Yogi Aaron is a
Canadian yoga teacher and author of the book ''Autobiography of a Naked Yogi''. Under the name Aaron Star he founded a
naked yoga
Naked yoga (Sanskrit ''nagna yoga'' or ''vivastra yoga'') is the practice of yoga without clothes. It has existed since ancient times as a spiritual practice, and is mentioned in the 7th-10th century ''Bhagavata Purana'' and by the Ancient Gree ...
movement in
New York City that incorporates elements of both partner and tantric yoga, and is performed nude.
Early life and career
At 18, Star began working out at a
Vancouver community center. He became a student of yoga in 1991 and a teacher in 1997. He travelled across the world visiting numerous yoga
ashram
An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...
s and retreat centers, studying with yoga teachers including
Bryan Kest
Bryan Kest (born 1964) is an American yoga teacher. Recognized as the creator of one form of Power Yoga, he is the founder of Santa Monica Power Yoga, based in Santa Monica, California. Kest has led yoga classes, retreats and workshops worldwide. ...
,
Rod Stryker
Rod Stryker (born Nimrod Andre Gross; 19 October 1957) is an American yoga and meditation teacher, author and speaker. He is the founder of ParaYoga, the author of ''The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedo ...
,
Swami Rama
Swami Rama (; 1925 – 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. He moved to America in 1969, initially teaching yoga at the YMCA, and founding the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Illinois in 1971; its headquarters moved to ...
, as well as with other spiritual masters in the
Himalayas.
Star arrived in
Manhattan in 2001 and within a short time was offering retreats in different countries. It was during a retreat in Hawaii that Star and his longtime student, Adam, first discussed creating "a community that is yoga-based… and where people can heal their spirits." Six years later, they purchased property in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and formed what is today known as Blue Osa.
Star popularized the idea of practicing Hot Nude Yoga, which garnered a large following of men in New York's gay community, and has since spread to
Chicago,
Los Angeles, and
Boston. He started the Hot Nude Yoga movement in
Chelsea, New York in 2001 in the building on the Southwest corner of 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue.
Star speaks on various topics, most commonly on freedom of oneself, being comfortable with oneself, and fulfillment of life's purpose.
''Autobiography of a Naked Yogi''
Star wrote ''Autobiography of a Naked Yogi'' in 2015, detailing his upbringing in 1970s
British Columbia, along with a confrontational childhood, and a brutal boarding school education. Instilled with determination and a love for the great outdoors, he strove to understand himself in landscapes. Reviewing the book, BroadwayWorld wrote that "Yogi Aaron's narrative is one of empowerment, imbued with a sense of adventure."
Criticism
Star's Hot Nude Yoga classes received criticism for its heightened sensuality. The book ''Yoga in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives'' calls Hot Nude Yoga a "promotion of sexual expression that would have scandalized the likes of Swami Sivananda", while and described as "soft-core pornography" by Stewart J Lawrence in ''The Guardian''. Joshua Stein, editor for ''OUT Magazine'', who has attended the class wrote that the quality of yoga was diminished by heightened sensuality and according to The Associated Press, Hot Nude Yoga seems to be a "form of sensualized tantric yoga practiced nude."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaron, Yogi
Yoga teachers
1972 births
Living people