These are probably the three most important words to remember about BDSM – Everything should be done in a safe way, a sane way and should always be consensual.
Safety is an important aspect so that the chance of injury is minimal – this is because many activities do have an element of danger and the real chance that injury could occur.
Sanity should always prevail – playing when unwell, when drunk or high on drugs is sheer stupidity, and playing beyond the capabilities of yourself or the submissive is definitely not a sensible idea.
Consent should always be negotiated between the parties involved – sometimes a check list of what activities are hard limits and what are enjoyable is a good idea, or just a general discussion of where not to go etc.
No must always mean NO and a safeword should never be ignored.
In order to fully understand BDSM and what it really means, we need to break the term down and examine the three sets of words.