“While my fi rst reaction is to suck
my tummy in, this time I let go and
try appreciating it instead”
on upcoming nude yoga workshops in a city near you.
Want to try naked yoga for yourself?
Visit rosierees.com for more info
Penny with her fellow
naked yogiswomensfitness.com.au womensfitnessaustralia @womensfitnessmag @womensfitnessauPHOTOGRAPHY
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57BeFIT
a body breakthrough? Rees says yes –
that shedding our clothes is a powerful
symbolic act. “It’s much more of a
vulnerable experience than just getting
naked during yoga,” she tells me. “It’s
about what you are letting go of, what
you are shedding, what no longer serves
you. It’s almost like you take that layer of
clothing o and what’s really going on in
your life bubbles up to the surface.”YOGA, EXPOSED
Aware that stripping in front of a roomful
of strangers is a supremely challenging
concept, Rees has taken plenty of steps
to ensure the process is a gentle one. An
email goes out the day before asking the
16 attendees to bring along a yoga mat,
towel, robe or sarong and an open mind.
When I wander into the studio at 6.30pm,
lights are dimmed and candles fl icker
softly. We’re asked to place our mats in
a circle (no faces staring at bare butts!),
cover them with a towel (for hygiene and
comfort) and change into our robes.
Music is playing and incense is burning,
transforming the austere room into an
intimate and inviting space. Rees, radiant
in a turquoise kimono, is the anchor we
all cling to as we sit cross-legged, nervously
rearranging our robes as though we’re not
about to go full frontal. Rees is a natural
in this sensitive situation – she cracks
jokes to break the tension, prepares us
for what’s coming and reassures us that
we can undress (and re-dress) at any time
during the evening – but adds that it is
naked yoga after all, so the point is to
get your kit o eventually. Noted.
I choose to leave my robe tightly tied
as we pull angel cards, meditate and
experience a shamanic drumming. It stays
on, although slightly looser, as we take
turns introducing ourselves and sharing
personal stories. It’s still there, untied
now, as we pair up for partner work – a
vulnerability exercise that involves gazing
into another’s eyes. Most of the other
women have shed their layers entirely by
this point and I begin to feel like the weird
one for keeping my body under wraps.
When Rees announces that it’s time
for the yoga portion of the evening, I fi nally
slip my robe o. A ripple of panic washes
through me until I realise that no one isbothered by the sudden appearance of my
pale torso and (gasp!) ‘yoni’. The only
person who feels uncomfortable with it is
me, as evidenced by my clammy, sweaty
thighs. “We are conditioned to hide our
bodies and feel a sense of shame about
certain body parts,” Rees explains. “But
once you sit around in a circle with other
women and see all di erent body shapes
and sizes, you’re over it. You’re like, ‘Wow,
she’s beautiful’. And once you see that
beauty in her, you start to see it in yourself.”STRIP DOWN
We start with a few relaxing cat-cows
leading into a slow yin yoga sequence.
It’s not the competitive, fast-paced fl ow
most people expect, but a gentle invitation
to reconnect with your physical form
after an hour of talking and emoting.
“When you’re naked, you’re very
present,” Rees says – and, wow, is she
right. I’m hyper aware of every movement,
making it easier to tune into how my body
feels. She encourages us to look at our
bodies with love, and while my fi rst reaction
is to suck my tummy in like I would when
I catch it spilling over my yoga pants, this
time I let go and try appreciating it instead.
I fi nd myself admiring the graceful arch ofmy foot, then lovingly stroking my leg
while I work through a tight forward fold.
Rees directs us into our fi rst downward
dog with a “There, that wasn’t so bad, was
it?” and the group giggles with relief. It’s
not bad at all – in fact, the whole naked
thing feels surprisingly okay. When we
emerge from shavasana and trays of
‘sensual treats’ of chocolate and fruit come
out, no one is in a rush to pull on their
sarong. We sit around chatting, eating and
laughing. We’re all high on self-love.
And that’s really all this is, weird as it
might sound. It’s not sexual or kinky, it’s
just a group of chicks coming together
to celebrate the beauty of being women.
“It’s a self-love workshop. But you’re
naked,” Rees says simply.
I was hoping for a great awakening- Rees tells me that many of the women
who attend her workshops feel transformed
afterwards, and there’s defi nitely some
powerful shifts within this group – but
for me it’s more of a subtle inner lift. I’m
genuinely at ease (a feat for someone
who can make ordering co ee awkward),
proud of my body and excited at where
this sense of freedom might take me. If it
means my Dharma Bums get a little less
wear from now on, I’m okay with that.