Act IV, Reprise: The Constraint and Liberation

Back to the main topic of constraint and liberation but switch perspectives to other wellknown interactive systems. In this chapter, Oliver attempts to dig into their measures of coping with the correlation between physical constraint and virtual/spiritual liberation.

Scene I: The Shibari Store

as well as a sense of self-liberation?” After a long period of psychological struggles, Oliver gathered up the courage to come to a Shibari experience store, his hands are sweaty out of nervousness or perhaps excitement.

… “History of Shibari goes back to the old days of wars. In the beginning, it was a technique for tying up prisoners, and then it slowly evolved into an art form, and some people would associate it with sex. Now many professional shackles will do Shibari art performances and will also receive some experiences. Rope binding also often appears in stage installations and film and television works.” Says the store owner while intentionally trying to build physical connection, trust and calm his nerves. “Don’t worry take a deep breath, people experience great healing from it normally…”

… “There are few principles of Shibari” the owner then added in a serious voice, “Safety, sobriety, informed and consent. There are several other things you should know. The buckles are all slip knots, which means they can be opened at any time. Here’s a form you need to fill in order to keep you safe and comfortable.” Then he hands over a Consent Questionnaire form (Appendix 1).

… “How does Shibari Comes to Everyday Life?” Oliver asked. “It's not all always about bondage and constraint, but everyone’s own ideas and fantasies about constraints, possession, and intimacy and liberation. ”

“Why Safe Word? What is it?” he asked while browsing the empty unfamiliar form. “Safe word is a baseline, a balance. Because it is impossible to confirm whether the bounded person can accept all the behaviours. No may mean no but also may mean pleasure. That’s why it’s vital to make a safe word agreement. It can be as random as an item or place.”

The moment he was tied up, the thing that baffled him the most was that he didn't know where to look with his eyes. When he looked into the mirror, he felt unfamiliar; when he looked at the boss, he felt dazed; only when he closed his eyes, he felt himself and his inner peace.

During the process of releasing the rope, he cried out unconsciously. He didn't know why, but it seemed that both his body and mind were released.

The one-hour experience passed quickly. Shibari provides him with the feeling that the body is controlled and bound, when shrunk into one piece, it is very relaxed and stable. It reminds him of the feeling of diving - after entering the water, he can hear his own breathing, but can't interact with the world, and it’s even impossible to talk to anyone.

“When you hand over your life and death to water and nature, what you gain is greater freedom. When you can't control your body subjectively, it’s the only moment that you can stay with yourself and talk to your deeper consciousness.”

Scene II: The Yoga Class

The second thing he could think of to explore and practice constraint and liberation was yoga, and he couldn't wait to experience it. Yoga is one of the six major philosophical genres in ancient India, aiming to explore the truth and method of "unity of Brahman and self" (Cowen, 1991). In his first yoga class, the yoga instructor gently guided his mindset and said: "Modern yoga, including body-adjusting asanas, breath-adjusting methods, mind-adjusting meditation methods, is mainly a series of methods of self-cultivation, a system that helps human beings to fully develop their potential by raising awareness." After some time of

observation, practice and research, Oliver found that yoga postures often use ancient and easy-to-master techniques to improve people's physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual abilities (O’Connor, Stravynski and Hallam, 1997), and it is also a movement method that hopes to achieve harmony and unity of body, mind and spirit. He was also told that based on Indian philosophy, yoga is mainly for the pursuit of spiritual liberation and its main purpose is not physical health, although yoga does have this effect (Zeikowitz, 2004). But as far as Indian tradition is concerned, the goal of yoga is not physical health, but absolute spiritual freedom (Nadal et al., 2015). The purpose of yoga is to bring your mind, as well as your body, under your own control even if your physical body is limited in a certain position. You are the master of your body and mind, don't let your mind control you.