“Eroticism is not sex.... but the qualities of vitality, curiosity, and spontaneity that make us feel Alive”
“For the erotic is not a question only of what we do; it is a question of how acutely and fully we can feel in the doing. Once we know the extent to which we are capable of feeling that sense of satisfaction and completion, we can then observe which of our various life endeavors bring us closest to that fullness”
About Masha
My path to conscious kink and Japanese inspired rope bondage has been fueled by a lifelong passion for accompanying people in the physical and emotional journeys through some of life’s biggest transitions. My rope practice is informed by 25 years of experience as a birth worker and sexual & reproductive rights advocate working with individuals, families, and health systems to support safer, more equitable, and more embodied birth journeys that center the transformative potential of this fundamental human experience. The sacred ceremony of birth has a universal language of accompaniment that involves breath, touch, movement, and attunement to emotional states. Over time, I realized that rope also has a universal language made of these components. Part of my ongoing exploration in rope has been to deepen my understanding of these elements as they pertain to the rope exchange.
I first discovered rope in early 2018 and started learning to tie later that year, going to conferences in the US, Canada and Europe, and visiting different rope communities. These learning experiences, followed by years of practice within sustained rope partnerships that blossomed during the COVID pandemic years, evolved my appreciation of rope as a beautiful dance of listening, witnessing, and accompanying, while playing with a form of erotic intimacy that has little to do with sex. It also opened me to the worlds of somatics and embodiment which began to inform other parts of my work.
The rope experiences I create, both in private sessions and with groups, focus on exploration of the emotional and somatic journeys within the rope exchange. I see many beautiful metaphors in rope and yearn to bring them to life via artistic collaboration including experimental sessions, improvisation with live music, installation, photography, and video work that captures the layered meanings and human stories behind the rope scene.
Continually inspired by a wild curiosity about the magnetic nature of rope, my perspective is also informed by ongoing studies in mind-body coaching, somatic trauma therapy, and therapeutic use of psychedelic medicines. As a rope educator, I am moved by guiding new rope practitioners in building authentic human connections through expansive consent-building, body-aware and safety-focused techniques for diverse body types, and emphasis on slowness, space-holding, and creating attunement within the tying pair. I am proud to be part of the rope education team at Temple, in Brooklyn New York, and am committed to co-creating a diverse and trauma-informed space built on the principles of transformative justice. I aim to facilitate spaces that welcome all to explore their shadow and light through the various tools of kink, while being held in community. I also offers private rope education for beginners, and private rope experiences for those interested in rope as a tool of self-awareness, self-discovery and a more intimate connection with self.