Stories : Lockout Yoga Practice

I had no idea how my nude yoga classes got promoted to football players during their lockout in the spring of 2011.  I was not even sure what a lockout meant to the players except it was like a professional union strike.  The lockout by the owners was just that.  The football players could not access any type of team facilities, doctors, trainers, and etc. for their continued use to stay fit during the off season.  This lasted from March to July and I am ever grateful, in a selfish way, it did happen.  I received a call from a running back that wanted my services and questioned why I taught nude yoga.  I told him it was just another way to practice yoga with a freedom you don’t get in any gym classes.  It allows me to see all your muscles stretching out and where you may need some more flexibility work in your musculature or joints.  He agreed to meet me at my private yoga studio to discuss further what he needed out of his training regimen.

I was pleasantly greeted by a tall, dark-skinned, man dressed very stylishly and on first handshake it was obvious that he had a humble approach to life.  I am a very good read of people and the type of energy they share with the world.  He corrected my misinformed football terminology, full-back, not a running back.  I do know a little about player’s roles on the field, so I told him that his very muscular, stocky build was used to do more blocking for other runners or the quarterback.  He smiled and said, “That is what I want your help with.  I want to become more flexible and improve my running speed and cutting agility.”

I asked him how much yoga he had practiced in the past and if he was familiar with the holistic approach I took in sharing yoga with folks.  He liked the idea of unifying body, mind and spirit through yoga.  And reassured me that he takes this type of practice very seriously, because it helped him be the best he can be, on and off the field.  I smiled and bowed to him with my usual, “Namaste.”

“I’ve heard that term before, but never knew what it meant,” he looked inquisitively.

We drank some green tea to sooth the tension between us.  I usually practice with only gay or bisexual men who are comfortable with my nude yoga, hands-on instruction.  I could tell he was a bit nervous, so I reached over and touched his heart chakra, feeling the soft silk sweater he was wearing and said, “My spirit respects and honors your spirit.  That is what Namaste means.”

“Why did you touch my chest when explaining it?  Do you think I am heartless?”

“Oh no, by no means, I was touching your heart chakra where the energy of the divine sparks most powerful within all of us.  I guess you could say it is the seat of the soul.  And you have much energy radiating from that area.  As do I,” I took his hand and placed it on my heart chakra.

“Wow that is cool.  Nah, I mean warm.  I can feel it radiating through your chest and workout shirt,” as he kicked back and relaxed more at peace, draining his hot tea.

“Let me show you around my loft and where we will practice, if you decide to work on your flexibility.”

I ushered him through my guest bathroom where he can disrobe and shower after the workout.  We climbed the stairs to the open air loft space which was full of yoga mats, green plants and bright sunshine streaming through the overhead skylights.  I told him this space stays naturally warm working well for nude yoga.  I could see that look on his face again, a bit unsure about getting completely nude and stretching in all kinds of crazy poses.  I patted his strong back telling him, “If you rather wear workout tights, that’s fine with me.  But I will be nude and unless you want others to join us then we can do this privately.”

Surprisingly, he smiled and assured, “I have no problem with being naked.  There is another teammate who said he might be interested as well.”

“That’s no problem. There is plenty of space for at least four big guys up here.  After that it gets too claustrophobic and we need room to stretch out.”

Curious, I asked him what position the other guy plays who may want to practice with us.  He told me that he was a receiver who he blocked for when he caught short screen passes.  I laughed joking with him that he would not be the first receiver who has worked out here in the buff.  He looked at me with this really serious intense look, almost a frown.  I jumped in to put him at ease telling him, “I have a dirty sense of humor.  We gay guys get all caught up in the slang terms for other practices claiming them as our own in a more sexual manner.  I hope I didn’t freak you out.”

He slapped me on the ass with that big hand like I was a teammate on the field and chuckled, saying, “I was just playing with you to see how you would react.  I know about all those slang terms and I can assure you we are both big tops.”

I usually never get embarrassed by what anyone says to me.  My cheeks were turning red as I tried to not trip over my words.  I just assumed that this big jock football beefcake would not even consider working with a gay guy, in the nude, so brazenly.  I stuttered without realizing what to say next, so I just pulled of my shirt and said, “Let’s get nekkid.”

He looked around the studio for a minute and then turned to go downstairs.  I thought that maybe this was not what he needed or wanted.  Starting to write this potential client off, I heard him holler back that he would leave his clothes in the guest bathroom.  Then he asked if I had a towel, since he had not brought anything with him.  I told him where he could find one.  Getting out of my sweatpants, needing to center myself, I sat down in the lotus pose with my fingers looped together to meditate, while I waited for him to reappear.

