Doing yoga in the nude is becoming increasingly popular, around the globe even. Though not quite mainstream yet, nude yoga classes are being offered in diverse settings, including yoga studios and community centers, as well as through private clubs. As you might imagine, the venue of the class sets the tone and helps determine the clientele. There are many different motivations for trying nude yoga, though a common thread is developing an acceptance of the body in its natural state.
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One New York City yoga studio has taken yoga’s flexible principles to the next level by offering co-ed, naked vinyasa courses. The class, introduced at the Bold & Naked studio in Chelsea, is supposed to provide students with a new way to focus on celebrating their bodies and is not intended to be sexually evocative.
"There are a lot of things that separate us in a normal yoga class, like what brand of yoga clothing you're wearing or how you look when you're wearing it," Vanessa Kennedy, a naked yoga class attendee, told Reuters. "But when we're naked, it's like we're all the same."
As the studio writes on its website: ‘While many equate being naked with sex, this couldn't be further from the truth in a naked yoga class. It's about being comfortable in your own skin and the amazing confidence that comes with it. Practicing yoga naked frees you from negative feelings about your body and allows [you] to be more accepting and deeper connected with yourself and the world around you.’
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Naked yoga has become increasingly popular in the United States since the 1960s, when it was a component in the hippie movement. In 1975, the short documentary titled Naked Yoga was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary, Short Subjects category. The actual practice of naked yoga, which is called ‘nagna yoga’ in Sankskrit, has been in spiritual rotation since ancient times, and is still practiced by religious figures in India.
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If you are very comfortable in (and showing) your skin, you will probably feel... right at home in a nude yoga class. However, nude yoga advocates feel that students who want to work on their body images stand to benefit the most.
And what is one of the biggest benefits you ask? It's not only outside, it's inside your body as well.
Experts agree there are psychological benefits to naked yoga, but not physical ones. Being comfortable in your own skin. Not just the "body positivity" stuff you read about, but really connecting and being accepting of your own body. It's the sense of freedom that experts can point to. It's not just physical feeling, it’s psychological.
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