Nudist Detritus nudus interruptus — when nudity is unexpectedly cut short "We're nudists but we're not stupid" is such a cliché. We should be honest, up front and unapologetic about our beliefs and our lifestyle.
I hate the phrase "getting caught nude" because it implies that you're doing something wrong. When someone unexpectedly sees you nude, make no apologies and just be yourself. Just what, exactly, is so frightening about a nude person that causes the average American to recoil in horror? We're actually quite harmless and a lot of fun. I find it contradictory that I have to wear clothing when exercising in a gymnasium. If I go to a nudist colony, can I incite a revolt and declare independence from our oppressive colonial masters? Life begins in the nude. |
Yes, another nude yoga post. Maybe nude yoga’s appeal is limited but it does seem to be gaining interest among non-nudists. Plus, I’m a naturist and I practice yoga, so it’s only natural that I should merge the two interests.
COMFORTABLE IN THEIR SKIN: Yoga Goes Au Naturel
Instructor hopes to increase men’s confidence, self-esteem
By Sonya Padgett
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Over the past couple of years, yoga instructor David Oliphant learned two valuable lessons:
- Taking his clothes off could provide a sense of empowerment and freedom, in the right situations, of course.
- Innocent activities and facts can be tainted when you add the word “naked” to them, especially in Las Vegas.
A yoga teacher for the past five years, Oliphant started offering men’s naked yoga classes in a downtown studio in October. He offers classes through his Web site, yogawithdavid.com.
Doing the Downward Facing Dog and other hatha poses sans clothing is a relatively new way to practice yoga, but it has a national following. The Web site nakedyoga.net lists several cities where classes can be found, including San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.
It is exactly what it sounds like; a group of men get together, take their clothes off and practice yoga.
Men, and women, have shown interest in Oliphant’s classes and his rosters have increased from a handful to a couple of dozen students. Eventually, he wants to offer a range of naked yoga classes for women and couples.
Not surprisingly, though, the word “naked” attached to men’s yoga can sometimes cause a little controversy. Novices tend to assume two things, he says: that every guy who does it must be gay and that those who practice it are doing more than just yoga.
Neither assumption is true, Oliphant says. “There’s nothing sexual about it.”
Rather, it’s about helping men become more comfortable in their own skin, which should then transfer into their everyday lives, giving them more confidence and self-esteem.
“The reason I started it is one, because I was surprised no one was doing it in Las Vegas,” explains Oliphant, who first started doing naked yoga in Reno a couple of years ago. “And two, I’m sure it’s true with women but also with men, there’s a lot of pressure about the way you look physically. I wanted to make people feel more comfortable in their own bodies. It’s been healing for a lot of people.”
He’s also taken a new approach to his fees, one that is gaining in popularity in the yoga world. Instead of a flat cost, Oliphant solicits donations from students, allowing them to give what they can afford. Classes are offered three days a week.
“I’ve never made less money but I’ve never been happier,” says Oliphant, who left a job in hospitality to become a yogi. “I’m just happy doing what I feel I was called to do.”
His students come from a variety of backgrounds, from the legal field to medicine and everything in between. Some of his students are gay, as is Oliphant. But many are straight. They are single, married, divorced, fat, tall, short and fit. And they all express different reasons for practicing naked yoga.
“Naked. That part’s hard to explain,” says Michael Radde, a local massage therapist who heard about naked yoga through clients. “You’re a lot freer. You don’t have anything binding you. Clothed yoga, it’s not the same.”
One student, Steve, who asked that his name not be used because “you know, there are those preconceived notions about naked yoga,” says his experience has been better than he expected. He has found some peace of mind and he’s more flexible, too.
“I had been looking for a yoga class, but the one at the health club was too big,” Steve says. “The instructor talked over a microphone and it was full of people who knew what they were doing.”
Naked yoga was less intimidating because everyone was in the same situation, he says. It helped that the lights were dim.
“You have to be open-minded about it. A lot of people don’t get that,” Steve adds. “You have to be open to that to accept it. If you want to, you will.”
Find this article at: http://www.lvrj.com/living/yoga-goes-au-naturel-83191842.html
Although most who practice nude yoga probably wouldn’t consider themselves naturists, nude yoga and naturism do share some common ideas such as their non-sexual nature, a sense of empowerment and freedom, body image and body acceptance and open-mindedness. I often do my yoga practice at home in the nude and I find my movements to be less restricted and I have to make fewer adjustments for comfort so I’m able to focus more on my breath, the asanas, and the flow.
Or course, practicing alone is different than in a group whether nude or clothed but I doubt my comfort level would be any different. Nude yoga still hasn’t arrived in Dayton but I’d probably be willing to travel to Cincinnati or Columbus to attend a class. I’d like to see it offered at more nudist venues and clubs.
