‘I run a nudist yoga retreat with 10 naked men – it’s totally liberating’

A relaxing holiday is a great way to relieve stress and come home refreshed and happier – especially wellness retreats.

And now, there’s a yogi – that’s someone who teaches yoga – running a yoga retreat with a difference.

Matt, the bearded naked yogi, @thebeardednakedyogi, is running a nudist yoga retreat.

READ MORE: 'I'm staying at a Spanish nudist resort in the heatwave – the breeze keeps me cool'

Set in Fuerteventura, Matt took 10 men who like to bare all while twisting themselves into forms and shapes to the BHH Naturist Resort run by fellow naturism fan Karie Jane.

The pair spent last week enjoying the sun, sand and sea with Matt’s pupils along with plenty of nude yoga.

Speaking to Daily Star, Matt walked us through a day at the resort on his latest retreat.

He explained: "We tend to have the first yoga lesson in the morning around 8am and then breakfast is laid out for them by a chef.

"Breakfast is amazing vegetarian food – not mung beans and brown rice like a rabbit. There’s croissants and anything you could name.

"Then on a typical day they’ll go off and do different activities. There’s a huge amount of stuff for them to do – surfing, windsurfing, shopping, some are getting their nails painted.

"By the time they come back lunch is ready for them. Then in the afternoons there’s free time – the guys have enjoyed the beaches here.

"One night we took dinner down to the beach, they had a couple of bottles of wine to share and we did a short yoga practice on the beach before dinner. But, sand is a very unstable surface and we were falling over all covered in sand having a great laugh.

"We were completely naked and we ran into the sea and had a good swim before the meal."

The men range from those in their late teens to one member who recently turned 60. So there's a wide range of yoga pupils – and Matt says they get along well.

The main difference between Matt’s retreat and others is that the men all enjoy being naked – especially while practicing their yoga. The yogi even claims that it gives him an "extraordinary sense of freedom".

He told us: "There’s a symbolism when we take out clothes off. There can be feelings of vulnerability especially if you’re not used to being naked.

"Yoga is a practice of getting to know yourself. I think when we are naked we’re not hiding behind the clothes we put on.

"Clothes speak about our identities in the world and the image we’re trying to project. If you enjoy yoga, being naked is a great way of cultivating more confidence in your body and loving the body that you have.

"I cannot tell you the amount of people who have said ‘I feel so much better about my body and how I look in the mirror’.

"There are practical reasons and spiritual reasons – but it’s a very free way to practice."

Matt claims there's been an "explosion" of naked yoga since the pandemic.

He says this is because more people had time at home to delve into the world of yoga – and then decided to strip off too.

But, he adds that Fuerteventura is the perfect place to go for a naked retreat.

He noted: "I'm always on the lookout for interesting places that are suitable to hold naked yoga retreats, and I do a few I do a few of them throughout the year.

"I was here in Fueteventura and I met Katie and fell in love with the villa here.

The location is perfect – it’s a beautiful island. A home away from home."

Karie, from the UK, who runs the intimate BHH Naturist resort, is thrilled to have the 10 naked yoga fans in her nudist-friendly home. She turned it into a naked paradise after discovering she liked to be in the buff too.

She told Daily Star: "It’s always been an idea of mine to host retreats. I'm used to having naked people here, but the energy is amazing, you know, the spiritual parts, I’ve been doing meditation with them and so on.

"I’m surrounded by lots of naked men, but it’s a serious retreat. Plus, there’s so many like-minded people in the community.

"Go to a naked beach and strangers suddenly become friends. My resort is private with 20 foot walls on all sides, but on Fuerteventura there’s more naturist beaches here than in the while of the Canary Islands."

You can find out more about Matt, the bearded, naked yogi on his website. Plus, check out Karie’s naked resort on naturistcanaries.com.

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