When I first began suspension, I had envisioned that it would simply be like floor work but suspended… like a pretty marionette doll. I was in for a shock. It hurts, it’s uncomfortable and it’s damn hard work. What? What the? She must just be saying that because she’s unfit and out of shape.
Yeah… I thought that too.
Funny thing is, as I get fitter and in better shape… and more experienced as a bunny… the greater the appreciation I gain for what we do. It requires a lot of core strength to maintain strenuous positions during transitions. It requires knowledge to know what is good discomfort and what is bad discomfort. It requires a lot of mental strength in moments of uncertainty or worry. It requires trust, communication, self-awareness, honesty and humility. In other words, it requires education and training, on your own time, outside of sessions.
I jumped into rope with such naivety, even though I did it slowly and with experienced guidance. I had a belief that it would be easy. I had a belief that discomfort was a choice and simply depended on the style. I misunderstood what the relationship was. I have had to learn to simply accept that I will hurt for my Rigger to be able to perform his art. I have had to learn patience while he does what he does. I have had to learn how to explain the many different ways in which discomfort can present. I have had to create a relationship with my body, listening intricately to what it tells me… before, during, and after our rope sessions. I have had to learn to honour my body each and every time I step under that anchor point… respecting precisely where it is on that day, in that moment. Not where it was yesterday or last week. And I have had to learn to voice these things without ego, guilt or shame. I have learned to live in the moment. To let go and simply breathe. Simply listen. Simply feel.
There is magic in rope. But it doesn’t come without the cost of some sweat.