Yoga Nude

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#38

Well, this topic has generated a great deal of response! Several questions appear. how do we view our bodies visavis our mind and spirit? What kind of conditioning predisposes our viewpoint? Are we able to be naked (alone or with another) without sexual or intimate boundaries becoming issues which cloud or distract our aim in yoga practice? What is the purpose of our yoga practice?

Many folks practice “yoga” now a days as an exercise. for me, it is not an exercise, but a connection to a deeper awareness of being. How does that relate to being exposed to another? what is being exposed for the purpose of clarity, and what is being exposed for ego gratification? What are my intentions as I enter the space of yoga practice, whether asana, pranayam or managing my mental state?

#39

will someone please toss Curt in the Arctic Ocean for his sins :evil:

#40

:wink:

Hey everyone, I agree, doing yoga with your sister if you are male is not right, not in my eyes anyway. If you really want to do yoga in the nude, that is groovy, but try doing it alone, in the privacy of your own home, in another room. I do not feel it would be wrong to do yoga nude with your partner, without children around.

Yoga is a way to get in touch with our bodies, and awaken our muscles, it should not be made out to be a dirty thing.

Peace and Love
Hippiepower

www.hippiepower.com

#41

I completely agree with it.

If it is warm enough I personally love to do yoga naked at home. But I don’t really now what I should think of nude yoga classes.

On the one hand I feel it is natural and nice to do yoga naked and on the other hand as in most societies most people can’t be natural with nudity … . So I assume that quite a few men would just go to stare at women …
There are none till yet in my area, so I haven’t been to one. Anyone here who have been to nude yoga classes?

Sauna is of course a bit different as you do not do yoga poses. But here (at least in Germany) it is normal for men and women to be naked together in the sauna. So why not getting slowly to the point that it can be just normal to be nude in yoga classes?

I would be very happy if we get one day societies, where people have a natural attitude to nudity and sexuality, so that nude yoga or yoga with clothes is not a point of discussion any more.

#42

You bloody westerners should stop practising any form of yoga with immediate effect.

There are other types of EXERCISES which are much much better than yoga, like pilates, you can also do pilates in the naked if you want.

JUST STOP PRACTISING YOGA

#43

Some people enjoy yoga more then pilates, but then there are others who love pilates. Either way, its important when your doing either, to enjoy it.

There are may other exercises out there, but for me, YOGA ROCKS MY WORLD BABY!

I suffered from very bad anxiety attaches, and when I started yoga, it changed my life.

Peace and Love
Hippiepower :wink:

www.hippiepower.com

#44

yoga is not for westerners.

#45

Aparantly yoga is not your you either Arjun, please, although I respect your view on this matter of nude yoga I do not believe that being angered by any situation is worth the trouble. I think that you may want to reconsider the validity of the statement that you made about yoga not being for westerners. Some don’t understand the true purpose of yoga and most never will become dedicated enough to see the path to it’s end. However, there are some of us who will walk the path as far as it will take us.

#46

Me with the brother since the childhood accustomed to be engaged naked. Parents spoke that so the soul reveals.
It was pleasant to me! :slight_smile:

#47

Yoga has nothing to do with were you live, how old you are, or what religion you choose. Not sure why westerners has anything to do with this topic, and it is becoming a waste of time talking about it.

Everyone out there that does and loves yoga, know’s that all of these things do not matter. It is a healthy choice for people to make, and has helped a lot of people feel physically better, and emotionally as well.

Ya can’t knock it till you try it. Candles, relaxing music, stretching…its all a very groovy thing.

Peace and Love
Hippiepower

www.hippiepower.com :smiley:

#48

[quote=Tompasand;2940]I strongly feel that one should not perform yoga nude. If one feels quite hot during summer, then wear some light clothes and do it. Yoga is not just a physical or mental exercise but also a spiritual exercise. It was founded by spiritual people. Do we pray to God without wearing anything? It we do so, then it would be showing disrespect to God. Similarly, when we are involved in this spiritual exercise, let us be decent. Well, this is just my opinion. I dont know if I can convince those people who wish to do yoga nude. Some may think I am a guy from an old school. I would surely like Mukunda & Chandra to comment on this issue.

Thomas[/quote]

We are of course, all entitled to our individual thoughts and must follow our heart with regards to our spiritual walk – including whether to do yoga in the nude or not. For me, I am not comfortable with my body enough to want it nude, even when it is just me around. My body has not fully recovered from the year I was undergoing cancer treatments and the subsequent scars from the masectomy. Ultimately, I am working towards a more loving and appreciative attitude towards my body. This same body, although, not exactly my desired visual of myself currently, provided the strenght to undergo some very intense regiments. How dare I be ashamed of it and send negative thoughts toward it…toward myself?

On the other hand, even if my body were the exact desired look I preferred – I do not think that with my current direction and path I am interested in stimulating senuality. I believe sexuality and the feelings that are often associated with those instinctual patterns are not always productive. That is not to say I believe sex or sexuality is bad, negative, evil. But I do believe that sex and sexuality has a time and a place. When I am practicing my Yoga, I am wanting to connect every inch of my being to the creator. I am trying to extend my spiritual growth and develop the areas of my life that were weakend by me giving in to my own desires and immediate gratifications.

