Denver Nude Yoga bares it all

Gymnos, the root word in “gymnasium,” is ancient Greek for “naked.” In the days of Socrates, male athletes exercised and competed completely in the nude. Recently, thanks to Manhattan yogi Aaron Star and others like him, this no-fashion trend has been revived in certain yoga circles around the country.

Monday nights in Denver [Colorado, USA] find Keith Loop leading a group of men in Tantric yoga and meditation—every last one of them wearing nothing but the skins they were born in. At first glance, this may seem like a thinly disguised excuse for same-sex hookups (which it may be, in some urban markets), but according to Loop, who has taught the class for three years, it in fact creates a unique opportunity for transformation.

When you’re naked, explains Loop, “You’re exposed; bare; your ego has nowhere to hide.” Participants are confronted with their own body image issues and their imperfections, the supposedly “inauspicious” parts of themselves. For men, who as Loop puts it “tend to bond superficially,” this is an uncharacteristic experience of vulnerability which can—with the proper guidance—lead to the radical acceptance of oneself and others in the group, opening a gateway to step into one’s essential power and experience oneself (and everyone in the class) as an “all-encompassing being.” What may begin in self-consciousness ends in celebration. Read Article

By Carolyn Barndt