Nudity

“Life is change. Learn to surf.” ~ Swami Satchidananda

It’s hard to avoid reading or having an about the Yoga Journal nude ads controversy so here’s my two cents. I don’t have a problem with them. Is that because I’m a guy and I like looking at naked women? Maybe a little bit. I simply don’t have a problem with nudity and I’m quite comfortable with it. I don’t see a nude person (or an image of one) as arousing, titillating, provocative or offensive. I see a person who happens to be nude. How they present themselves will, of course, affect my reaction but simply being nude is neutral.

Arousal, titillation and offensiveness are products of the mind, not the nudity itself. We choose our response. We can choose to be aroused. We can choose to be titillated. We can choose to be offended. We can also choose to admire and appreciate. Or we can choose not to be affected by it at all.

There is one thing about all this that leaves me wondering. Do any of the advertisements in Yoga Journal teach us about yoga? Aren’t they all trying to sell us a product? I don’t have a problem with that either.

Namaste