I applaud those of you who can explore your nudity and still reach and maintain the higher spiritual planes. For me, I am learning to embrace my nudity; but I prefer it with nature. They do not judge nor do they desire. I am sure the animals observe the silly topless woman dancing in the field – alone. I feel beautiful when it is just them and me.

More importantly – keep doing yoga! It has subliminal processes going on whether the practitioner is aware or not. The breathing, the stretching, the balancing all provide extreem workouts for the mind, body, soul.

namaste’

#49

[quote=Arjun;3545]You bloody westerners should stop practising any form of yoga with immediate effect.

There are other types of EXERCISES which are much much better than yoga, like pilates, you can also do pilates in the naked if you want.

JUST STOP PRACTISING YOGA[/quote]

On other forums/message boards I have come to expect racial slurs, negativity towards women, men, children, animals etc… What I don’t understand is seeing it on a Yoga Forum.

I would suggest, as an alternate place to voice your displeasure/anger/hate – www.craigslist.org

There is an entire community ready to band together with you with your displeasure for “the Westerner or Humanity in genernal.” Please feel free to frequent there and mediate on your response, as it is full of hate. I have been taught that Yoga is about love. Learning to love ones “self” which in turn teaches us to love one another – actually to love ALL THAT IS.

I do not wish to start a flame war – but I do think it is worth commenting on. If we took your post and reposted it to the greatest thinkers/yogi’s alive – I wonder what their conclusion would be?

On another note – I do agree with you that for those wishing immediate results, Yoga is probably not the right discipline for them. As for the nude aspect … I believe Yoga is sacred and very spiritual, but it is also beautiful. I believe that it would be very difficult for MOST humans to do anything in the nude and it not in someway turn to a distorted sexuality explotation at some point.

#50

Arjun what you can do best to protect the Yoga treasure is to focus on your own practise. Trying to control the world around you can be very disappointing and you can stay angry the whole life beacuse it will not work out. You know you don"t own land, culture, religion … just beacuse you are born there. That is an illusion. But it can be a great support for your path.

#51

If Curt isn’t just a joker…:

  1. He and his sister should be sweedish or something like that. :cool:

if not…

  1. Probably Siegmund Freud would better understand why they both have the need to stay nude and feel sexy, using yoga as a pretext. :lol:
#52

Could someone please put this thread out of it’s misery?

#53

I believe this discussion is usefull for all of us, no matter if Curt is only a joker - or not.

It brings up a human issue, which is always able to help us identify our behavioral or pshychological patterns - and, ideally, to eliminate our prejudices, in order to obtain the freedom of mind.

For me, for example, this discussion was a good reason to see that I tend to make fun and be malitios about Curts - in fact, about people I know nothing about. Why? Maybe becouse of my own lack of self-confidence and self-respect.

Let us not forget that there is a spiritual path for any kind of personality: from Hatha Yoga to Tantra Yoga. If some people like Curts have Swadisthana as their predominant chakra, this doesn’t mean that we are permited to consider that they cannot grow from the spiritual point of view. As long as they, as brother and sister, are able to admire an transfigure one another as Shiva and Shakti, in a tantric - still a pure - way, I consider that they are above the false bashfullness that is stopping many of us to see beyond the veil of Maya, the Illusion.

#54

Just reciently, my partner and I have tried yoga together. I am amazed and how much further we can both get in our posses doing it as a team. We tried the Fly Bow Pose, Downward-Facing Dog, and the Seated Twist. I even tried doing a head stand for the first time, and with his help, I actually did it.

Do it in the nude, or with clothes on, whatever you prefer, but you gotta try it.

It’s very Groovy. I have posted a new post on my site all about it.

Peace and Love
Hippiepower

www.hippiepower.com

#55

Hmm…maybe not then. No, definitely not.
Too bad.

#56

[quote=donna;3672]If Curt isn’t just a joker…:

  1. Probably Siegmund Freud would better understand why they both have the need to stay nude and feel sexy, using yoga as a pretext. [/quote]

I am not fond of this Freud entity.
Good example how brillianace can be perverted by a sick mind. The fact alone that his ideas become so popular, makes one cautios. For him every problem is oedipal, because he had that issue.

#57

Dear friends,

hello,

Regarding doing yoga in nude state i would like to say , In india there were many great yogis who never cared whether ther have worn clothes or not i.e Swami nityananda, Trailanga swami, Nagas.But none have done for pleasure of any kind.It was a symbol of last detachment from world to God.B’coz we are not bodies we are indestructible atman .All these yogis were siddha.Certainly doing yoga for pleasure and with a sister is not correct.Yoga purifies the body to able to see us as souls and then realise God , the preach of vedas clearly reflects all this philosophy and enable us to understand we as soul.Yoga enables us to control chitt vrittis i.e five perceptions.
Nagas, shwetambar jain yogis do not wear clothe neither they are ashamed of it b’coz they have understood the truth of life , a great cosmic illusion.