,
Naked yoga has been a little black sheep in the mainstream yoga world. Frequently deemed the yoga practice for proverbial redheaded yoga stepchildren, naked yoga has been anything but accepted by fundamentalist yogis. Naked yoga has been something covert, found in the backrooms of yoga studios or private homes of yoga teachers, and nearly never listed on any public programs. It was a practice for yogic rebels and was often met with the eye-roll, a distasteful opinion or self deprecating exclusion for example "Oh I could never do that until I lost fifteen pounds." For naked yoga to be comprised at a mainstream yoga and music festival that often garners over a thousand attendees was a breakthrough indeed. The interior work to open this portal to mainstream recognition was something that unafraid naked yogis and naturists in general have been chipping away at for years. We finally reached - how to set it - hundredth monkey standing only at that event, where it became clear to festival goers that this really is now just a growing popular practice rather than the left handed path of yoga. My engagement with naked yoga at Evolvefest began at an earlier Evolver fundraiser retreat called "Ecstasy-Ma//Kali Ma Lift up the Goddess." Next occasion, I received an invitation by the festival director David Bryson to educate at the larger Evolvefest. I inquired tentatively if David believed Evolvefest was ready for naked yoga. David shared earnestly with me that, as the name implied, Evolvefest was an evolutionary yogic occasion, and, yes, we were prepared. We agreed the best location was truly indoors for naked yoga - a place that would be private enough for those not desiring to participate or witness the practice but big enough for a complete gathering of yogis to celebrate their bodies. There was a barn space above the livestock the owner of Fellowship believed would be suitable. All us nude animals obviously needed to be corralled. Evolvefest main stage lit up at night It was also proposed that Sunday morning would function as the greatest time for the class. It was initially suggested for 7am, but I requested pushing it to 8am because of the late night music and a goddess rite ceremony I 'd be co-officiating with sensible healer Astarius Miraculii. With the late night Saturday program, even an 8am yoga course seemed improbable to bring in http://meghan3g04l.tumblr.com/post/150720596934/update-102015-there-is-no-link-to-read-ms . After our carefully crafted discussion, when I arrived at the festival, there was confusion as to where the class would really be held. The scheduling boards had our course slated for the outside yoga pavilion, but earlier dialogues had decided it'd be in the barn for seclusion and containment. A change was never conveyed if you ask me. We stayed in the barn. After winding down from a puja the night before that stopped around 2am, I woke to some thunderstorm and later little expectation for a good-sized turnout to naked yoga. My teaching partner Sean and I walked in the rain to the barn and opened up the space. We were the two only attendees who dared to rise that early and brave the downpour. I lit a candle and smudged the room with sage. At 7:55am, we were still the only ones there. "If it is just us, we'll still practice," I told Sean. I took a walk to the yoga pavilion to find sleeping campers and about eight folks with their mats rolled out waiting for me. Smiling, I guided them back to the barn. Now we were ten. A little but sufficiently sized type. We began with discussing our intentions for our practice and gently disrobed. Slowly several others found their way to us we became twelve, then fifteen, then twenty, then thirty, then more. Soon the clouds parted and we had the room filled at capacity. Even Jordan, the cofounder of Nudist Portal, a proud naturist who has also devoutly said he would never practice yoga, joined us for a group exercise and then sat and meditated with us during Savasana. Zen Marie Holmes who offers naked yoga classes in New York popped in midway through the class to offer her support. Even Tony from the festival kitchen staff came and joined us after I mentioned the course to him the preceding day. With ten minutes left of the course, stragglers were still roaming in the door taking off their clothing and rolling out their mats for the closing few forward curves. As we closed in a closing meditation offering our aims for naked yoga as a practice of healing and transformation out into the world, I looked around the room at the faces of serenity and tranquility, of recognition and love and felt, yes, Evolvefest was truly ready. After late night music and a morning thunderstorm, an 8am class was a lot for anyone to make. But true blue hard core nudies and the shy and interested filtered in to practice yoga together. The level of existence and commitment from the community to attend was deeply uplifting. I was reminded by something Astarius would say in the morning ceremonies: "The universe's expansion is at the mercy of you showing up." Folks are showing up for naked yoga!! Astarius on http://yusomono.blog.ru/222022179.html at Evolvefest