Could meditating naked take your mind to the next level?

You wouldn’t go shopping in the buff or easily strip down to naught on the beach. Society has always held us to ransom when it comes to being naked.

In most instances not only passing judgement on being nude, but also on our bodies. Add to this the faux perfection of beautiful people on social media, newspapers and magazines, and most of us end up with a very low self-image when it comes to exposing flesh of any measure.

In fact, even supermodels can have a negative perception of their bodies. The average person is not unique in this state of being.

Psychotherapist and relationship expert, Louisa Niehaus, says: “Being naked is natural. It is an important part of who we are and is a natural state. But vulnerability is closely tied to this as many cultures keep teaching us that nudity is something to hide and be shameful of.”

Given the prolific use of filters, narcissistic selfies, our overreliance on social media for human interaction, we run the risk of becoming disengaged from the realness of our bodies.

Especially now, during Covid-19, a great deal more of our social interactions take place online between people who often never really get to know one another because our virtual selves remain very selectively presented and end up bearing little resemblance to our real selves.

Therefore, connecting with your body via any form of mindfulness, whether that is meditating naked or appreciating your body without judgment or reserve, will lead to an improvement in self-confidence.

In 1967, there was a maverick study in psychology that advocated nude psychotherapy with comfort in your own skin the central premise of its doctrine. As far back as 1932, a Princeton psychologist noted the benefits of nakedness after visiting a German nudist camp where he made several observations on the camaraderie and wellness of what he observed.

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The purpose of this study was to view nudism in therapeutic terms, highlighting an “easy camaraderie” and lack of “self-consciousness” in our bodies, which could bring about an improvement in general health along with a return to nature and a more authentic connection with our bodies.

The solution to all of this is to start becoming more aware of and connected with our nakedness and maybe the naked therapy study of the 20th century was onto something in their search for a more authentic form of human interaction.

According to Meditation Relax Club, shedding your clothes and meditating naked can be good for you. It says that when becoming mindful without clothes on, is our natural state as people, by disconnecting from the physical body and its sexual nature, connecting with the world and accepting what you truly are.

Online meditation site Lumi Meditation’s founder Karl Henrik Lundh says on the site that doing it in the nude makes him feel alive and mindful.

“During my meditation I sit naked on my meditation cushion. No clothes. Just in my birthday suit. I find it liberating, just sitting here on my meditation cushion with no clothes on. I have full awareness on my meditation, no distractions from my clothes. Feeling the warm room against my skin. I love it,” he says.

Lundh adds that meditating naked also makes him more aware of his body.

“I make friends with my body just as it is in the moment,” he writes.

“My body could be more fit, more muscles here, bigger, smaller, taller, shorter. There is always something wrong about our body.

“But I’m accepting my body just as it is, here and now. I think this is a great way to make my body my best friend since this is the only body I got.”

Niehaus says: “Meditation or even pausing for a moment can lead to stress reduction, self-awareness and sleep improvements.

“Everyone can meditate, it’s just a matter of taking a quiet moment for yourself and stopping the eternal laundromat of the mind for a moment.”

She adds that doing it in the nude can lead to more confidence and self-image building as proponents of the practice confer, but personal choice and levels of comfort with our bodies differ.

“Introspect and learn what you are comfortable with. You don’t have to shed it all immediately. Pace yourself and do what is right for you.”