Why You Should Be Doing Naked Yoga

Yes, you read that right. Naked Yoga is not only a real thing, it’s a widely practiced form of yoga that even has celebrities like Kristen Bell and Britney Spears stripping down to their birthday suits. It may sound like a buzzy flash-in-the-pan workout trend, but the reported benefits and growing popularity of naked yoga are proving it to be a legitimate workout worth trying for yourself.

Naked Yoga is exactly what it sounds like – doing yoga without clothes! And while it has become more prominent in the past few years, Naked Yoga is in fact a long-standing spiritual practice with a rich history. Originating in ancient India, it was likely used in religious ceremonies as a means of renunciation, or the shedding of one’s earthly possessions and comforts. In today’s world, practitioners use it to enhance the already proven benefits of yoga, such as increased strength, flexibility, stamina, energy, focus, and stress relief. 

So, why exactly is naked better? According to True Naked Yoga, an instructional naked yoga streaming platform, removing the barriers of clothing takes your practice to the next level, and provides a number of added benefits:

Positive Body Image

Body image issues aren’t just for teenage girls. Though men are less likely to talk about these feelings, surveys and studies show that an increasing number of men report dissatisfaction with their appearance. Whether it’s due to bullying or pressure from social media, negative body image affects your mental health regardless of your gender. 

Through regular yoga practice and simply spending more time in the nude, yogis report feeling less shame and insecurity about their bodies, and experience more self-acceptance and confidence as a result.

Freedom of Movement

Even if you’re not wearing skin-tight yoga pants, there are always moments when clothes are uncomfortable during a workout. Whether you’re the type to sweat through your clingy shirt or experience awkward wedgies, being naked instantly solves those problems. It makes your flow more efficient and effective by allowing greater freedom of movement, which is key in a practice that requires as much stretching and range of motion as yoga.

Increased Mindfulness & Self Awareness

Mindfulness is a state of being more conscious and aware of yourself and your environment, and yoga increases mindfulness by training you to focus on your breath and body movements. Being naked enhances this awareness by heightening your physical sensations. Whether it’s the temperature of the room, the yoga mat against your skin, or even sweat rolling off your back, your senses come alive when your skin is more exposed.

Lower Stress & Anxiety

We all know that exercise of any kind lowers cortisol levels and gets endorphins pumping, but the added mental health benefits of naked yoga are the real kicker. When you feel more confident and accepting of yourself and your body, you feel less anxious and more positive overall. 

Increased Immunity

Stress can have huge impacts on your physical health, including your immune system. Regulating stress and cortisol levels is extremely important in maintaining strong immunity, so a regular mindfulness practice is an excellent tool for sustaining that balance.

Increased libido and stamina

While naked yoga itself isn’t intended to be sexual, practitioners report feelings of increased libido and stamina after doing naked yoga regularly, mostly as a result of higher self-esteem, body image, and increased sense of comfort being nude.

True Naked Yoga says their members report that these benefits are long-lasting and tend to spill over into other areas of their lives in a variety of positive ways, such as increased confidence at work and better connections with their partners. Since launching their subscription service in the height of the 2020 lockdown, they’ve managed to amass a community of avid naked yoga lovers from 82 countries and counting. Their goal is to give more people access to these empowering experiences, especially those who might be curious to try it but aren’t quite ready to strip down in front complete strangers. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to naked yoga in a safe and private space. 

And did we mention their library is full of gorgeous and talented yoga instructors? Whether you’re just starting out or consider yourself a pro, they offer a wide range of yoga styles and classes for all skill levels, and even have guided meditations geared towards stress relief and better sleep. Curious to try? New members can get 50% off their first month. Check them out and flow your way to physical and mental health just in time for summer.