Nude Yoga Photos Capture The Human Body In All Its Bendy Beauty

Nice angles!

More than 20 million Americans get down with yoga. It's a wonderful fact, considering the ancient practice can do a body and mind really, really good.

But many fewer, we'd bet, practice yoga in the buff. For yoga novices, it takes courage enough just to show up to a class, what with seasoned head-standers ohm-ing a mat over. But a new naked yoga Instagram account could be just the thing a burgeoning yogi needs.

Nude Yoga Girl shows that getting into a naked downward dog can be a spiritual practice all its own; her account serves as a handy instructional guide for newbies. The 25-year-old model-photographer has racked up 245,000 Instagram followers by sharing graceful black and white portraits of herself in yoga poses without clothes.

While "model" and "naked" might not sound like a recipe for empowering yoga beginners, the feed is all about showcasing the human body in a new way, while offering a clear guide to proper form: Yes, many of the yogi's poses are advanced and super twisty, but many of her photos work as guides to beginners who want to grasp the right alignment. And indeed, the lack of clothing makes it much easier to see the clear lines of each pose.

"I want to show that nudity can be something else than only sexual," the model behind Nude Yoga Girl, who prefers to remain anonymous, told The Huffington Post in an email. She continued:

The human body is beautiful and the poses and shapes can be seen very well without any clothing on. I wanted to take off everything unnecessary from the pictures on my account. Nudity in social media is a taboo but on the other hand the nakedness and rawness of my photos reflect well what I want to tell people with my account.

The artist said she's been practicing yoga for most of her life, ramping up to a daily practice about a year ago.

This is one of my favorite poses. Usually we like different things. Someone likes a particular yoga pose or type of sport and someone else likes another one. We are different and that's important to remember when you start comparing yourself with others. ❤ Our anatomy, background and experiences for example affect what we are good at and what we like. There is no sense in pushing yourself to do a certain type of sport or yoga pose just because your friends like to do it. It's always good to try but the most important thing is to find something that YOU like. ❤ I'm sure that you can find it. And when you do find a type of sport that you like or even love, you will also become better at it. You will want to practice because it's very enjoyable. Not just because of the results... ❤ Don't give up on sports or yoga if you don't like them immediately. If you tried asthanga, maybe try Yin next. Or maybe a different teacher. If you don't like running try swimming. If you hate gym, try dancing... Etc. It's so wonderful to find a hobby that is "your thing". You have to search for it to find it. ❤ Have the courage to change your opinion. I had a time when I always said that I don't like running at all. We easily categorize ourselves to a certain type of person. "I don't like classes" "I want to train alone" "I hate competition" "I get bored during a calm class" "I'm a bad dancer".. ❤ But luckily I was ready to try running again and started to like it more and more, untill I wanted to run at least once a week a 1-1,5 hour route. So I don't say that running is not for me anymore... I mean to say that don't be afraid to try again something that you tried five years ago. Maybe the time is right now. ❤ When you are looking for a sport that you like, don't give up. When you find it (and you will) it makes you happy. Have you found yours?☺

A photo posted by Nude Yoga Girl (@nude_yogagirl) on

She mostly practices by herself at home, she said, and will sometimes use online classes to move her yoga forward. With nearly 100 posts, she has the process for practicing and capturing her poses down to a science. It looks a little something like this:

I set up the lighting and the camera settings ready. After that I do a short yoga practice to warm up before starting the photoshoot. Sometimes I plan the poses in advance by browsing the internet or books for some inspiration and sometimes I get creative in front of the camera! My boyfriend is kind enough to press the camera button and take the photo of me. I'm very grateful for his help.

If this type of art and exercise has piqued your curiosity, there are naked yoga classes available in cities nation-wide. If that's too much for you, might we suggest sleeping in your birthday suit? The practice is a little less risqué, but comes with plenty of benefits and you won't have to worry about slipping out of position on your yoga mat.

See more of Nude Yoga Girl's beautiful photography on her Instagram and website.

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