Building Blocks of D/s

Relationships with dominant/submissive dynamics are so widely varied, each one is different from the next. That’s the incredible beauty and liberation of D/s relationships — they are designer, highly customized, made to order for exactly the people who are in them right now. However, that can also be the challenge: how do you customize a D/s relationship to exactly what you want?

In this D/s intensive, we will cover the major building blocks of D/s relationships, so you can decide which ones are the right fit for you. We'll have lots of time to present and discuss concepts (with some nerdy charts and graphs), and we'll do some experiential somatic practices to feel our dynamics in our bodies.

You will learn:

How to identify your relationships' Areas of Control

How to set up protocol for fun, for function, for erotic pleasure, and for long term training

Somatic exercises for transitioning in and out of dynamic

Maintaining D/s when going through hard times, physically disability, or major changes

and more!

This intensive is geared toward folks who are new to D/s, but people who are experienced with D/s relationships are very welcome and will learn new concepts and structures to enhance their dynamics. This intensive will focus on the foundations and building blocks of D/s, so some more advanced topics won't be covered. We'll have plenty of time for discussion and Q&A, where you can bring your particular questions to Sinclair and to the group.

Facilitated by Sinclair Sexsmith (they/them) with essential assistance from Tru (she/they)

SINCLAIR SEXSMITH (they/them) is a queer trans butch, a leather dominant, and a writer, focusing on individual, interpersonal, and institutional systems of power. They study dominance and submission, social & restorative justice, the energetic body, trauma, and transformation. They have been in the kink communities since 1999, and orchestrate transformative kink scenes through written erotica and ritual practice. They actively explore the philosophies of power exchange and the practicalities of sustainable, long term D/s. As a leather community member, titleholder, and organizer, Sinclair has presented and performed 200+ times at 75+ venues, including International Ms. Leather, Dark Odyssey, SXSW, Harvard, and Oz Kink Fest. Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and they have edited 7 queer erotica anthologies. Find Sinclair online at http://sugarbutch.net/find-sinclair

TRU (she/her/they/them) is a genderqueer kinkster who loves to geek out on sex and intimacy and strives to understand and de-clusterfuck the impacts of systemic oppression on all bodies. Tru understands that embodiment practices cannot be separated from social justice work, and they believe individual and collective liberation happens one body, one breath at a time. Tru’s curiosity and wide range of interests are evident in the work they offer — as a Sacred Intimate, sex and intimacy coach, a dancer, teacher of a movement mediation practice, a potter, and a lawyer. They have facilitated workshops focusing on intimacy, touch, BDSM skills, dance, and clay, as well as provided diversity and anti-oppression trainings. Some trainings that inform Tru’s work include: Sacred Intimacy Through a Tantric Lens; Theater of the Oppressed Facilitator training; Betty Martin’s Like a Pro; Open Floor teacher training; and the action-based methodology of psychodrama. Tru uses ritual, touch, dance, and art in their work, and loves using their body for exploration, learning, and general shenanigans. As a multi-racial genderqueer body, Tru understands what it feels like to not belong to any particular place or culture, and what it means to re-write the stories we have about identity, sex, and the right to experience deep embodied pleasure and joy. See more of Tru's work at tenderfiercetemple.com