The #MSAFE method (Make Shibari Accessible for Everyone) is the teaching framework developed by the Shibari School — Gijón Shibari Dojo for learning shibari in ways that are ethical, rational, safe, and tailored to each person.
This approach stems from over two decades of teaching experience, combining the technical tradition of Japanese shibari with a modern teaching style designed for Western cultural contexts.
Its purpose? To make shibari something people can genuinely understand, practice safely, and incorporate into their real erotic lives — while maintaining the technical rigor of its tradition.
No mystical fluff. No performance pressure. Just solid, usable knowledge.
The system is straightforward, personalized, and efficient: it prioritizes real understanding of technique over rote repetition, and it requires active, responsible participation from everyone involved.
What Makes This Method Different
The #MSAFE method views shibari as a tool for exploring and deepening erotic connection between partners, where technique serves the experience — not the other way around.
From this perspective, rope isn't the main event.
The real essence of the practice lies in the people and the connection between them.
Studying shibari isn't about memorizing patterns or executing visually complex ties. It's about gradually building the technical, physical, and emotional foundations that allow you to practice consciously, safely, and with satisfaction.
This system ensures that anyone can practice shibari — regardless of age, physical condition, background, or skill level — as long as there's sincere commitment to the learning process.
Where the Method Comes From
The #MSAFE method grew out of what instructors at Gijón Shibari Dojo observed in their own shibari training. The traditional Japanese model — based primarily on watching, repeating, and imitating the master — doesn't easily fit into contemporary Western contexts.
That approach suits certain social, educational, and time structures. But within modern Western lifestyles — with different learning backgrounds, rhythms, and a stronger need to understand the "why" — it can feel distant or hard to connect with.
So at Gijón Shibari Dojo, we developed the #MSAFE system as a teaching adaptation. It preserves the same technical rigor but restructures the process to make learning click more effectively.
The goal was to reshape learning so it's:
- easier to grasp
- more accessible
- more efficient
- directly useful in personal experience
Core Foundations of the Method
The #MSAFE method rests on several key ideas about how shibari should be learned.
Science and Logic First
Technical learning is grounded in human biomechanics and physical principles — no esoteric explanations, mystical notions, or vague theories.
Shibari is treated as a technical discipline where every action has a clear, verifiable reason. All content is supported by documented scientific knowledge, referencing studies and specialized literature when relevant.
No appeals to authority. No arbitrary statements. If something's unclear, we research and verify it before responding.
Understanding Beats Memorization
The method prioritizes grasping the technique before performing it.
It's not about memorizing complex ties, but about internalizing the principles that let you adapt techniques to different bodies, contexts, and situations.
From this perspective, creativity and technical growth emerge from a solid understanding of the fundamentals.
Building Block by Block
Learning progresses in structured sequences, each stage building upon the previous one.
To move forward in sekibaku study, you must fully master the foundations first.
This structure forms technical knowledge that's coherent, robust, and applicable — leaving no gaps in training.
Accessible Doesn't Mean Easy
We start from the principle that shibari is for everyone — but accessible doesn't mean simplified.
The technique adapts to each person's physical, psychological, and emotional makeup, yet the learning process still demands effort, focus, and personal engagement.
Key Principles of the Method
The #MSAFE system revolves around several core principles that shape its ethics and teaching philosophy.
1. Ethical, Rational, Safe Shibari
Physical and emotional safety are fundamental pillars of the method.
This isn't just guidance — it's a non‑negotiable responsibility shared by the teaching team and everyone who practices with us.
2. People at the Center
The method places people and their experience at the heart of learning.
Technique adapts to the practitioners, not the other way around.
Every body, every couple, every experience is unique. Learning should be flexible and personalized.
3. Erotic Experience as the Focus
Shibari is taught as a means of exploring, understanding, and fulfilling erotic desire within a couple.
The goal is to integrate technique into genuine intimate experiences, not to produce aesthetic displays or performances.
4. Both Partners Actively Participate
In sekibaku practice, the person tying and the person being tied are equally important — there's no hierarchy between roles.
Concepts like "just take it," "let it happen," or passive submission don't apply here.
Both individuals actively shape the experience and the learning journey.
5. Shared Personal Responsibility
Learning shibari means embracing personal responsibility.
Everyone must understand what's happening during a session, how it's managed, and their role within it.
That's why in our training, both partners study all techniques, even if they later apply them from different perspectives.
6. On the Same Level
The person tying and the person being tied stand on equal ground.
Both carry the same weight, the same responsibility, and the same importance in creating the experience.
From this standpoint, the #MSAFE method rejects models based on structural power imbalance. Such hierarchies distort the essence of erotic interaction and hinder conscious, responsible participation.
Instead, shibari is viewed as a horizontal relationship between two people actively collaborating to shape the experience together.
The difference between roles isn't about power — it's about who has access to which resources during the session.
How Learning Is Structured
The #MSAFE method organizes learning through several complementary elements.
Personalized Attention
Each student or couple receives direct, one‑on‑one guidance from the instructor.
This allows us to tailor the teaching to your physical abilities, experience, interests, and learning rhythm.
That's why no two classes are ever identical.
Adaptive Learning
Class content evolves based on each student's needs.
The goal isn't to check off a syllabus — it's to ensure you understand and can effectively apply what you learn.
Both Roles, One Journey
Throughout the process, we explore both tying and being tied.
Each person learns the technical and sensory aspects necessary to understand the full interaction.
In the early stages, the person being tied takes on a key role — developing body awareness and the ability to analyze sensations.
As the tying partner's technique grows, responsibility naturally balances out until both manage the session in roughly equal measure.
Self‑Analysis and Body Awareness
A core goal of the method is giving learners tools to reflect on their experience — recognizing what's happening during a session, how the body responds, and how sensations and emotions flow.
This capacity for self‑observation builds a safe, self‑aware, and sustainable practice.
How Technique Is Taught
Rope technique is taught as the practical application of physical and biomechanical principles — avoiding unnecessary complexity.
It's not about amassing an archive of knots but about developing the ability to use techniques efficiently and functionally within an erotic context.
Learning Philosophy
The #MSAFE method treats learning as a continuous process.
Classes at the dojo are only one part of it — what happens afterward, through self‑practice and reflection, matters just as much.
Students are encouraged to stay in touch with instructors to ask questions or discuss real experiences. This reinforces understanding and helps integrate knowledge step by step.
What the Method Aims For
The #MSAFE method doesn't aim to train performers or showcase elaborate techniques. Its purpose is to help people:
- deeply understand shibari
- practice it safely
- integrate it into their real erotic lives
- build their own independent, conscious practice
At its core, the method aims for each person to feel both subject and object of desire, sharing that experience with another from a place of awareness, safety, and mutual satisfaction.