I’ve always been a nudist, a naturist, someone who wants to be free.  When I was little, I loved to streak.  Needless to say, my parents found my nakedness inappropriate.  Growing up, I was confused why I had to wear a shirt and my older brother didn’t.  My parents wouldn’t allow this inherent freedom of expression and celebration of the body, especially the female body.  In Kindergarden, I was at a sleepover at a friend’s – I decided to try my luck and walk around shirtless to see if I cold get away with it.  My friend’s mother came up to me immediately and said “I don’t know what you do in your house but we don’t allow that here.”

At age twelve, I developed psoriasis.  My parents generation was one that grew up idolizing doctors.  No doctor could find anything to cure me.  My streaking subsided.   Then there was an actual need to cover up.  Itchy, red, scaly patches on my knees and elbows, on my torso and scalp.  I always wore long pants and shirts.   At the beach I would cover up in a onepiece.

In my teens, I was in a bad car accident.  It left me with a limp.  I found an amazing chiropractor that worked with me on healing my body.  He introduced me to the power of energy medicine, dowsing and muscle testing.  I was amazed at my body’s ability to heal itself with this support.  I started working in the chiropractic office as an assistant when I was seventeen.  I became attune to the energy meridians in people’s bodies and learned how to support patients with supplements and diet through muscle testing and dowsing.  It took a few years, but muscle testing ultimately helped me keep my psorasis in check by figuring out what foods were causing my irritation and what supplements would support my digestive system.

The chiropractor’s office was just the beginning.  I went on to train and become a massage therapist.  My mom couldn’t understand why I would want to touch people and always had questions about who I was massaging.  To me it was a natural extension of my own healing journey. My massage teacher told me, in order to have any longevity in massage, I needed to practice yoga.  I did yoga for years as a way to heal and restore my body and eventually went on to become certified as a yoga teacher.
I’ve been working in some form of alternative healing for over 30 years.  As for my own healing and exploration Tantra, breathwork and Orgasmic Meditation has helped get to the bottom of core issue.  The issue of shame. As I release the deep seeded beliefs of my family, It has been a big part of my own healing and then became a gift I could offer others. Trauma, injuries, conditions – they come and go, but each accident or illness has taught me more about my healing journey.   My body is always communicating to me, if I eat sugar the itchy scales start up again.  By listening, I’m present to my body’s needs and I am really grateful to have these tools to support me and free me from old beliefs. In my celebration of self love and connection, I’m hoping to guide other people on their healing journey.

Beth teaches naturist yoga in New Yoga and New Jersey.