All about breath play
Breathing. One of the most important things we do as humans, and also one of the most important ways we can regulate our nervous system. But what is breath play? And why is it considered scary, dangerous, but can also be really exciting?
Safety First
Breath play is dangerous, it is considered edge play in the BDSM community (edge play being BDSM practices that are on the riskier side of play). If you restrict someone's blood flow or oxygen flow, there can be serious risks of injury or even death. Never engage in asphyxiation by yourself, alone, as I’m sure we’ve all heard stories of those politicians in wardrobes!
Make sure you know the local laws. These differ depending on where in the world that you live. There are some jurisdictions where partners are unable to consent to have either the oxygen or blood stopped from entering the brain. This means that if you even have the enthusiastic consent of your partner, the law will overrule you making the act illegal. Please recognize that I do not advocate for breath play in this blog. This is about sharing safe, sensible information so that you can make informed choices.
Top tips for engaging in breath play, safely
Consider the risks involved before you introduce choking into your play.
If choking is done incorrectly it can hurt or even kill people.
Make sure that you carry out your RACK (Risk Aware Consensual Kink) before starting this or other styles of breath play.
Never choke anyone or take part in any breath play without the enthusiastic consent of both partners
Discuss boundaries and safe words and gestures beforehand.
Never tie anything around someone's neck as part of your breath play.
Preferably be trained in CPR and basic life support.
Why engage in breath play?
Reducing the flow of blood or oxygen to the brain can cause light-headedness, and a feeling of euphoria. It can create a rush of sensation and increase sensations in other areas of the body. If used in part of a wider BDSM dynamic, it can be fun to hand over control to the other person particularly with something so vital as your ability to breathe.
To start working with me, and find out more click the link below.
What is breath play and what does it involve?
Breath play is restricting the flow of oxygen or blood to the brain. This can be achieved through a variety of methods including physically restricting the breath such as by placing a hand over someone’s mouth and nose, using masks such as gas masks to reduce the feeling of being able to take a full breath or most commonly through choking. This is the most common and well-known type of breath play often seen in porn and more recently accepted as a common practice in vanilla (non kinky) sex.
As explored earlier, breath play or choking has significant health risks and therefore it is important that you only engage in this type of play safely and with consent. In order to ensure safety you will likely wish to engage in workshops where demonstrations occur in order for you to understand how best to engage in this play.
Top tip: Never place pressure on the front of the throat as this can cause damage to the windpipe, and avoid any other pressure on the body such as the chest or stomach when engaging in breath play. Make sure pressure is placed upwards towards the jaw, and ensure you are squeezing the sides of the neck, again avoiding the windpipe.
If you have any more questions or anything you want me to answer, let me know below.