I receive a variety of messages from men with questions about: naturism, yoga and body acceptance. About half of the messages are purely seeking information or a friendly person to talk to. The other half have a sexual slant, but even that’s not all bad. I don’t react to all messages the same way. If someone is just being crass, they often don’t receive a response. But sometimes I’m intrigued, after all I find sexuality fascinating, psychology too. Sometimes fellas are just trying to get a rise out of me, but others recognize me as an open, relaxed, caring person who they’re testing the water with. I don’t begrudge them for that. After all, as Wayne Gretzky famously said, and Michael Scott from The Office said less famously, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
I just finished reading an amazing book called Modern Whore by Andrea Werhun in which she shares her story of intentional, enjoyable sex work. I would have considered myself fairly open-minded before reading this and have now opened my mind further. I think sex work, when it doesn’t include everyone being forced into their actions, is great. It’s a service that many people can benefit from, and I think it ought to be legalized and have laws in place to properly protect the workers.
Through Instagram I recently had what I would call a spiritual, self-exploration conversation with a new student. He wondered if I could stay on zoom for a few minutes after my naturist yoga class to witness him releasing his built-up tension (as he put it). Honestly, the way it was written was poetic and beautiful. Here comes a pretty vulnerable share: After having read Andrea’s story I considered the possibility of not saying ‘no’ to this intimate request. I pondered it for about 5 seconds. Then knew in my gut that it wasn’t right for me. Speaking strictly from a dollar signs for eyes perspective, I get to be in a safe space, nowhere near the person in question whatsoever. It’d only take a few minutes (apparently). I’d get paid for holding space for someone. But it’s a slippery slope.
I have no qualms with anyone making a different decision in this instance. It’s just a good idea to be clear about what you do and to be aligned with it. My respect for Yoga and Naturism is too high for me to blend sex into it. I’m frequently fun and silly in class, but never coy and seductive. It’s by design. Far too many folks already don’t understand naturism and assume sexuality is involved because of the lack of clothing. I care deeply about introducing people to what naturism is, so I draw a hard line. Wishy-washy actions breed confusion. And my company is called Invite the Calm, not Bring on the Confusion.
People used to share nude yoga clips with me when I first began my Yoga training. They wondered what I thought. Mostly in these clips I saw women who were barely even doing yoga as a camera panned slowly over their body. It made me angry. Time and place I guess, categorized differently and it could be alright. But I’d like to think that what I offer every Saturday morning is a real class act in comparison. Accessible Yoga, good clean fun.
To recap for clarity, I am a Body Acceptance Mentor, Yoga Instructor and occasional Life Model. I’m a naturist so some of the work that I do is done au naturel.
I’m not a sex worker, though I honour the work they do.
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