When I close my eyes focusing on the powerful corporeal energy (Kundalini) that runs up and down the seven chakra centers starting at the base of the spine moving upward to the top of the head, something in me changes from my normal egotistical personality style to a more divinely aligned spiritually-centered teacher.  Sitting in lotus nude and open to the present moment, I lose all concern for the more earthly realm and feel much like a newborn child who has just entered the physical world from the eternal world of the divine, where all things are possible.  This new persona feels without touching and can see without looking through open eyes.  It searches out other energy sources finding it without having to touch it.  Thus, I knew my new client was standing at the doorway watching me with his towel wrapped around his waist.  I told him to enter and drop his towel taking a place on a mat beside me, “If you cannot get into full lotus pose, then sit crossed legged as comfortable for you as possible.  Close your eyes and find that energy at the base of your spine visualizing it moving from the first chakra up to the second which is at your pelvic floor.”

I waited a few minutes for him to get centered and then when I felt him take a deep breath and adjust his pose I assured him without making a big deal of it that what he was feeling is to be expected, “If you allow that powerful energy to pool at the second chakra, you will get a raging hard-on.  That is to be expected.  It does not mean you are turned on to this environment or me for that matter, but you need to move that energy up to the third chakra at your solar plexus or diaphragm.  This is the center of your emotions and once balanced you will feel at peace with this new experience aligning your energy centers.”

I took him through each chakra allowing him to feel what they focus on and how this meditation is extremely powerful once you get the kundalini flowing through each center without any blockages.  He had already got in touch with the fourth, the heart chakra where spirit sits full of unifying love and compassion.  The fifth is the throat chakra where its balancing will assist with deeper speech and communication.  Sixth rests between and above the eyes- the third eye where energy aligned can make us more receptive to our psychic and intuitive abilities.  If you need to know something just focus the kundalini there and say to yourself, “I know.”   The seventh chakra is at the crown or top of your head and connects you with all understanding.  When aligning this center it helps to open your learning centers in your brain.  Also, by keeping it open and balanced, when it is time to depart this world, your spirit will slip out through the crown at peace and certainty, going back to the divine, most highly, creative energy.

After we finished aligning our chakras, I told him to lie flat on his back in corpse pose.  Totally relaxed and at peace, we did some deep breathing exercises, which came easier to him, since his athletic lifestyle thrived on deep breathing, allowing oxygen to move throughout  his bloodstream replenishing tired muscles.  Now, it was time to check out his hip flexors to see how flexible he was in that area.  I told him this was where we would focus most of our practice because he needed to be able to cut and turn on a dime when running at a high speed.  This will ensure that you do not risk undue stress or injury.

I told him to stand up slowly.  Anytime we work on a specific area of the body, I want you to honor it by breathing deeply into that part of your body.  Keeping a meditative approach to working and stretching your body will not allow you to overdo it or have more pain than is best suited for gradual improvement.  That is why we call it a practice because we never aim for perfecting a pose but giving it our all to fit our personal needs and desires.  Sharing this workout philosophy with him did not keep me from noticing his still semi-erect penis.  He was trying to conceal it, unsuccessfully, as he was packing a fat, lengthy dick.  I told him to honor this as well.  When we work out our energy will move through the chakras that are most soothing for us and actually produce changes in our bodies or emotions.

He moved his hands away from his dick and said, “I really feel embarrassed about this.  I loved the chakra meditation you taught me but my dick has a mind of its own.”

“They all do and it’s not the first time I’ve seen this happen during my years of practicing nude yoga.  Once we focus on your hip flexors, it will settle down and lay low, I promise.”

“Well, if you say so.  This is why I’ve been a bit reluctant to try nude yoga, ‘cuz my dick flip flopping around not held by a jock will not stay soft.”

“Just honor whatever your body is doing and don’t worry about it.  And when you focus tightly on your workout and the poses I have you try, it may change up for you, or down I should say.”

I have him stand in prayer pose with me to get centered.  After a few minutes, I have him pull his right knee up into his chest to balance.  Then open his right hip by moving his knee out to the side of his body.  I give him support for balance by standing behind him with my hands on his shoulders.  Damn, his ass muscles are so hot and protrude outward like no other I’ve seen before.  And I’ve seen lots of booty.  Testing his balance and flexibility, I ask him to try and straighten out his right leg to the side, grabbing his foot with his hand.   He has trouble with this pose, so I assist with holding his foot and tell him to place his hand as far down his leg as possible.  Not questioning me he reaches his lower calf with his right hand.  Not bad for his first attempt.  He looks like a standing right angle with his dick still hard and leading him.  I begin to chuckle as he drops his leg back to standing position.

We end up laughing our asses off until he is teary-eyed.  I forgot to tell him that we carry a lot of our hidden emotions in our hip joints.  So, on occasion when you work out that area really hard, you will bring up those emotional feelings.  I explained that is why his laughter transformed into tears which he could not control.  I just hugged him and told him we should stop for today.  I forgot his dick would rub against my stomach so I told him to put that bad boy away and go take a cold shower.  He smiled and said, “I like your natural style and comfortable way of teaching nude yoga.  I can’t wait until our next session.”  He smacked me on the ass as he left the studio to head downstairs to my guest bathroom.

End of Part One

Check back next week to see what happens when he introduces the receiver to nude yoga.

David W. Bradburn   aka dwb42461