspensionLevel 4. Membership required.

Safety Check-In

Unlock Curriculum

Start a free trial to get unlimited access to our 4-level Curriculum & full membership benefits.