Name:

Anya Castellano 

City where you teach naked yoga:

Asbury Park, New Jersey

What inspired you to begin teaching naked yoga?

I began practicing Naked Yoga years after I was practicing and teaching clothed yoga. My naked yoga practice began in my home and then I ventured into NYC and took a class. It was completely a different feeling then I ever experienced in a practice with my cloths on. The opportunity arouse for me to share this practice and so it began.

How has teaching and practicing naked yoga transformed you and your personal yoga practice?

Teaching Naked Yoga feels more like sharing. Sharing and exposing others to this practice has opened me up to new places within myself that I never experienced before. My chakras feel more open and balanced and there is more energy moving through me. Practicing Naked yoga like any yoga is a process. In this process, I have become aware of thoughts, beliefs and emotions that are causing blocks.  As I become aware of them I work on releasing them through the practice. In the naked yoga practice, you are in your own energy field without the energy of human made cloth, and that cloth takes on an energy.  In the practice you have the opportunity to experience your own energy, your skin is able to breathe, you feel more expansive and it becomes a more  liberating practice.

 What do you see as the unique benefits for teaching naked yoga? 

Unique benefits for teaching naked yoga include stepping outside of your comfort zone, out of the box and sharing a practice that you believe in.  Teaching naked yoga gives students an opportunity to experience it, without the teachers they would not have this opportunity.

Tell us an interesting story that occurred in your yoga classes.

A common but interesting story is a student coming in to a class both male or female expressing their nervousness. As a teacher, I listen and hold a space for where they are. My intention is to make them feel comfortable and safe. Within the class, the nervousness melts away and they feel comfortable and at ease. Recently, I had a male share with me before class about body image issues, cultural programming that made coming to naked yoga uncomfortable…after class he shared openly with the class about what he released and how much lighter he was feeling. He then went to write an extensive review and share his experiences that can be found on Yelp for Kur studios.

Here is an excerpt:

“I had my first taste of absolute freedom and carefree. The first naked yoga class was funny for me and I learned a lot about myself. This was a challenge to get out of my comfort zone.  This was a fight within myself, internal discussion of clothed yoga and undressed yoga. There was too much noise in my head.  This was a fantasy fight to win approval and acceptance of my body image and confrontation of beliefs. I was able to learn that removing clothing is a symbolic way to represent removing social restrictions and wrong beliefs.”

What is your advice to a first time naked yoga practitioner who might be experiencing jitters about attending his/her first class?

If you are a new student and contemplating going to a naked yoga class it is completely natural to experience jitters… I did. My advice is to go with an open mind and focus on one breath at a time. Be in your own space and witness your thoughts with a non judgmental attitude, observe how your body is feeling. With this you may have an experience of opening up and experiencing something within that you have never experienced before.

 How can people find out more about your class? You can either visit

www.kurstudios.com Or www.anyacastellano.com