Workshops:
Frank is a kinky German self-defense teacher (and former professional swimmer) who has been practicing various martial arts since 1984. With Playfighting and Rough Body Play, he has developed his own and unique approach to bring together his passion for martial arts and playful fighting.
Austrian Sheila, Franks partner in crime, has a diverse bodywork background – she practices Shiatsu, breath work, dance, martial arts and is a contact communication trainer. She is trained in cave/tec diving and Apnea and is an active member of the Austrian white water rescue organisation.
Frank & Sheila have two decades of experience with BDSM under their belt and presented their entertaining and educational hands-on workshops on Playfighting, Rough Body Play, Water Wrestling, Dominance and Breath Control all over Europe and in Australia.
BDSM & BREATH IN WATER
Water invites us to play and to experiment with our bodies under significantly altered conditions. When we play in (and with) water, we realize that the physical conditions we normally rely on have dramatically changed. The most important aspects are: breathing, weightlessness, the fact that we don’t have to be afraid of hurting ourselves by falling, and the slowing down of our motions as a result of the water’s resistance.
Water can trigger very primal fears, such as not being able to breathe and loss of control. This workshop invites you to face those fears and will show ways and possibilities to adapt to the new conditions. You’ll learn to quietly embrace and – very likely! – to love the unfamiliar element. Together we’ll explore the exceptional place where fear disappears, replaced by positive new experiences.
We don’t go to extremes: Playing with water is a unique way of showing and exchanging elementary feelings: Trust. Security. Calmness. Opening up.
Topics will include:
- Physical control in water
- The calmness of not breathing
- Facing your fears: Breath control with (and in) water
- Restriction in water: Trusting our partner
- BDSM play with water: Different options
- Physiological and unfamiliar aspects: What happens with your body under water?
Safety and getting acquainted with water under the special conditions of BDSM will be an important issue. And we’ll be available to answer your questions associated with water- and breathplay.
If possible, please bring a pair of swim goggles, perhaps a noseclip (if you are sensitive in getting water into your nose), and / or a diving mask.
HOUNDS OF RAGE
In a way, we can imagine rage as our dogs.
We let them off the leash if we consider it necessary ("ATTACK!"). However, as rational people we also need to be able to call them off once we have achieved our goal – for example, once it has become clear to our counterpart that it's not a good idea to mess with us. To be able to handle our dogs smoothly and form a good team with them, we need to train with them. They must learn to trust and obey their owner. We need to learn to be wise and responsible dog-handlers.
Why are emotions like rage and hatred considered negative?
Well, they mean we are unhappy about something, which is not positive. They are also negative because they are (often aggressively) directed against situations, against others, sometimes even against ourselves. Another characteristic of these hounds is violence: to threaten, to hurt, to destroy. As a constant driving force rage would, over time, poison us.
How is it these negative emotions on another level can be positive at the same time?
Seen from a functional and evolutionary perspective they are part of our very own self-defence system, which reaches deep into the archaic layers of our brain. Without this emergency system, we as individuals and our species as a whole would not be able to survive. Passionately fighting an evil may ultimately lead to a better situation for us. But let's not forget: In order to create something positive, negation must be in conjunction with affirmative and constructive forces. Just being against things won't build anything.
Rage is also a popular means of manipulation.
We may meet someone intentionally deploying their fury to intimidate us, and thereby get what they want. Or they may use provocation to infuriate us: When we are in a rage it's pretty likely that we act imprudently and against our own interests. Stupidly enough, we even may feel oh-so-strong and in control.
In a safe BDSM context we can transform driving forces and experiences (such as pain and humiliation) perceived as dark or negative and give them a positive, sexy twist. We can use them to achieve deep connections and integrate them into our self-image in a positive way. BDSM even allows us to discover a beauty that lies in darkness. This is exactly where we are trying to take you with this workshop. With exercises from self-defence and the body-oriented tools from Frank & Sheila's Bodyplay-concept, we activate rage that is directed specifically at our counterparts. We do this not only to intensify our BDSM play – but also to gain experience with our rage hounds in a "simulation mode". Beyond prejudices and ungrounded fears, but also beyond trivialisation and naïve glorification.
An important aspect of this workshop will be to express rage in a differentiated and nuanced manner, in various ways including facial expression, body language, voice, speech and physical interaction. How does it make us feel to be on the giving, and then on the taking side? How can we create a positive space using this stigmatized, yet powerful emotion?