And now: Naked yoga

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 2:25-3:1-7

I wonder how long it will be until we get "Christian" naked yoga. Cary Castagna of QMI Agency reports on the worldly version in his column of February 13, 2012:

Jennifer Kries invites you to shed your inhibitions, doff your clothes and "celebrate the body in its most sacred form."

The New York City fitness expert is talking about naked yoga...

...Naked yoga is like skinny dipping, Kries explains, except you're swimming in air.

"It's really liberating -- not having any constraints and really being able to feel your body as you move through the poses," she tells Sun Media in a candid phone interview.

"It's not a sexual thing. It's much higher than that, and deeper. It's very sacred, reverent and spiritual. It's really about self-acceptance and love."

Kries, perhaps best known as a trendsetting Pilates master, is launching Yoga Undressed: The Goddess. The series of four DVDs -- beginner, intermediate, advanced, and duet -- features several female yogis (aka yoginis) in their birthday suits performing what is described as "a flowing Vinyasa Tantric practice combining Kundalini and Hatha styles."

The nude stars of the DVDs aren't models, Kries emphasizes, but they are extremely fit.

"We wanted to showcase women who have dedicated themselves to the life of the body," she adds.

Kries isn't in any of the videos herself because she was too busy producing and choreographing the project.

But the naked-yoga practitioner did pose for promotional shots. A G-rated pic of the Yoga Undressed creator appears on the website at yogaundressed.com.

Kries credits yoga-- whether it's with or without clothes -- for keeping her body and mind flexible.

"Aside from keeping my body in beautiful condition, and really maintaining strong health ... I derive a very deep, energized calm," she explains.

"For me, yoga is my spiritual practice. It's my lifeline to my innermost self and my connection to spirit -- whatever we consider to be the great beyond, whatever that means, a God consciousness or God."

Kries teaches yoga classes -- of the clothed variety -- at large wellness centres around the world.

Despite receiving a "ton of requests," she has no plans to start teaching naked yoga classes, which have been offered for years in major U.S. cities.

"The DVDs are intended for people to discover themselves in the privacy of their own homes," she notes.

The Yoga Undressed DVDs will be out next month.

A series catered specifically for men is slated to be released this fall. It will be called Yoga Undressed: The Hero.

"It's all about being able to love and accept yourself whether you feel a little overweight or not exactly as fit or as buff as you'd like to be," Kries says.

"The whole series is intended to help people feel good about themselves."

Of course, Kries knows that not everyone will feel good about the DVDs. She accepts that there'll be critics.

"I think there are people who are secretly wishing they could liberate themselves and be naked, and be open and strong," she says.

"A lot of the haters, a lot of the people who judge, really wish they could be that courageous."

The perceptive reader will note--and those with less perception and discernment, such as those who promote "Christian" yoga, should note--that Ms. Kries emphasizes yoga as a spiritual practice, her way of connecting to "the great beyond, whatever that means, a God consciousness or God." Please note also that Ms. Kries equates nakedness with liberation, whereas the passage in Genesis cited above equates nakedness with shame, after the fall--and for those who aren't aware, humanity is still fallen.

March 12, 2013 update: Go here to see video of a naked yoga class in Edmonton.