Overexposure

Class this morning was full of rosy cheeks, flushed scarlet from both exertion and embarrassment; the latter may have been because, in an effort to decrease the amount of body-concealing apparel my students practice in, I mentioned the recent resurgence of naked yoga -- that's right, naked.

Practicing in the buff is not something I talk about to make my students feel uncomfortable; in fact, I plant the idea in their heads to encourage comfort through discomfort; it's like going through hell to get to heaven. You've got to put yourself out there if you're really going to see yourself. You've got to practice in the front row from time to time, stare at yourself in the mirror for 90 minutes and sport a teeny tiny costume, no matter what shape and size you are, because guess what, if you aren't happy with your shape and size, good luck trying to change it if you can't even see it.

Trust me, by covering that Buddha belly, you are doing yourself a disservice. Even if you think you are (as instructed) compressing your abdominal wall & contracting your abdominal muscles, unless you can see them, don't be so sure. Do you ever look around the room (even though you know you shouldn't) and see someone practicing in long shorts or pants, smiling away as they balance in tree pose, hands in namaskar, without their foot slipping? Don't be jealous, she's cheating; she's using fabric to hold her foot up there instead of inner thing strength and missing out on lean muscle building. Maybe she doesn't care bikini season is upon us, but I do.

This is where the idea of naked yoga comes in; what a great way to remove yet another distraction from the practice. Without a costume (as Bikram likes to call yoga outfits), there is nothing to hide behind, readjust, or use as a crutch. All this time, I thought naked yoga was merely an idea, until my Grandpa called to tell me about the new Skyclad Yoga studios opening in Victoria he'd happened upon in the local paper. Initially I thought, this is surely some instructor's idea of satirical journalism; nope, it's the real deal.

Apparently, Skyclad Yoga has been operational in Vancouver since 2006. Not only that, but people actually partake in this experience. I suppose it must be only for the truly free spirited. It's one thing to use the idea of yoga au natural as a way to hone student discipline and concentration; it's a whole other unfathomable reality to imagine oneself rocking out standing bow-pulling pose with a big set of balls in the face. No thanks.

For now, let's keep our bits and pieces contained. As long as we wear barely-there costumes and practice up front, we can get what we need from our practice. The need to go totally nude seems a bit like an exhibitionist cry for attention.