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 Greek geographer Strabo. Early advocates of naked yoga in modern times include the gymnosophists such as Blanche de Vries, and the author Marguerite Agniel. In the 21st century, the practice is gaining popularity, notably in western societies that have more familiarity with social nudity. Yoga has been practiced naked since ancient times. In the Bhagavata Purana (written c. 800–1000 AD) it says:   Alexander the Great reached India in the 4th century BC. Along with his army, he took Greek academics with him who later wrote memoirs about geography, people and customs they saw. One of Alexander's companion was Onesicritus, quoted in Book 15, Sections 63-65 by Strabo, who describes yogins of India. Onesicritus claims those Indian yogins ("Mandanis ") practiced aloofness and "different postures – standing or sitting or lying naked – and motionless". The practice of spiritual nudity is common among Digambara Jains, Aghori sadhus, and other ascetic groups in the dharmic religions. The order of Naga Sadhus, conspicuous in the processions and bathing ritual at the Kumbh Mela, use nudity as a part of their spiritual practice of renunciation. Modern naked yoga has been practiced in Germany and Switzerland through a movement called Lebensreform. The movement had since the end of the 19th century highlighted yoga and nudity. In the early 20th century, the term gymnosophy was appropriated by several groups who practiced nudity, asceticism and meditation. Blanche de Vries combined a popularity of Oriental dancing with yoga. In 1914 she was put in charge of a yoga school for women in New York City. Five years later, she opened an institute for women, teaching Yoga Gymnosophy — a name that conveys the blending of yoga and nudism. She taught until 1982. Marguerite Agniel, author of the 1931 book "The Art of the Body : Rhythmic Exercise for Health and Beauty", wrote a piece called "The Mental Element in Our Physical Well-Being" for "The Nudist", an American magazine, in 1938; it showed nude women practising yoga, accompanied by a text on attention to the breath.