Naked Yoga a Hit in Chinatown

The streets of Vancouver are well known to be full of buff young yogis in lycra but you won’t find any Lululemon in the city’s newest studio.   Through a nondescript doorway next to the VanCity on Pender St and up a flight of stairs, STRETCH is an oasis amidst the bustle of Chinatown.  Contemporary stylings calm and welcome you into the space.  Upon first entry, you’d never guess the secret here.  The yogis are not only buff, they’re in the buff.

“Here we’re not just into stretching our bodies, but also our minds, and perspectives.” says studio owner Emmanuelle Rousseau as we sit with her partner and sip tea in their brand new boutique studio.

It certainly seems like a stretch to imagine naked yoga classes being successful, even in a city like Vancouver, where jocks practice vinyasa.  “Yoga is about improving your relationship with yourself, and when we remove clothing we remove another barrier to that relationship” adds her partner, in both business and life, Boyd Thomson.

“City dwellers crave a return to our natural state and that desire to experience something organically primal brings a lot of people through our doors.  Some arrive not knowing precisely what type of studio we are; we have had people walk out on us, but we've had many more who have found freedom and a new way to practice.”

“I don't have anything against clothed yoga practice” says Boyd, “it's just not my preferred way of being in my practice and in my body.  There are many studios in Vancouver catering to specific types of yoga, hot yoga, vinyasa, yoga therapy, what we are offering is something special, something unique from the other studios.”

While it’s not for everybody, naked yoga has been trending in the American metropolises of NYC and LA, and has finally landed in Vancouver at STRETCH.  While I like the idea of not having to worry about forgetting my yoga pants when I’m rushing out the door for class, this reporter won’t be giving up her pass to YYoga anytime soon.