#shibari tutorial

1) Create a single column tie (sct) abutting the top of the hips

2) Ensure there is ample slack in this initial sct as we will be frictioning around this band 3 times as we continue

3) Create a thigh band with the friction positioned along where the side seem of pants would be, and pull the band up into a slight v shape, exiting to the back *we will be frictioning around both thigh bands 4 times during the build so ensure there is enough slack in these bands to account for that

4) Simple twist at the midline spine, pulling the waist band down slightly with tension

5) Continue by creating a mirrored thigh band on the other leg, exiting to the front

6) Now make a 180° turn beneath our initial knot, following from my fingertip to base, exiting above our proceeding line

7) Continuing toward the back and slightly downward, place a munter's hitch (mh) at the intersecting line

8) Booty bridge: a bridge in shibari is essentially a "broken" sct secured with a mh ~ it is a cuff with a mh in the middle which separates the cuff into 2 equalizeable loops To build: stretch your rope across the back toward the opposite thigh and move under the thigh band from above

9) Move across to the other leg and again move under the thigh band from above

10) Bring your rope over and behind both of these booty bridge lines from above

11) To finish the mh on our booty bridge, move up and behind the initial line leading to the beginning of our bridge, exiting up diagonally to mirror our mh at the intersection

12) Create a mirrored mh at the intersection exiting toward the front

13) Move under the stem

14) Reverse direction with a firm pull

15) Move under 2 diagonal lines and create another bridge this time at the crotch ~ the vertical lines of this bridge will act as the standing lines for our hishi or diamond pattern at the front

16) Build bridge

17) Exit by moving under the standing diagonal lines to mirror the other side, and ensure equal tension in both sides of the vertical bridge lines ~ and ensure the thigh wraps sit nice and flat beneath the loops of our 2 bridges

18) Move up around and behind the first side of our waist band - (on the side that we finish our bridge, to one side of our starting knot)

19) Move down and over the 2 standing lines this time, where previously we moved behind

20) Pull open half our hishi pattern by throwing a half hitch hh around our first set of vertical lines from our front bridge

21) Continue holding the tension of the opened hishi as you throw another hh around the thigh band on this side ~ ensure the thigh band sits flat

22) Continue up diagonally by placing a mh at the intersecting line

23) Place another mh on the intersecting line above as you continue back and at an upward diagonal

24) Simple twist aka hh around the waist band with the placement of the friction being about half way between the spinal midline and the last mh placed on the standing line below

25) Continuing diagonally downward, create another mh on the intersecting line with its placement approximately halfway between midline spine and the hh you just created on the side of the waistband

26) Continue down and diagonally toward the opposite side of the back and place another mh at the intersecting line

27) Create a cow hitch from outside to inside around the thigh bands

28) 360° around the top of the booty bridge with a firm pull, exiting above the proceeding line and toward the opposite thigh to mirror our cow's hitch

29) Mirror the cow hitch building it from inside to outside this time

Click here for a closer look at the cow hitch

Moving up and diagonally mirror the mh on the intersecting line you meet

Mh dead in the middle at the intersecting line, continuing up and diagonally

Mh at the intersecting line

Mirror the simple twist around the waist band off to the side of the midline spine exiting toward the front

Mirror the 2 mh on this side of the front as well as the hh around the thigh bands

Pull open the other side of our hishi pattern by throwing a mirrored hh around the vertical standing lines and pull with good and even tension exiting up toward the starting knot stem

To finish, mirror: move over two standing lines, behind the other side of the waist band, and 360° vertically around the entire stem, exiting below the waist band to either side

360° beneath our starting knot horizontally and cinch tightly ~ like a belt around everything at the front knot

Secure as you see fit ~ 2 options amongst many are: Yuki knot around our starting bight or split tails and square knot through the bight