Pillow Talk: Rope for Chronic Pain with Almond

Learn how to make rope work for bodies that come pre-loaded with pain. Pillows required, suffering optional.

Come hang out while we explore practical ways of making rope work with your painful body. Whilst there are countless approaches to rope when living with chronic pain, we’re zooming in on one flavor for this workshop: the art of cushioning. Think pillows, barriers, soft props and whatever else we can DIY into making ties more comfortable. Whether you’re curious about rope for yourself, someone you love or just accumulating rad knowledge, you’re welcome here. Because rope bondage shouldn't require you to ignore what your body's been screaming about all week.

We’ll cover:

1. Safety stuff that hits different when chronic pain is in the mix
2. How to dial up or down based on what your body is doing that day
3. Live demos of tie adaptations (with all the squishy support props)
4. Tips for topping and bottoming while navigating chronic pain
5. How to actually talk about “hey, my hip is staging a revolt” mid-scene

Accessibility:

1. Seriously, bring your heating pad, join from the tub, prop yourself up like a pillow fort diva - this space is built *for* bodies in chronic pain.
2. All visual aids will use accessible fonts and colors.
3. Images will be accompanied by a verbal image description.
4. Presentation slides will be available to download at the beginning and after the workshop.

Open to all 18+

About your Presenter:

Almond (they/she) is a rope educator, sex+ ritual facilitator and student of somatic sex education. Living in a fat, queer femme, disabled body on Anishinaabe territories in so-called canada. In service of queer fat magic, juicy embodiment & ecosexuality. Their threesome of choice is with cedar trees, pain relief cream & strong vibration. Follow on Insta.

About AORTA films:

AORTA films champions queer and trans indie p()rn to create a future of ethical fuckery. An internationally award-winning studio currently celebrating their tenth year, AORTA films has been making “lusty, opulent, ethical fuckery” since 2015. Centering queer performers across a wide range of bodies and identities, AORTA films offers inventive explicit programming including 90+ short & feature films, a queer clip library, a semi-annual film festival, a guest artist series, commercial work, workshops, and more. This year, to celebrate their 10th year AORTA films launched AORTAlive, a home for live digital adult programing featuring online events including workshops, artist talks, performances, panels, and more. In addition to their site membership, all members of AORTA films get $10 tickets to all AORTAlive events. Not a member yet? See for yourself at www.AORTAfilms.com.