- Related posts:
- Anmol Mehta on Nude Yoga
- If You Could Do It Naked, Would You?
- Nude Yoga, A Naturist Viewpoint
- Nude Yoga
Today on the KenFreehiker blog, he calls upon naturists to Reintroduce a Healthy Naturist Revolution, and lead the way in practicing a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy eating and exercise, along with mental and spiritual health, were essential to early naturist practice. What happened? It’s as if when people took off their clothes they forgot why. Originally, it was for physical and mental health. It’s time to bring healthy living back to naturism.
Perhaps “nudists”” are okay with an unhealthy lifestyle, but not “naturists”. By definition, naturists are physically active, eat healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in true health. It’s time for everyone to become “true” naturists.
I can’t say that I disagree with him. Fitness and health are part of my ideal of naturism. I’m not advocating going back to mandatory calisthenics, a vegan/vegetarian diet or total abstinence from certain substances for all naturists. I’m not saying we should all look like Greek gods and goddesses either. I’m suggesting that we do what we can to move away from a sedentary lifestyle to one with a sensible and proactive approach to physical, mental and spiritual health and fitness.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of good health. I’m a bit overweight, my cholesterol levels are out of balance, I’m taking medication for blood pressure, and my blood sugar is a bit higher that it ought to be. I’m doing what I can to correct or control those problems. Since I got my wake-up call a year and a half ago, I’ve lost over 30 pounds, my cholesterol levels are better, my blood pressure is lower and my blood sugar is under better control. I’ve almost completely eliminated junk food from my diet and I’m mindful of what I eat. I’m exercising more although I’m still working to overcome longstanding mental blocks about exercise. I’ve recently taken up yoga and I’m beginning to realize its physical, mental and spiritual benefits.
When I first got involved with nudism, I was not at all happy with the way my body looked in the mirror but I learned to accept it. I also figured out that accepting my body did not imply that I was satisfied with it or that I should just let it go. For me, body acceptance was a beginning, not an end in itself. In the mirror, I saw my protruding belly, my love handles, and my man-boobs and I told myself, “OK. That’s my body and I accept it for what it is. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, what do I need to do to improve it, to make it healthier?” I feel that too many of us reach body acceptance and don’t take the next step.
As naturists, we’ve rejected our society’s ideas of body shame, its skewed view of modesty and the nudity equals sex myth. Why don’t we take it further and reject the attitude that gluttony is good. There are diet plans and magical formulas that will make you thin again without changing your diet or exercise habits. It’s a contradictory message meant to sell super sized happy meals and diet aids.
Mahoning Valley Naturist posted How to Become A Nudist, listing five steps to getting started.
- Rid yourself of cultural myths about nudity.
- Sleep in the nude.
- Wait to dress after showering.
- Go nude whenever your house is warm.
- Spend some time nude outdoors (if there’s sufficient privacy).
MVN adds some elaboration in each step and it’s sound advice, emphasizing that nudity is our natural state, that sleeping nude may be more comfortable, that extending your nudity after your shower may be a good transition since you’re nude anyway.
There’s more to being a nudist than being nude but if you follow these suggestions for, say a week, you just may find yourself feeling more comfortable with your body and more comfortable over all. Maybe you won’t become a full-fledged nudist but you may begin to understand why we enjoy it so much.
Now and then I like to see from where people are reaching my blog. One referral that intrigued me was @NaturistDating on Twitter. Sure enough, I found a couple of Tweets pointing to MojoNude but I found another Tweet that led me to this interesting blog post by HeatherN on her blog, Wish You Were Here. She’s not a nudist, just a mother and housewife in the Midwest. I found the post to be humorous and she seems to have a good attitude about household nudity.
Naked Is Gross.
This is the latest missive from my ten-year-old son, and I hope to hell it’s a passing phase.
If he truly is well on his way to becoming neurotically prudish, I will take advantage of the Iowa Safe Haven law and abandon him at the nearest hospital.
Not ever having been a ten-year-old boy, I don’t know if this is all part of the development or what. Is it a normal prepubescent attitude thing for all males? I know I could probably Google it – you all know my skills there are pretty formidable – but I’m not sure I know how to cope if my son is indeed deviating from the path.
Not that we are nudists in this house, but I have never been squeamish about nudity in this house. I’ve always tried to stress that there is a time and place for nakedness, and the wise wo/man/boy/girl/dog knows when that time is.
However, I suspect I know from which quadrant this shame evolves. There’s no need to name names, but let it be known – see how the sins your labors have put forth the fruits of shame!
