Topless yoga is a stream of yoga that’s bringing a whole new level of freedom to communities across North America. No tight tank tops, no sports bras, no judgement. Just straight-up nude-from-the-waist-up yoga.
The trend was brought to the attention of health enthusiasts when Women’s Health and Well + Good profiled the yoga studio in LA that hosts “free the nipple” yoga classes in which both men and women get to practice topless. Inspired by the global free the nipple movement (a movement that’s aiming to legitimatize public toplessness for women), the class aims to support body acceptance, equal rights between the sexes and feeling free within our yoga community.
So what exactly does stripping for yoga have to do with a global movement? Class co-creator Danielle Dorsey says, “in order to normalize and decriminalize breasts, we have to present them in more non-sexual settings, but because women are constantly objectified, they also need to feel safe in those spaces where it is allowed … Some of my most peaceful moments have been on the mat, so I thought that it would be the perfect place to allow people that freedom.”
Nice job, Dorsey! A freeing concept, indeed.
Would you get down with it? Totally nude classes have cropped up in Canada this year, too with Kelowna and Calgary being home to studios that offer completely nude, co-ed yoga classes that aim to help participants build confidence. In Toronto, there are currently two nude yoga classes being offered: private sessions on the Island and in a private studio in the west end. A different concept than the LA studio, but these might suit the preference of others who are looking for a different experience:
Yoga with Jacki’s classes at Dundas and Keele offer private and group classes from a rented studio for students of all orientations, sizes, abilities, and levels of aptitude with yoga, from absolute beginner to advanced. Jacki is a certified hatha yoga teacher who, for 7 years, has been helping people to become more aware of and more comfortable in their bodies.
Then, there’s Follow Your Bliss yoga gatherings: a series of intimate gatherings for women and couples that are “related to yoga, tantra, sacred sexuality, wellness, and psychedelics.” Hosted by a lady named Dee Dussault, a certified yoga teacher and sexuality coach, these multi-purpose gatherings have aimed to provide a space for people to practice yoga, connect with themselves and others, and get in touch with their inner divinity since 2009.
Local yogis: would you be interested to try dropping your clothes and stretchin’ em out this year, (whether or not psychedelics are involved)? You could save yourself from splurging on a new pair Lululemon yoga pants, after all.
