Nothing prepared me for this encounter. On this fateful day, nevertheless, nudity both electrified and intensified my experience of yoga. The minute was a total shock - naked in my living room, on my mat, I united into that divine union all of US seek.
That has been the very first time in three years of my yoga practice that I found what one calls yoga. I had nipples for the very first time in my practice, not merely a pressed down 'uniboob' in a yoga sports bra.
It was maybe one of the first times I 'd ever existed in my body consciously without judgment and was able to witness the wonder of creation and even the simple joy of even having a body. Each freckle became a puzzle and something to rouse wonder. The encounter was both transcendental and embodied, both sacred and secular.
It was the most profound practice of my life. I originated from savasana with intent, transformed.
I used ton't want some strange dude's hands on me in child's pose, but I did want to see if others out there were having similar experiences. Frustrated that there were no alternatives for me to practice apart from in my family room, I tentatively put out an announcement that I 'd be offering a class. The result was instantaneous. I received an outpouring of questions within my email box including some from the press. Seemingly, people were having similar experiences in their own living rooms.
From there the story was composed - the world proclaimed: We want naked yoga! I found a small naturist community which was practicing bi-weekly and we merged groups. The vulnerability in the group's opening circle was profound. In each course, we went from a group of strangers to a group on a pilgrimage for the holy.
Each class was a mixed bag scattered with intentions which range from overcoming shame and self-judgment, to one-timers who knew they had to do this to prove they could do anything, to advanced yogis who wanted to deepen their practice by including nudity to the occasional creepy guy in the back, all supported by a bunch of longtime naturists. Many guys have arrived expecting to see a group of flexy redheat girls, only to see a group made up almost wholly of men staring back at them who had the very same anticipation. Yet, most chose to stay in course anyhow as they released that expectancy and uncovered a deeper part of themselves.
read have received weekly the question in the mouths of men's shame - I 've seen hundreds of erections and however in no group was it memorable to me that a guy had one. The category isn't inherently sexual. While we as individuals are sexy/sexual beings that isn't the focus of this class and an erection quickly learns that when the reality of the instant collides with what the head has fabricated. Within the first ten minutes of class, every body in the room discovers equanimity, the group discovers wholeness and a collective journey starts.
Memorable moments from these classes contain: a woman locating a birthmark on her body for the first time, a Hasidic Jewish guy taking off all his religious clothing and getting into downward-facing dog, a mother-and-daughter couple practicing side-by-side, a Jewish and Muslim man disrobing across from each other as I observed spiritual tension dissipate before my eyes, a guy in a chastity belt, a woman who somehow hadn't known ours was a naked yoga class and practiced with us anyhow.
For three years, these courses were my crux of self discovery. Every time I really thought I had the nudity thing down, I 'd reach another level of self-discovery in the practice. I experienced the toils of how to honor my body and the practice while menstruating and educating at exactly the same time.