By her own admission, Judyth Greenburgh is an unlikely candidate for naked yoga. For starters, she’s British, and the British, she says, are more private than most. At 41, the five-foot four-inch yogi is no model or hard body either. But since taking a nude yoga class six months ago, she says it’s improved her focus and concentration.
Det er som, 'Ja, jeg er nøgen, og det er naturligt,' siger Greenburgh. Det handler om at være hjemme med din krop.
Other naked yogis concur. After a recent class at One Taste Urban Retreat Center in San Francisco, where people of all shapes and sizes packed the studio to strip and stretch, several said nude yoga helped them feel more comfortable with their bodies, allowing them to peel off yet another layer of ego: namely, the one attached to their clothing.
I’m seeing the beauty in accepting my body, says a yoga instructor who was attending a coed nude class for the first time. It’s a practice of honor, dignity, and respect.
Not all nude classes are so high-minded. Aaron Star teaches a class for men in Manhattan, and he admits it carries an erotic charge. It’s a bunch of naked gay men doing partner yoga, he says. Still, he maintains, he’s not crossing any line. I think that a lot of yogis forget that we live in the world, he says. And living in the world means we have to confront our senses and tame them. Star’s first class proved so popular that he now leads men’s nude yoga retreats in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Europe and just released a four-part DVD series, titled Jomfru, styrke, partner og Tantra .
The coed class at San Francisco’s One Taste is sensual, but not sexual. Students meditate with their clothes on, setting a pure intention. Then they enter a separate room where they undress mindfully.
Meredith Medland leads the class with her partner, and she thinks the mutual respect of their relationship establishes a safe vibe. There’s no ‘woo woo’ energy, she says. It’s seeing the god in each other. That’s what class is all about.
Medland har haft en livslang kamp med hendes krop. Hun vejede engang 200 pund, gennemgik brystreduktionskirurgi, deltog i et 12-trins vægttabsprogram og arbejdede med Dr. Phil i den ultimative vægttabsudfordring. Men at undervise nøgne yoga er det, der hjalp hende med at føle sig tilfreds. Det er mit dybeste ønske, siger hun, at hjælpe folk med at blive forelsket i sig selv ved at blive forelsket i deres kroppe.
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Members of One Taste have created a nonprofit food and clothing donation program called Fill Up America. At a fundraiser on Saturday, December 10, there will be a silent auction of donated artwork from local artists and a naked yoga class in which people are invited to donate their clothes. The proceeds will go to residents of San Francisco’s Mission District. For reservations and details, call One Taste at (415) 503-1100.
