“Weightlessness was wonderful, and I was surprised at how natural it felt.”
-Ron Garan
Definition
Suspension bondage is a specific type of bondage, usually in the style of the Japanese art of Shibari that involves having the restraints hold a person’s whole weight. Either a pulley or a system of one sort or another is used to lift a person off the ground while they are tied up. The bondage can be complete – meaning the person’s limbs are bound and they are helpless, or they can simply be tied up with a harness that hoists them off the ground but they are free to move and explore their new position in the world.
Partial Vs. Full
There is also something called partial suspension, when a submissive may have one leg on the ground, but they are lifted up high so that their toes just graze the floor. They can use their leg to stabilize a bit, but for the most part, they are a bit off balance. The same can also be done for the knees. If you balance a person on their knees, then they will be a bit off balance, but as the ropes mostly hold them up, they won’t fall over! Full suspension is what you probably think of as suspension when the person has nothing on the ground at all.
Myth Vs. Reality
A lot of times in movies and TV shows you will see people suspended from their wrists. However, you should know that is a very difficult and unrealistic position and even being in that position for a short amount of time can cause damage to the wrists. More usual suspension positions are a secure hogtie where the arms are bound to the body in a box tie, and inverted suspension, which uses special cuffs to suspend someone upside down by the feet.