BME: Body Modification Ezine

There’s something undeniably powerful about watching someone working through the stages of suspension. We all build up ideas about ourselves—what we’re allowed to feel, how much we’re allowed to express, when it’s okay to break. For some, suspension is not about pushing physical limits its about giving you a reason to let yourself overflow uninhibited. Once there you can rage, cry, scream and its not too much. It’s exactly enough.

My feelings have always been big. So big they can be scary. Suspension gives me an outlet for my big feelings in a safe way. It’s a place where I can let those feelings out without feeling like I’m being too much. I can scream and cry and curse people out and it’s okay because I’m literally getting strung up by hooks in my skin. Suspension helps me confront the parts of myself I try to avoid. It helps me make peace with myself.

@flighty.wren

Some stories take their time, unfolding over decades, through life’s long detours and diversions. But dreams never rest until they’re fully realized. Even after 15 years, Robb knew there was still a suspension experience waiting for him. Something left unfinished, something essential. At the Ontario Suspension Convention this March, he may have finally found what he’s been seeking.

I never intentionally left the suspension scene but also, I was never really in it. All of my suspensions were private. I had never seen another person suspend in real life. Plenty of pictures of people I didn’t know. But I was the only person I knew personally who was into it. Over the years, I thought about suspension often and kept meaning to schedule another but it simply never happened.

My first suspension in 15 years was not exactly how I remembered. It was better. Far less painful than I remembered. Way more euphoric and mind altering. It was such pure bliss to return to something that’s always meant so much to me.

Nothing specific brought me back more than just having the opportunity. How long before my next one? I doubt it’ll be more than a year. I’d love to go up tomorrow! I’ve got a lot on my plate right now but suspension will be staying high on the priority list from here on.

–Robb Raven

Though Robb’s presence in the suspension community has been quiet until now, it feels safe to say we’ll be seeing much more of him in the future. His full reflection on the experience is up on Instagram (@RavenThePiercer), and it’s worth a watch.

There’s a particular kind of magic that happens at your first big suspension gathering when you arrive with nerves, an open heart, and the quiet hope of flight. Guided by the encouragement of mentor Lynn Loheide and driven by the quiet confidence of belonging, Alex stepped into a space rich with support and energy. The Superman suspension wasn’t just about the pose—it was about trusting the space, the practitioners, and their own strength. What unfolded was more than just flight. What was raised was more than just a Superman.

Let it be known—Alex proudly claims the title of our very first BME Boy to grace the banner of BME News. A well-earned moment in the spotlight.

This was also my first superman! I chose a superman for a couple reasons. The first reason is honestly that I wanted to feel like superman (lol). I wanted to soar through the air and really feel like I was flying. The other reason is in this space, surrounded by people doing some of the most beautiful suspensions I have ever seen, I wanted to push myself. I had only ever done two point upper backs before this, so the jump from 2 points to 12 points was huge. I knew that if I wanted to do something big, this was absolutely the space to do it, because at home we really didn’t have all the tools we needed yet. Being in the space made me all the more sure I was making the right call. The room was so full of love and support, people giving and receiving others’ energy as if they were doing something as simple and automatic as breathing. This was absolutely the space to push myself. 

The suspension absolutely gave me what I needed in that moment. I had a lot of nervous energy build up over whether or not I was doing the right thing, or in the right place, all of the new facilitator anxieties were very real. With that suspension, I got to let all of that go and just be in my own body, and out of that anxiety. My brain got to stop running at a thousand miles a minute, and I got to just be Alex, and exist in that moment, surrounded by people sending their love.

–Alex