Hey loves! Angela, owner of Queen Adwoa's Closet here back from a long hiatus with a new Q.A.C announcements and adventure. First off, I really want to apologize for being away for some time. Between completely re-formatting the Q.A.C shop Instagram page .. Connecting with global artisans to launch new webstore goodies .. And life doing what it does best, throwing insane curveballs (sighs) .. What started as a quick hiatus turned into a sabbatical lasting weeks. Sorry guys!
With so much going on and a personal health scare within my family recently, I officially canceled life (mainly my crazy "to-do list") this weekend decreed it “self-care day.” Personally, I like to consider "self-care" things that are not simply your faves or make you feel good, but also replenish your energy mentally, physically, and emotionally. For me, this often includes a good glass of wine, meditation, good meals, and several long naps.
This go round? I wanted to incorporate parts of my Buddhist practice that had also fallen to the wayside as I let other life stressors take over and strengthen my mind-body connection through yoga, meditations, and my favorite books
To many non-practitioners, yoga often appears to be a hour long session of stretching .. deep exhales .. and lots of weird chanting LOL. And while that is part of it, when done right? A great yoga class can physically challenge even the strongest athletes, both mind and body. Trust me, I have the insanely sore muscles to prove it! Yoga is all about connecting to and strengthening your body in a mindful way. In our daily lives, most of us navigate the world in our bodies, never giving a second though to how we walk, stand, breathe … Or the muscles needed to perform these actions. It's all become second nature. Through yoga and mindful thinking, each movement and breath becomes intentional ... Purposeful. In a sense, you’re attempting to train the mind and bodies to work in unison within a relaxed state ... Which, I personally think is very cool, especially in today's crazy stressful world environment.
As an on and off again yogi since college, I'm not new to the idea of “mindfulness” or popping into a random yoga class. That said? I’ve been looking for a challenge … Something that would push me out my comfort zone and elevate my mind - body connection to next level. Cue? Naked yoga! Now I know what you're thinking ..."Wait, that’s a thing?” ... “How naked are we talking here?” ... “Is this a real yoga class?" … Or? As my mom asked, "So yall just gonna be bent over completely naked the whole time huh?” Moms. What can I say LOL! The answer to all of these questions, is YES, naked yoga is an actual practice. I discovered it not long ago and was so excited when my nudist / naturist colony peeps decided to rent a space and host a private class with a certified instructor, Whitney.
In short, the class was amazeballs. Upstairs in a discrete Manhattan building, class was held. Running late, I was one of the last participants to arrive. In retrospect, I now realize so much of myself has changed from my first publicly nude experience. As I went upstairs and entered the room, I felt excitement, rather than anxiety … My clothes? Fell off much quicker this go round. No hesitations or thoughts of “oh crap am I really going to do this?” Rather, I was eager to strip down and join the others. Side note, the breezy sensation on my bare skin each time I disrobe is exhilarating. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that feeling … In the room, rather than holding the crown of “nakey newbie,” I had familiar faces and friends greet. In short, this had become my community of young free-spirits and it felt great to just … Be. No clothes, no pretenses, no judgments.
The class itself was intense, as I’ve been away from my yoga practice for at least 6 months. Our “hot yoga” or a vinyasa yoga class was so different than traditional classes as the temperature reached up to 80-90 degrees. I swear I’ve never sweat so much in my entire life. No seriously, bring a towel and a huge bottle of water… You’re entire skin will be damp! At the end, I felt amazing and so strong. The heat loosened my muscles, increasing my flexibility and aiding my body to stretch into deeper, more open positions. Being completely nude activated my brain. I found myself even more aware of my body and its positioning both in poses and within the space of the room. I think I had the best yoga form of my life that day. Essentially, while my nakedness could have been a source for supreme self-consciousness, it turned out to be such a great asset.
By now, I’m sure you can guess. Yoga in the nude is my new love affair! Yes, you will be stark naked … Yes, you will see and be seen by others naked … Yes, like most firsts, it might be uncomfortable, intimidating, or awkward but trust me, once you do it … You’ll love it! Below is a short clip from Reuters highlighting an ongoing naked yoga class here in NYC (not the class or company that hosted my group’s private session). So what do you think? Are you up for giving naked yoga a try? Comment and let me know ... As always, the journey continues!
