News Article 

100% Natural Yoga

By conga_craig
CONGA Vice President
February, 2005

Deep in the middle of a cold gloomy winter, the CONGA Officers were contacted by Paul, owner of a new yoga studio called Yoga Shiva at the corner of Parsons & Oak in Olde Towne East. He said that he had heard about our organization and felt that we might be interested in the male nude yoga classes he offers along with clothed co-ed and men only yoga classes each week at his new studio.

This opportunity struck a strong positive chord with me immediately. During my college years, I self-studied yoga from a book and I remember how practicing yoga helped me deal with the stresses of college life. I have been feeling out of shape and stressed out lately, and have been yearning to find a way to restore balance in my life. I contacted the other CONGA officers and arranged for us to attend a nude yoga class.

Paul greeted us at the door and led us up to a beautifully restored studio on the top floor of the Victorian building it is housed in. Everything is perfectly arranged for the peaceful practice of yoga right down to the polished hardwood floors. The class was everything I hoped it would be, and left me energized, calm and centered, ready to face the everyday routine of my life.

The nude Friday night classes are geared to all skill levels, and Paul is careful that no one tries to over-do an asana (posture). Yoga study embodies the mental, spiritual and physical aspects of your life, and heightens your awareness of them. Practicing yoga without the restriction of clothing is the best way to be able to sense these forces at work.

I highly recommend Yoga Shiva to all CONGA members. Experiencing a yoga class there should prove to be a pleasant experience and possibly provide a needed positive change in your life as it has been for me.

For further information on nude yoga, check out the article "Get naked, get enlightened with yoga" from the New York Blade. While attending a Hot Nude Yoga session in NYC, Paul Fogarty got the inspiration to form a similar group here in Columbus. Within a year, Paul opened the Yoga Shiva studio in Olde Towne East.

conga_craig
CONGA Vice President