Qibari

Qibari is the rope project of René Zechmeister, a graduate of the three-year shiatsu training at the Shiatsu-Schule Kreuzberg, who combines shibari with shiatsu and bodywork. Its website frames rope as something that enlivens body and feelings, draws on the Daoist and Chinese-medicine idea of qi, and presents shibari as art and a shared journey of trust and connection rather than a power game.

History

The site’s chronicle begins in March 2019 with a Bondage-Shiatsu introductory course and a series of practice evenings, held first in Friedrichshagen and from mid-2019 mainly at the Shiatsuschule Kreuzberg. Themed evenings continued through 2020, interrupted by COVID-19. The first workshop labeled shibari was a beginner weekend in a tipi in Waldsieverdorf in June 2021. A Bondage-Shiatsu course at the Kreuzberg school followed in December 2022, and a foundation training began in January 2023.

Offers

The Rope-Shiatsu training has 96 hours over six weekends and starts at beginner level in both disciplines: classical shiatsu for the neck, shoulders and lower back; shibari basics such as rope handling, frictions, knots and floor work; classic figures; safety and consent; and passive and active body movement, including hara training. Groups are capped at ten, with an assistant and video recordings of the exercises. As listed in November 2026, the introductory weekend cost €240–260 and the whole training €1,440–1,560, with the 2026/27 cycle running from October 2026 to April 2027.

A separate beginner trilogy of weekends (First Steps, Beyond the Basics, Flow and Joy) takes up to ten people, singles or couples, with ropes provided and switching between roles. Other workshops cover dominance and surrender, head ties, tying to wooden sticks, and a six-day shibari hike in Greece. Open Floor, a rope and bodywork jam, meets about once a month without registration and welcomes all levels and gender identities. One-to-one rope training and rope-shiatsu sessions are also available.