I can sort of relate. I have grandchildren of the same age and younger. I’ve heard them utter the words "naked is gross". This is from children who, not all that long ago, would not hesitate to strip down in the middle of the living room when getting ready for their bath or for bed. The most vocal is my granddaughter who used to do her naked dance while singing "Naked! Naked! Naked!" before putting on her pajamas.
My son has issues about nudity (I didn’t know any better when I was raising him) but my daughter-in-law has a rational attitude toward nudity. We try to raise them right but there are so many outside influences over which we have little or no control. Hopefully, it’s just a phase and they’ll grow up to have healthy attitudes and respect for their own bodies. One can hope.
What people call "being ashamed" is properly speaking the most atrocious kind of hypocrisy imaginable if we examine it more closely.
Shame and Modesty on Gymnosophy examines the nature of shame and modesty. Originally appearing in Solis #65, the author talks about how concepts of shame and modesty change over time and how many people who publicly embrace society’s current notions of modesty will do just the opposite when out of their society’s watchful eyes.
Young children have no concept of shame and modesty. For better or for worse, it is taught to them by well-meaning parents and family members, respected authority figures, and the popular media, who often give them mixed and confusing messages about what is and is not shameful and immodest.
For much of my life, I blindly followed society’s ideas of what was shameful, immodest and indecent and had my share of body issues. Yet privately, I enjoyed moments of nudism. It wasn’t until I embraced naturism, that I began to unlearn these concepts, accept my body without shame, and learn that nudity is a natural, healthy part of life. Nudity, in its own right, is neither immodest nor shameful. These concepts should be applied to our behavior and our intentions rather than what we are, or are not, wearing.
I still live in a society that follows irrational, inconsistent, and sometimes ridiculous standards of shame and modesty so I find that I must often appear to conform to them in order to peacefully coexist. Just the same, I speak my mind about my views on the matter and promote nudism as a natural, healthy, and modest lifestyle. It’s still a reality that I must, for the most part, practice naturism privately or away from the prying and judgmental eyes of society.
Eventually, the current era of repression, intolerance and neo-conservatism will give way to a more open, more tolerant and freer culture. In the meantime, we must influence that change in whatever small ways we can by being open, honest and rational about our beliefs about shame, modesty, nudity and our philosophies.
For what it’s worth…
There has been much talk about the full body scanners in the aftermath of the “Christmas bomber”. I’ve read much of it but generally haven’t gotten involved in the discussion. I’m opposed to them, not because some TSA employee will see a naked image of me but because I feel it’s another government intrusion of our persons, further erosion of basic rights and liberties, and a knee-jerk response with dubious effectiveness. I don’t feel they will make the friendly skies any safer.
Here’s a blog post of mine from August 15, 2006 in which I made a couple of tongue-in-cheek predictions. I was being sarcastic at the time but still…
Winning the War
“Because when we retain our dignity, the terrorists win.” — Blonde Champagne, August 2006
I think they’ve already won. They don’t have to kill us; they don’t have to blow up anything else. They have made us so fearful and paranoid that we can no longer act rationally. They can make us squirm, jump to new heights of inconvenience, and give up more freedoms simply by saying they’re going to blow up something in some new and novel way.
Soon we’ll all be flying nude after a mandatory body cavity search and relinquishing our dental fillings or dentures (how do we know they’re not explosive?). Your carry-on bags and your luggage will be flown ahead on a separate plane and the TSA will stamp the back of your hand so you can claim them, along with your clothing, at your destination. Meal service on all flights will be suspended and lavatories will be removed from all airliners because we all know how those plastic utensils can be used as weapons and you could be doing who knows what in the lavatory.
“We hope you enjoyed your flight and please fly with us again.”
Comments:
I can really see this happening but what bothers me is that people will endure these measures in order to travel and use their frequent flyer miles. They will grumble but they will ultimately accept it as necessary in the war on terrorism. “If we stop flying, the terrorists win.”
# posted by Rick : September 02, 2006 7:39 PM
A Ban on Carry-On Luggage (NY Times Editorial, 09/10/06)
My prediction concerning the future of air travel may be one step closer to reality.
# posted by Rick : September 10, 2006 9:39 AM
For what it’s worth…
Technorati Tags: nipple radiation
See! Nipple radiation is real. And you thought I was being sarcastic.
Thanks to @Livsnaturist on Twitter for the link!
- Related post:
- Nipple radiation
I just read about a survey in which Yoga Alliance was trying to find out what prevented people from taking up yoga. The top three misconceptions they found were that it was religion-based, required flexibility, and wasn’t really exercise. From my own experience, I’ve found those to be untrue.
