Schedule

Workshop participants ease into each day, reflecting on the content covered in classes from the day before and reviewing the schedule and preparing for the day ahead.

Format: Welcome circle to get grounded and set the tone.

What do we need to be prepared to facilitate suspensions? What equipment and supplies are you going to need to familiarize yourself with? Where can you source these items?

Our supply conversations each day correlate to the content that follows in the afternoon and evening. From surgical skin prep and surface disinfectants to hooks and piercing needles to rigging supplies — these discussions will help you familiarize yourself with everything you’re going to need to facilitate a suspension from start to finish.

The first 15-minute break of the day.

Each day we’re going to walk students through the technical skills needed to safely and confidently facilitate a suspension. We’ll start at the beginning and cover all the fundamentals.

Day one focuses on Aseptic Technique.

Day two focuses on hook placement, marking and piercing.

Day three, we cover the basics of rigging for body suspension.

Day four: we do a deeper dive into the technical skills required for rigging, belay, bio, and post.

While there are a lot of knots that can be used for different purposes, there are a handful of knots that practitioners tend to use most often in the process of facilitating suspensions.

We will be covering one of these knots each day. In a group setting, all of our instructors will provide instruction and hands-on demonstrations with these knots, highlighting their application in the process of facilitating suspensions.

Lunch is not provided during the seminars. Please bring a lunch with you or feel free to order food to the venue.

Following lunch each day, we’re going to dive back into Hard Skills. The afternoon sessions will dive a bit deeper on subject matter related to the content covered in the morning session.

Day one focuses on First Aid for Body Suspension, Wound shape and knowing when to call a suspension.

Day two focuses on choosing the right hook and hook placement.

Day three, we cover the basics of belaying and how to belay for suspension, both with and without assistive belay devices.

Day four, we will look at the basics of suturing and explore some of the suturing alternatives that exist and the pros and cons associated with all of them.

The final 15-minute break of the day.

In addition to learning the technical skills associated with facilitating suspension you’re also going to learn about important soft skills. Day one we’ll cover Trauma Informed Practice. Day two we’ll look at how to set intentions, the importance of listening to your suspendee’s needs and how to effectively manage expectations. Day three we will discuss negotiating, obtaining and maintaining consent and Day four we cover bedside manner and coaching for suspension practitioners.

There’s a lot of history that our practice is rooted in and it’s important that people learning to facilitate suspensions present-day have an understanding of the rich history associated with body suspension.

On day one we’re looking at body suspension history here in North America and around the world. We will take a look at the practice of Kavadi, and its roots in Tamil Nadu, followed by a look at the history of body suspension in North America.

On day two, we will reflect on the history of the Modern Suspension community. We’ll start by discussing the earlier history (pre-2010) and the more recent history (2010 - 2025)

On Day three we’re going to learn about the important behind the scenes work that goes into setting the stage for body suspension to happen.

We will touch on everything from different organizational structures and considerations to creating and using important documentation before getting started.

Every day ends with Q&A. We will provide ample opportunities for questions throughout the day, but we’re going to set aside 15 - 30 minutes at the end of each day so that we can address any lingering questions students might have.