A very common way to tie the chest is to make a horizontal structure with several wraps to create a ladder. It can be used to shape the chest and to create structural elements to attach other parts of the body.

Ladder Chest Harness

Creating a structure with a wrap above and another under the pectoral muscle is a classic. Adding straps over the shoulders will prevent the wraps from sliding down. This tie can be quite solid, both the wraps and the stems can be used as attachment points.

Open V Chest Harness

We can open the front stem to shape the chest in a different way. This variation can be more comfortable as it moves the rope away from the clavicles and makes an angle that creates more natural pressure on the body.

Pentagram Harness

The horizontal structure can be the base to draw shapes such as the popular star-shaped harness. Be mindful of the neck and adjust the shape to the comfort of the person being tied.

Video Tutorial

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Self-tied easy pentagram harness

Self-tied chest loading harness

Practice Time!

Design your own chest harness starting with a single column tie around the chest as the base for a horizontal structure.

Self-evaluation checklist:

  • Frictions are tight and compact with no undesired twists.
  • Wraps are flat against the body, no uncomfortable twists.
  • Tension is even across the tie.
  • Is the tie symmetric?
  • Pull-on the tie in different directions to measure its solidity.

Exploration ideas:

  • Play with the number of wraps, and the number of ropes per wraps.
  • Try different placement of wraps, what works best for the person in rope?
  • Try different designs with the shoulder straps (half hitch fish shape, twists or more complex frictions).
  • Use the horizontal structure to create shapes with the rope.
  • Try different positions of the arms when tying, notice that the chest gets more narrow with the arms up.
  • Try a different starting point? Over or under the pectorals or at the waist?
  • Flip your tie and put the front in the back and vice versa. Do you prefer the stem in the front or in the back?
  • Is the sensation more pleasurable when the wraps are tights or loose? Are there parts of the body more sensitive than others, and it is better to squeeze or to keep things looser in these locations?
  • Tie the harness without changing position (being in front, or behind your partner).

Being Tied: Breathing with Pressure – sansblague

In this harness, the ropes run over your chest, and unless they are so loose you can just shake them off, they will affect your breathing. This offers a good opportunity to get to know how you can control and redirect your breathing in ropes.

Take a moment before getting tied to observe how you breathe. Observe the many directions of the breathing – try to feel the movement of the breath that happens in your back, your shoulders, your collar bones, your belly, your back and your chest.

When you are being tied, take care not to raise your arms too high unless you plan on keeping them there. The rib cage becomes less wide with arms raised high, so the harness compresses if you start with arms up and then move them down after the pattern is finished.

Once you are inside the harness, make another exploration of your breathing possibilities. You might notice that you cannot fully expand your rib cage, front and backside. However, there are other ways of allowing deep breaths. For example, you can pull the air down instead, letting your belly expand with every breath. You can also try out to what degree you can breathe fully through expanding your shoulder area and upper chest area.

To have an awareness of the rhythm and direction of your breath can be very useful in rope bondage, especially when things become strenuous. The breathing can help with both pain management, concentration and resilience.

Inspirations and Resources

Credit: Ladder tie M: Ebi McKnotty R/P: AlexK7 – Open V M: Miss Soffia R/P: Ebi McKnotty – Pentagram M: AlexK7 R/P: Ebi McKnotty


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