I enjoy exercising every day, but my activity changes with the seasons. Right now, it’s winter in Seattle, so indoor yoga is my preferred choice. It’s a great way to start my mornings. As I go through my practice, I remind myself to stay relaxed and centered—like how one would want to start almost any sexual experience. One particular morning, it was hot and as I moved through each pose, more clothes started coming off. And before I knew it, naked yoga had begun!
It got me thinking about how many women can relate to issues around body image, which may include negative self-talk around how our bodies are made, how they work, and how they appear to others and ourselves. As a sex coach, I find that many of my clients struggle severely with loving themselves and their bodies, but what if they spent an entire 30 minutes, naked, with their body and really watched it move? Watched it bend and stretch, weave and twist? I began to wonder how this could help our female clients?
The Benefits of Naked Yoga for Women Struggling with Body Image
Ever since that day, I took on this practice of naked yoga. For me, it is one of the surest ways I get to spend time with myself. I enjoy watching myself move and pose, breathe and move, pose and breathe. It has become one of the best ways to spend quality time with the most important person in my life…me!
As sex coaches, we are constantly giving our clients new exercises and activities to try out. The practice of naked yoga not only allows them to watch—and accept—watching themselves, but if they allow it, this can also create some sexual relevance with their own body, effectively turning themselves on, which can be very powerful mentally and emotionally. Understanding that their arousal can be catalyzed by their own body can do wonders for self-love and confidence!
Turning Ourselves On & Learning to Love Our Bodies
It is important to note that clients who are serious about improving their body image are going to be constantly learning about themselves [sexually] and about sex, in general. Something I’ve learned is that you don’t always have to be turned on to become wet. In fact, there are many occasions where I feel a slight wetness in my panties while I’m walking around looking at things and I wonder what I just saw or experienced to make me feel excited.
Most of the time, as Emily Nagoski explained in her book, Come As You Are, it’s due to a phenomenon called non-concordance. “Non-concordance is about the relationship between the peripheral system—the genitals—and the central system—the brain…[our] genitals learn to associate certain stimuli with certain physiological responses that have nothing to do with pleasure or even interest.”
In other words, seeing my naked body is sexually relevant, so the results I got when doing naked yoga was a fascinating natural lubrication—even though initially, I wasn’t turned on at all!
This also helps our clients become comfortable with how their vagina oozes. It’s different for all of us—sometimes it’s slow and seeps, sometimes it’s watery and high in volume, sometimes it doesn’t come at all or is only a few drops. All of these are completely normal! Again, to quote Emily Nagoski in the second page of her book, “Am I normal? The answer is nearly always: Yes!”1 By learning how our bodies work, we naturally become closer to them and more understanding of them. When we understand more, it tends to become easier to accept and love. Beautiful.
“Am I normal? The answer is nearly always: Yes!”
Many women, myself included, struggle with the issue of body image. It comes in many forms: from body shaming and self-hatred, to comparing ourselves to others, and the unrealistic beauty standards we see in the media. It may feel close to impossible for clients to overcome, but I promise, with a little bit of help, it can become reality. Through many years of self-compassion and acceptance, I’ve not only come to terms with my little belly pooch but I can actually say I love it! I finally realized it deserves as much appreciation as the rest of my beautiful body.
Mindfulness Helps Transform Negative Body Image into Self Love
During my morning yoga as I continued to breathe and pose and move and stretch and breathe, I fell in love with the image in the mirror. Doing naked yoga in front of a mirror can help our clients feel the same way. Adding in a mindfulness practice can help them tune into what their bodies really mean to them and how they feel. Accepting and actively sending compassion and love to that reflection they see in the mirror can be one of the simplest ways to see the beauty that has always been there:
They will start to love that crease that’s made from their booty and thigh when they’re in Warrior pose;
And how straight and toned their arms look in Side Angle pose;
And how tall they become when they move their arms overhead into Mountain;
And all those plump little creases that protrude from the belly when they bend down for their Forward Fold;
And how soothing it feels to caress their body as they shift from Warrior to Reverse Warrior;
And how strong their legs feel holding them steady in Dancers pose;
And how fleshly their boobs feel when their hands are in Prayer during Crescent Lunge, each one having a little forearm shelf to rest on;
And how sexy their ass is when they bend down in Triangle!
Naked Yoga is Best Done Alone During This Process
It is amazing how much a client’s perspective can change after a few naked yoga sessions. Throughout these sessions, they can feel free of shame, arrogance, and guilt. They can find a new joy for their body and gratitude for their beautiful instrument! When you assign naked yoga to your client, be sure to suggest that they do it alone, with no one else present, so they can be fully with themselves and not worry about judgment or comparison to someone else. If you feel it appropriate, have them write or reflect after each of their sessions to observe changes with their body awareness and confidence over time.
The hope is that this will ultimately lead to self-love and self-acceptance, which promotes happiness, centeredness and worthiness within our clients—which is the purpose of what we do as sex coaches! This type of exercise can also lead to some intimate masturbation moments for our clients, which can also promote self-discovery.
When our women clients love their bodies and understand what their sexual needs are through introspection, masturbation, and other solo activities, they are better equipped to ask for what they need from others in an intimate partnership. This can absolutely change the dynamic of a relationship—creating more honest communication and yummier sexual experiences overall!
And who doesn’t want that?
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