That got me to thinking about the misconceptions that prevent people from trying nudism/naturism. Here are a few misconceptions about nudism that come to mind.
- My religion forbids it.
- It’s sexual.
- You need to look good.
- It’s just old people.
- It’s illegal.
- It’s sinful, immoral, immodest, shameful, disgusting, etc..
As naturists and nudists, we know that those misconceptions are untrue but we need to get the word out and dispel the misconceptions and stereotypes.
Delfin Amante, in On My Mind; In My Life, posted Talking To Others About Being a Nudist in which he talks about his decision to speak openly about being a nudist. He’s not talking about evangelizing nudism or shouting it from the rooftops but if the topic comes up in conversation or it seems appropriate to bring it up. Hesitating, worrying what others will think or bringing it up as something unusual will lead others to believe we think there’s something wrong with it.
Talking about it as a matter-of-fact will show others that it really is something normal; it’s just another life choice. I guess this is part of my evolution as a nudist. Unless I fully accept my decisions myself, I really can’t expect others to accept them, can I?
When discussing nudism and naturism we are often our worst advocates. However it comes up in conversation, we need to discuss it openly and honestly, without embarrassment. We need to be honest with ourselves, as well as with others.
For what it’s worth…
Penultimate Day 2009, the nude year in review.
It wasn’t really much of a nude year for me. I think I only attended a couple of swims and didn’t visit any landed clubs. I had made plans to visit Cedar Trails and take part in the AANR Skinny-Dip record but my plans fell through at the last minute. Maybe next year. Of course, I’ve been saying that since 2007. When TBN actually scheduled summer visits to landed clubs, there seemed to be more incentive to go but this year, I didn’t really feel motivated. Of course, the club’s lack of scheduled activities was probably only a small part of that. There were other factors as well.
I almost went to Chautauqua Gorge in September. I was in Westfield for another reason and I thought I had a pretty good idea where the gorge was but I had forgotten my directions and missed it completely. When I got home and looked at the map, I saw that I hadn’t missed it by much. My other quest in Westfield was unsuccessful as well so I’m planning to head back up there sometime in late spring, armed with the necessary data for both quests.
Where I most participated was through this blog which went through a few changes this year. I renamed it and then, after an upgrade gone awry, I moved it from my home web server to a hosted site. There were changes in content too. I’m not sure what direction it’s going to take, if any. I’m sure there will be some advocacy and evangelism but, for the most part, it will be stuff I find interesting.
In January, I took a step out of the "nudist closet" by posting a nude photo of myself here. I received several comments on my bravery. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It felt right to do it, so I did it. Later on, I went back to my September 2007 post and moved that image out from behind its link. I didn’t think of my first venture in to social nudism to be a great act of courage either. Yes, there was some apprehension and nervousness, even a few doubts, but once I was nude among others all of it evaporated almost immediately and it felt like the most natural thing I’d ever done.
I’ve probably gotten more philosophical about naturism this past year and have used the blog to investigate and experiment with that aspect of naturism. I’ve also been working naturist philosophies, perspectives and concepts into other aspects of my life, making it part of an overall lifestyle, even when there’s little or no nudity involved.
During the year I’ve been somewhat involved with nudist social networks but they really don’t take up much of my time. I’m not sure that nudist social networking on the Internet has sufficiently matured yet. Perhaps it will eventually.
I dropped out of two of the larger networks, Skinbook and True Nudists, because I didn’t feel comfortable with where they were going or how they were being administered. I’m still semi-active on a few other networks and forums but I don’t post very often, preferring to use this forum to express my opinions, ideas, and comments. Sometimes I think that most people on these networks aren’t aware of other naturist sites and blogs.
What’s in store for 2010? To be honest, I really don’t know. I’ll continue to incorporate naturism into my everyday life as much as possible and continue to advocate naturist ideals, such as body acceptance, and try to educate people about naturism and nudism. I’ll endeavor to participate in social nudism more often, particularly in the warmer months. At the moment I’m undecided on the swims considering the cost (entry fee, gas, and travel time) coupled with the limited activities.
As of now, I am planning to visit Chautauqua Gorge in the spring. That will be in conjunction with a family visit in Northeast Ohio and genealogical research in Westfield. Maybe 2010 will be the year I make to Cedar Trails for the weekend of Nude Recreation Week. There’s usually a family activity the same weekend but maybe this time I can work around it. Perhaps I’ll make plans to visit Paradise Gardens and Sunshower Country Club. Both are relatively close. I’ll see. As Yoda says, "Clouded, the future is."
Have a happy and prosperous Nude Year.
|
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." ~ Cyril Connolly
|
Recent Comments