Kokoro (Japanese: 心) means ‘heart’, ‘mind’, ’emotion’, ‘spirit’, ‘soul’, we feel is a good sentiment for our studio.

In the context of rope it is the spirit and connection of those tying, sharing and engaging together. It is more than rope or the style and comes down to how we engage and share with one another. This is something we have felt a huge part of our own rope journey since we started tying together and we feel this is a good sentiment for our studio.

It is our hope that guests will embrace the heart and spirit of Kokoko while in our space.

When we mention community, we feel it is important to clarify what we mean. At Kokoro when using the term community we refer to those who are a regular part of the space, committed to and invested in the ethos.

At Studio Kokoro we are committed to cultivating the following ethos;

• Consent and Negotiation. We hope to foster a consent centred culture and a community where people are at ease negotiating and feel confident to say no. When asking others to tie and to avoid predatory behaviour, we ask if you want to tie with someone you let them know, for example, “I would be interested in tying with you sometime, if that interests you please let me know.” Taking the pressure off for an instant response.

• Dismantle pedestal culture or perceptions. At Kokoro we understand the privilege that comes with running a rope studio or being associated with the studio. We actively try to dismantle pedestal culture by being approachable and ask that you remember we are also human and we can make mistakes. We therefore would ask you to vet us just like anyone else. Our goal is to build a space that supports the community, we welcome and are receptive to feedback on how we can do better. As a team we strive to deliver on our expectations, are open to feedback and held to the same standards as any other guest in the space.

• Cocreating Community.We hope to cultivate a culture in collaboration with you where we can all be held accountable in community with one another. We recognise a core part of co-creating communities of care is being able to call in when we see or experience things that aren’t aligned with our values. It is the responsibility of us all to nurture an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere through our engagements with each other. We want all of our attendees to feel they can bring their authentic selves to Kokoro and truly be a part of the community.

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. For the Studio Kokoro full statement please see here. We are committed to a space where equity thrives, diversity flourishes and inclusion is felt by everyone. We recognise our role as an organisation is to support a diverse group of future leaders of the global rope community and support changing the landscape of rope spaces to include not only more representation, but more access. As a beginning point to supporting this goal – we offer free tickets to Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour and those from oppressed and underrepresented groups to all our online classes. We will continue to strive to create inclusive spaces focused on belonging – recognising the work of creating these spaces must be ongoing and sustained. In naming and owning our role in EDI work, we continue to educate ourselves through personal development with an external consultant and continuously working to bridge building consciousness and connecting it to our praxis as a studio.

• Rope is for everyone. We are a sex-positive and body-positive space. We appreciate that rope means different things to different people and this can present in very different approaches and styles. This can mean that you may see styles or approaches to rope that you personally do not like, and ask you to respect those different approaches and move on. We want to provide a space where all styles of rope can be practised. We are committed to preserving the erotic history of Shibari and Kinbaku and as a result you may also see more erotic approaches to rope at the studio.