We’ve written about naked yoga before, but we’ll be honest, we’re self-conscious enough in our Lululemon’s, let alone, practicing in the buff. So, when we stumbled upon Nude Yoga Girl’s Instagram account a few months ago, we promptly spent the better part of an hour scrolling through her feed in total awe. On a platform that’s rife with semi-pornographic “fitness” photos, the Nude Yoga Girl’s high-quality, professionally lit photos exude taste, class, and athleticism.
Although she’s racked up half a million followers, the Nude Yoga Girl has remained completely anonymous—her face is artfully disguised or hidden in every single photo on her page. She’s been elusive for the past year, making it clear that she’s not stripping down and hitting perfect handstands in search of fame—she just really loves yoga.
Luckily, we tracked her down and chatted with her about how she stays in shape (other than nude yoga), what she eats to feel good naked, and how Insta-fame has changed her for the better.
Your tagline is “You are beautiful exactly the way you are,” and it’s safe to say that resonates with lots of your followers. Why is body positivity an important platform for you?
Nowadays we get a lot of pressure about outlooks because of social media, the fitness boom, and the beauty industry. And many people have a false idea of what “beauty’’ is. I want to remind that how we look is not the most important thing and that it doesn’t matter if we are short or tall, big or small … I want that people understand that we are all unique and that’s amazing. Everything starts from our mind; everyone is beautiful.
I thought you had probably practiced yoga your entire life, and then I read an interview in which you said you’ve only been at it for a few years! Did you go to a class and fall in love, or just start practicing on your own?
I have done many different kinds of sports since a was a child. I’ve practiced yoga for several years now but I really got into it about 2 years ago… I started to practice it daily after I understood that it’s not about the poses. It’s all about how you feel on the inside and not about how you look on the outside. I fell in love with yoga when I found this body-mind connection with it. Nowadays, yoga is a lifestyle for me.
What does your daily morning ritual look like?
I practice mostly alone and sometimes it’s just 10 minutes in the morning… I always listen to my body and decide what kind of practice to do based on my feelings. I always do sun salutations and some twists and rotations, also headstands are my favorites in the mornings.
Do you follow a special diet to help you feel your best when you’re in the buff?
I don’t have any diet, but maybe I can say that I follow intuitive eating. I always listen to my body and what it tells me. I don’t want to forbid anything from [my diet]. Meat is the only thing that I haven’t eaten for one year and I always prefer organic, clean, and good quality food. Berries, fruits, vegetables, greens, seeds, nuts, oils, pulses…. I avoid mostly sugar, dairy products, and gluten because those make me feel less energetic.
What else do you like to do other than yoga?
I love all kind of sports, but besides yoga, I mostly go to the gym, do body-weight training, and running. Almost every day I do photographing and writing—those are my passions, too. During my free time, I love reading and cooking healthy food!
Do you do anything special to prepare for your shoots to look and feel your best? I’m sure lots of women wonder if you ever wake up feeling bloated or have a “fat” day—do you ever struggle with those feelings?
Yes, I know what you mean and yes, I do have sometimes! Of course once a month especially… 😉 But I have searched and found what foods suits my body the best and I avoid the foods that mostly make my stomach bloated a lot. I don’t prepare for these shootings in any particular way really—I warm up well, put my hair up and check the poses, but I don’t have any diet before the shooting days.
I believe anyway that the long-term lifestyle matters the most and not what we do in one day. The days when I really don’t feel at my best, I just remind myself about my message: “You are beautiful exactly the way you are.”
How has seeing the account grow affected you? Has it given you more confidence, or made you think differently about yoga and your body?
I don’t feel that it has changed me in any way. The biggest thing is maybe that I believe even more that anything can happen—even in one year. I believe that we shouldn’t be too scared about what other people think if we want to follow our own path and chase our dreams. I’ve got more courage. I have also learned a lot from my followers and their wise thoughts. It’s amazing to have a community where to speak and share the things that I have on my mind and noticed that we all are actually a lot alike. All different, but still so similar.
