Nude Yoga Teaches You to Be Comfortable with Your Body and with Being Naked

Although Nude Yoga, also known as Naked Yoga, is gaining popularly in yoga studios across the nation, there is still a reaction to the practice as offensive and unappealing. The idea of taking off your clothes in a class full of people can be embarrassing, especially if you were brought up in a household where nudity is shamed. But when practiced in a studio that is supportive or in the comfort of your own home, nude yoga can open up new horizons, drawing you to feel more comfortable in your naked body.

Yoga students have their own reasons for choosing to practice nude yoga. Some want to address insecurities about their body and increase their self-image. Others ride on the thrill of breaking the taboo of being naked in class. While others enjoy the lack of constraint. Most yoga students who practice naked see it as a spiritual experience, a way of stepping out of the conditions established by our society.

In America, naked bodies are associated with erotic sex and sexual fantasies. While in countries like Spain and France, it is not inappropriate to go to the beach topless or in Speedos. As a result of this sense of liberation, most Europeans feel comfortable in their body. And, it does not phase them to look at a naked body. They are accustom to seeing their moms, aunts and girl friends topless at the beach. The European way of relating to the body is natural and embracing. Studios offering naked yoga classes are bringing this comfortable feeling to America - a feeling of gratitude for the body.

Practicing nude yoga is not meant to be a sexual experience. It is not a yoga practice for voyeurs or people who enjoy gawking at other people's genitals. Nude yoga is meant to be transforming. It is a way of getting to know yourself more intimately through different postures.

Why Would You Want to Practice Naked Yoga?

• Addresses concerns about physical imperfections
• Builds self-esteem
• Encourages gratitude for the body
• Advances poses through proper alignment
• Promotes a sense of openness
• Improves sex life

Iyengar yoga is a really good style for beginners because it uses props, such as blocks and a belt, as aids in the different postures. It is extremely structured and focuses on the structural alignment of the physical body through development of postures (asanas).

Iyengar: The focus of Iyengar yoga is on body alignment. Props such as blocks and straps allow beginners to flow in asanas more easily. As oppose to moving quickly from pose to pose, Iyengar focuses on holding poses over long periods.

Hatha: Hatha is a general term that embodies all forms of yoga. Courses defined as Hatha Yoga are generally slower and more gentle, making it another great course for beginners.

Vinyasa: A term that means breath-synchronized movement, Vinyasa is based on a series of poses called Sun Salutations. The focus is on the breath during the salutations, connecting it with the muscles that are being challenged and stretched.

Kundalini: One of the purposes of Kundalini yoga is to free energy in the lower body by moving it up. Kundalini uses fast, repetitive movements and the breath to move deeper into each pose.

Bikram: Bikram yoga is practiced in a heated room (95-100 degrees), which allows for every muscle to relax and deepen into the series of 26 poses. With the room hot and humid, sweat pours from every pore, cleansing the body of impurities.

Ashtanga: For the more experienced yoga student, Ashtanga is a series of fast-paced poses that are always practiced in the same order. It is a demanding practice, sometimes referred to as Power Yoga, with non-stop flow from pose to pose.

Tantra: Perhaps the most misunderstood yoga style, Tantra is not about sexual indulgence. Rather, it deals with discovering and stimulating sensual spirituality. It works with the highly charged kundalini energy and therefore should always be guided by a teacher.