“Yoga allows you to find a new kind of freedom that you may not have known even existed.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

Yoga is a Sanskrit word, which when translated means union or to bring things together. Yoga unites the mind, body, soul and spirit.

When practicing yoga I do so fully naked as a way of honouring and uniting each part of myself.

Naked yoga, also known as “nagna” yoga can be traced back to ancient times when a sect in India called Naga Sadhus chose nudity as a form of breaking free from the material side of human life and the demands of the outer world.

The Naga Sadhus still honour this tradition today, along with many Westerners who choose being naked as a way of breaking free from physical, material and emotional attachments.

Although being naked has come to feel very unnatural for many, when we are naked we are in our most natural state of being.

Once we become comfortable with ourselves naked and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we will find not only a deep sense of relaxation but also an immense inner strength.

Practicing yoga naked is the most liberating, self-loving and self-accepting thing I have ever experienced. I strip away layers from my mind, body, soul and spirit so I am entirely naked during my practice.

I have been practicing Yoga completely naked for around two years now, mostly within my home or in my concealed garden. The benefits that I have found have been incredible, inducing life-altering changes about how I feel about myself and also how I perceive my body.

I, like many others, had allowed social media’s portrayal of “the perfect beautiful body” to influence how I felt about my own body. Subconscious and subliminal messages from around me had somehow sunk in and so, I managed to find imperfections with my shape or flaws with my skin and judged myself harshly.

The first time I practiced yoga naked at home was the toughest session I have ever experienced. For the first half of the practice, I was not comfortable at all. I focused only on how my body looked without clothing and I was overwhelmed with insecurities.

Feelings surfaced that I had no idea even lay dormant. The temptation to cover up heavily weighed down on me and I was not focused at all on my practice. That was one of the greatest lessons I learned—to breathe, accept and let go.

The second half of the practice was a completely different experience. I reminded myself to focus only on breathing techniques and flowing through the asanas, which allowed the negative emotions that I was holding on to, to quickly disperse. My body and mind quickly replaced the anxieties with a deep and profound sense of freedom and acceptance.

Looking back now there is a remarkable difference to how I felt about my body then, and how I feel about it now. It is not just my body perception that has changed, my mental and emotional health also changed dramatically in the process too.

From the moment of that first practice onwards, I was led through a journey of self-acceptance, self-love and self-appreciation and most importantly, for the first time, I began to fully feel comfortable in my own skin.

Removing clothing, rather than putting fabric on my skin, to practice yoga seems to me the most natural thing to do.

Naked bodies are all too often subjected to objectification and thought of as a sexual thing, however, I see the body as a work of art, an ever changing masterpiece that is an outer reflection of our inner nourishment.

Getting to know myself naked has helped me to discover so many truths about who I am and has helped me to let go of the inhibitions that had built up over time. After spending years covering up and concealing different parts of myself, this practice allows me to embrace each unique piece of myself, and expose it to the sensual feeling of being able to move freely without the restrictions of fabrics.

When I am naked my energy is able to flow through my whole body, allowing the chakras an opportunity to clear any blockages that have taken hold. This is immensely healing, balancing and transformational for my body, mind and soul.

The cells within our body can hold onto negative emotions, so by fully relaxing and absorbing into the practice, my body is free to revitalise and reenergise, as the energy flow (prana) releases physical and emotional tension.

Although I have freed the physical restrictions by choosing to practice yoga naked, there is something far more empowering than the physical benefits that have been received, and that is the emotional and mental restrictions that are released and removed with each piece of clothing I take off.

I was recently speaking with a professional photographer C Mirene about the concept of naked yoga as he shoots artistic images of the naked body and has previously worked with a model, Danamarie Julianna, who has practiced yoga since she was four years old and is now a yoga teacher.

Together they created the stunning and artistic images that have been used in this article, which reflect the concept of practicing naked yoga.

C Mirene on Facebook.
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Relephant:

Traits of an Awakened Tantric Goddess. {Nudity}

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Author: Alexsandra Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo credits: C.Mirene—Photographic Art, Fashion, and Life (Used with permission)