Whether it makes you say om or ugh, a new studio in New York City is offering co-ed, naked yoga.

Bold & Naked Yoga in Chelsea opened after one of the owners noticed how popular the all-male naked classes at his Le Male Yoga studio had grown, according to Outside Magazine.

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There is a sense of freedom practicing yoga naked, trumpets the Bold & Naked Yoga website. While many equate being naked with sex, this couldnt be further from the truth in a naked yoga class. Its about being comfortable in your own skin and the amazing confidence that comes with it.

Its about knowing, accepting and loving yourself at your core. Part of yoga is to honor and connect with your body. Practicing yoga naked frees you from negative feelings about your body and allows to to be more accepting and deeper connected with yourself and the world around you.

So will it become the next hot yoga or paddleboard yoga? Its unclear, but New Yorkers arent the only ones taking part. A Meet-up group in Minnesota is promoting a one-hour session.

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Whats distinctive about Bold & Nakeds teaching and coaching is that student and teacher are in it together, raw and brave, the website says. A rare experience of real life spirituality.

Men, if youre worried that co-ed, naked yoga may be too, ahem, exciting, check out the FAQ on the website.

Namaste.

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Co-ed Naked Yoga Studio Opens

Friday, January 24th, 2014 Issue 04, Volume 18.

The philosophy of "teach a man how to fish" behind Heifer International, a non-profit organization that aims to end hunger and poverty, has been an inspiration to Temecula Yoga Collective. The yoga studio started a holiday campaign November through December 2013 that helped raise $5,000 towards the organization.

Before they found Heifer International, they researched organizations that they wanted to partner with. The yoga studio found that the organizations essence and philosophy was similar to Temecula Yoga Collective, according to the groups blog.

"We wanted to do something that helps sustain and perpetuate growth," said Danny White, owner of Temecula Yoga Collective, especially to help those in more poverty stricken areas.

He also said they wanted to help those outside of the community because they are helping those within the community every day, with yoga and wellness.

One particular way they help those in the community is their scholarship fund. People have donated money to help others who cannot afford to practice yoga.

The money that was collected for the campaign helps to buy an "ark" of animals that will help sustain families throughout the world.

For example, the families will receive two cows that will not only be used for milk but also so they can reproduce. This is instead of giving someone a cow to butcher and eat, said White.

The organization also offers families goats, pigs, chickens, bees, and more depending on where the livestock is placed. The

babies will be donated to another family.

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Yoga studio helps those in poverty

Parkland

More than 1,400 students, dressed for the cold in their sweatshirts and jackets, created a yoga wave on their school's football field on Thursday, flowing through a series of poses before resting on their backs on the chilly grass.

Some, unfamiliar with yoga but excited to get out of class, were unsure what to expect and deserted the flow in frustration. But most proceeded through the wave of up, down and resting postures, which started at the 50-yard line and spread to the end zones.

"This is letting me relax before my math test," said student Dakota Damiani, 16, of Coral Springs.

A corps of volunteers, mostly yoga instructors from South Florida's burgeoning yoga community, were scattered throughout the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High field and often struggled to keep the students' attention. Students had been given handouts that demonstrated the poses, including reaching for the sky, touching their toes, pushups and backbends.

Teacher Stefanie Gross, of Boca Raton High School, walked the field with a portable microphone and threw out words that were strange to some, such as "child's pose," a resting position with knees bent and head on the ground, and "chaturanga," a plank position with arms bent.

"You can take your selfies later," joked Gross, who also led a wave for 2,075 Boca High students on Friday. "Do this for yourselves and your school.You can find your friends later."

Gross started an annual Boca High yoga wave in 2011 and has been looking for teachers at other schools to spread the concept, designed to introduce students to the ancient practice, help them relax and foster school spirit.

Amy Kleinberg, mother of a Stoneman Douglas junior and a yoga teacher in Boca Raton and Coral Springs, offered to bring it to the Parkland school as a way to reduce teen anxiety.

"High school kids have huge challenges," Kleinberg said. "I watch my own kids and all the stuff they have to manage, and they don't have it easy."

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Students at two schools ride the yoga wave