You can obviously do yoga and keep your clothes on, but stripping off and doing it naked does help you to connect with your body in a different way.
I've done a fair bit of naked yoga in my time. It's always a good vibe. There's a range of different naked yoga options in London. Most big cities will offer some form of naked yoga for men if you know where to look.
For me, the best naked yoga experiences are those that don't take themselves too seriously. There's plenty of yoga moves but we're a group of men getting together and doing naked stretching. It's a bit silly and ridiculous but we're doing it because it's fun and sexy - we don't need to overthink it.
Perhaps surprisingly, not all naked yoga is sexy. There is a bit of an art to creating a vibe where everyone is in the same head-space, the yoga is happening, the sexual energy is flowing, and everyone is comfortable with that.
Ideally, you want a naked yoga session where everyone is relaxed, friendly, open, and warm. You want a session that welcomes a diverse group of guys - a range of ages, body shapes, ethnicities, and yoga abilities. Naked yoga is about being inclusive, without any attitude.
Where you really begin to unlock the power of naked yoga is when you move beyond solo stretching and into some partner-work. Changing partners as you move through different positions brings you into contact - face-to-face and body-to-body - with the other guys in the room. This helps to build connection and automatically creates intimacy.
Sometimes you don't realise what you're missing until you encounter it. When you're in a room full of naked men - giving and receiving physical touch without expectation or judgement - you're accessing an intimacy that's rare and incredibly powerful.
When you're skin to skin with another man, there's really nowhere to hide - you have no choice but to allow yourself to be vulnerable, to be present.
Ideally, you want your naked yoga experience to have a bit of a horny vibe. It's a room full of sweaty men embracing their bodies and each other. It's sex-positive yoga for sex-positive men.
For me, spending time with the community of men that I've encountered through naked yoga is an example of "doing the healing" and not "talking about the healing required".
Therapy is great, but talking about your trauma, your isolation, your alienation, or your loneliness can only take you so far. Once you've been able to identify and articulate what you're feeling, you need to do something about it.
Getting your clothes off, doing some yoga stretches, and connecting with other men is one way in which you can "do the healing" - it's community-building at its most primal.
If you're looking for naked yoga opportunities in London, below is a schedule of upcoming sessions I'm running in my Hoxton studio.
We're holding our first Over-50s edition of the Stretch Session on 30 September.
This is a test event to see if there is an appetite for this kind of event.
Forward planning: Based on the feedback received regarding the stretch session on 30 September, regular Over-50s events will be scheduled from January 2027.
We're holding our first Trans-inclusive stretch session on 17 September.
This is a test event to get some feedback from Trans men on this event and other events that might resonate.
Forward planning: Based on the feedback received regarding the stretch session on 17 September, regular Trans-inclusive events will be scheduled from January 2027.
Gareth Johnson
Gareth Johnson