Product Description

You've probably heard about Aaron Star's Hot Nude Yoga classes, but don't live in New York City, or maybe you're just a little bashful. Well, here's your chance to partake! For the first time ever, Aaron has opened his private members only sensual yoga classes to a film crew and convinced a handpicked group of Hot Nude Yoga devotee's to get naked and practice Hot Nude Yoga with the cameras rolling.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96255 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 70 minutes

Review
Columbus Dispatch - Yoga in buff is all about possibilities? by Mark Ellis

Aaron Star, founder of Hot Nude Yoga: I just go wherever people find me.

The 33-year-old New York instructor will bring his Hot Nude Yoga to Columbus for sessions this weekend at the Yoga Shiva studio on the East Side.

A former scuba instructor, Star left his native Washington for New York about 15 years ago, took up yoga to stretch his body after bulking up through gym workouts and became a teacher.

Star has since taken his brand of yoga, with elements of partner and tantra yoga, on the road and to a DVD.

I just go wherever people find me and want me to come," Star said. I try to give as much as I can in that weekend to open minds up to new possibilities.

He talked about yoga from his studio in Manhattan:

--by Mark Ellis

Review
Naked yoga disciples drop more than inhibitions - By Rachel Breitman

While Bikram and hot yoga trends involve performing ancient meditative poses in rooms heated above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Aaron Star is confident his yoga studio s classes will prove to be even hotter. But it s not the temperature in the room, which peaks at a balmy but comfortable 80 degrees, that s drawing participants to his studio.

Star has continued to entice devotees to his West 23rd Street classes by asking them to drop their drawers before they drop to the floor for downward facing dog. His studio s name, Hot Nude Yoga, says it all. Star moved to New York from the West Coast in 2001, bent on helping Chelsea s most flexible, sexy, gay male population find a place to get naked and get a great workout all at once.

I had been teaching yoga classes privately, but I needed an edge to capture the gay market, says Star, 35. I thought, What about nude yoga? When I taught my first class, I figured I was really onto something.

Star says that by lowering their inhibitions about nudity, practitioners of hot nude yoga can achieve a higher level of learning.

When you come into the room and you are naked, it is the great equalizer, which is what yoga is all about, he adds.

Star s daily classes are open to both gay and straight men alike, including Star s own father, who has taken his classes.

The studio s gigantic windows face 23rd Street, and are covered with plastic-wrap for extra insulation and a modicum of privacy. Colorful modern artworks adorn the walls, saturated with primarily colors painted in broad brush strokes to brighten the mirror-less room s organic earth-tones. Unlike most yoga studios, the walls are free of mirrors so participants will focus less on their appearance and more on their postures. With no receptionist, the teachers, who also wear nothing more than their birthday suit, check people in before class.

While students work intimately with partners to help them develop flexibility and trust, kissing or touching genitals is strictly verboten.

We are so conditioned not to touch other people who are naked because we think we are making a sexual advance, says Star. When people feel nude and sensual, our natural tendency is to grab someone s genitals and start making out. Here it is about finding new aspects of expressing sexuality through the yoga postures.

Star has seen a boom in interest, with demand for classes and seasonal yoga retreats at vacation destinations like Costa Rica and Hawaii, and his four-DVD box set, Hot Nude Yoga For Gay Men retails for $75.

Hot Nude Yoga students holding a warm-up asana, or pose, at the West 23rd Street studio

Hot Nude Yoga has, however, been the sight of some romances, as couples occasionally form after class or on long retreats.

But far from being a simple gimmick to attract singles or swingers, teachers see the idea of nudity as central to their concept of yoga.

Yoga is about dropping all pretenses or barriers, said David Pasteelnick, 42, who has taught for two years at Hot Nude Yoga. There is nothing you can conceal scars, moles, unsightly hairs, admits the wire-framed bearded teacher. By the end of partnering, there s this trust. It opens you up to acceptance of others.

Andrew Lee concurs. Since I have started taking the class, I find myself being a lot calmer and more patient and less judgmental, recalls the 39-year-old fashion designer who had never taken a yoga class before starting at Hot Nude Yoga three years ago.

--By Rachel Breitman

Time Out, New York, august 1, 2002
"Twist your way to unclad enlightenment and a better body at Hot Nude Yoga."

Customer Reviews

Hot Nude Yoga: Virgin DVD
I bought the complete four-DVD set of Hot Nude Yoga videos and am very pleased with them. I've been practicing yoga on and off for a number of years and have been attending sessions at HNY in New York for over a year. There are great things to say about practicing nude, working with partners, the gift of touch and the transformation of sexuality into spirituality, but the single most important thing is the quality of the teaching and as all these videos capture, it is damn fine.

The Virgin disc can be done by someone relatively new to yoga, but it is also a wonderful, soothing practice for a person with more experience. The video quality is high and the men are certainly worth watching. The camera does a good job of capturing the specific moves so that you can check your own form against what is happening on screen. This is a video you want to watch in letterbox format for best viewing. Aaron Star's direction is quite clear and the soothing quality of his voice encourages without seeming to push. It's a pleasure to watch him moving among the students and adjusting their positions with a gentle, encouraging touch. What I particularly like about the video, since my TV is not on the floor, is how easy it is to follow the practice without keeping your eyes on the screen. The music that accompanies the practice is gentle and pleasant, but there were moments early on where I felt the sound of breath being drawn in or exhaled was out of synch with the practice. The bonus footage includes some clear direction on the yoga posture Downward Dog and an explanation of how to perform Downward Dog with a partner.

As an indication of how pleased I am with this disc - I bought a second copy to give to my closest friend as a gift.

Hot Nude Yoga - Virgin (volume 1)
I think the DVD is fabulous. Aaron's instructions are easy to follow and it basically takes you through a full class of basic postures and stretches - great for a novice like me. The DVD editorally achieves representing the relaxed, sensual and calming atmosphere of yoga and is visually appealing. Aaron also points out common errors, helping you get the exercises right. I will definitely buy other volumes in the series. Those who participated should be proud of this production.

Great fitness video
I really enjoyed this DVD. The whole concept of nude yoga is pretty cool. It's a great way to get comfortable with your body while keeping it healthy. The video is very nicely shot and everything is explained very clearly. Aaron and his student are all very warm and friendly, not snooty body elitists.
Bottom line: This is a great looking video, the guys are very attractive and the yoga is challenging but achievable.