Category: (Sado)Masochism
Subcategory: Types

Breath Play

## Breath Play

Breath play encompasses activities that restrict or control breathing patterns. Techniques include manual restriction, masks, hoods, rebreathers, nose pinching, or controlled breathing exercises. The physical effect is a reduction in oxygen intake and/or an increase in carbon dioxide in the system.

The physiological response includes lightheadedness, altered consciousness, and sometimes intensified physical sensations throughout the body. Duration is typically brief, ranging from seconds to a minute or two with appropriate monitoring. This activity differs from choking, which involves pressure on the throat, as breath play can be achieved through various methods that don't compress the neck. Despite its popularity, breath play carries inherent risks that cannot be completely eliminated.

← Previous: Pinching
Next: Choking – Windpipe →

This is a description of an activity in the BDSM checklist (also known as a 'kink list'). Want to discover what (more) kinks you might have? Maybe share them with a partner? Start the checklist!

About the category (Sado)Masochism

Sadomasochism involves the consensual exchange of sensation that many would find painful or intense in non-erotic contexts. This spectrum encompasses both the giving (sadism) and receiving (masochism) of such sensations, creating experiences where pain, intensity, and pleasure become interwoven through deliberate and controlled application.

People enjoy sadomasochistic activities for diverse reasons: the intense endorphin rush that creates natural highs, the intimate trust required between partners, the transformation of pain into pleasure through context and arousal, and the cathartic release many experience through intense sensation. Rather than being about suffering, well-executed SM play creates unique states of consciousness and connection that many practitioners find impossible to access through other means, offering profound physical and psychological experiences when practiced with skill and care.



All activities in the checklist: