Hippie Hollow Clothing Optional Nudist: News

Camp Pendleton beach at center of fight over nudism

Nudists say park rangers have followed them onto the U.S. property from the adjacent state beach in a bid to cite them for violating California's coverup laws. A parks official denies the allegation.

Reporting from San Diego -- Gold Beach, where generations of Marines have trained for amphibious assaults, is now the scene of another kind of battle.

The strip of sand on Camp Pendleton is the latest flash point between nudists and state park rangers — with Marines caught in the crossfire.

The nudists say zealous state park rangers have followed them onto the federal property in an effort to cite them for violating the state's coverup laws.

A spokesman for the state park system denies the allegation and says the nudists do protest far too much.

Gold Beach is directly south of San Onofre State Beach, which for several years was the object of legal skirmishing between nudists and officialdom. Two years ago a court ruled that the state had the authority to ban nudity at so-called Trail 6, long a spot favored by nudists.

The problem is proximity. Trail 6 is only a short walk from Gold Beach.

The Marine Corps says it does not want any civilians — naked or clothed — on its beach. Signs warn sunbathers to stay away.

But in an effort to avoid park rangers at San Onofre State Beach, nudists have ventured south. An apparent confrontation a week ago, details of which are in dispute, between a nudist, rangers and military police has brought the issue to a head.

John Squicciarini of San Clemente says a friend of his, Andy Pollock, had his camera grabbed by a Marine who was apparently working in tandem with park rangers. The Marine Corps says it has no record of such an occurrence.

Squicciarini says park rangers have been provoking the nudists by hiding behind bushes and up on the bluff, spying on them with binoculars and cameras.

"The state park rangers are creating their own problem," he said. "It's very childish."

Roy Stearns, a spokesman for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, disputes this version of events.

"I'm told that we are not harassing them or chasing them," Stearns said. "I think they're exaggerating their plight."

Both sides invoke the specter of the state's financial distress, which has led to the planned closure of 70 state parks.

The nudists wonder why a cash-strapped parks system can afford to spend time and money on enforcing a prohibition on what they see as the victimless crime of going au naturel. The Trail 6 beach, Squicciarini said, is kept tidy and self-policed by hundreds of people who prefer their recreation, including use of a volleyball court, in the buff.

"We've gone to great efforts to keep the beach pristine," he said.

Stearns said if the nudists are that dedicated to their recreation style, they should consider renting one of the closed parks.

All the beach property in question is owned by the Marine Corps, which leases the property that is San Onofre State Beach to the state.

A Marine spokesman said state park rangers are allowed to cross onto Gold Beach to tell beachgoers they are trespassing. The Marine Corps also does periodic patrols, said 2nd Lt. Ryan K. Welsh.

"Civilians without Department of Defense authorization may not cross onto the Camp Pendleton side of the beach, regardless of their beach use intention," Welsh said.

The issue of nudity at San Onofre State Beach, as it has in the past, appears destined for court.

A handful of misdemeanor citations are pending in San Diego County Superior Court.

One of the lawyers is Allen Baylis of Huntington Beach. He fought the losing fight to keep Trail 6 clothing optional. He represents nudists facing charges; one tactic is to request jury trials in hopes prosecutors will decide it is too costly and time-consuming for such a minor matter to go to trial.

Baylis said his group, the Naturist Action Committee, does not recommend that nudists trespass onto Gold Beach. But he said he understands the impulse to defy authority. The group's promise to nudists: "We've got your back."

Baylis likens the nudists of Gold Beach to other Americans who have engaged in civil disobedience to protect their rights: blacks, women, gays.

"When the government does something we don't like, we have a duty to push back," he said, "and we have."

[url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0728-nudists-20110729,0,5227773.story?track=rss]Los Angeles Times
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Naked Yoga Stretches Self-Esteem, But Is It Healthy?

Yoga enthusiasts often turn to the exercise as a way to free their minds, but some are now seeking to free their bodies' as well — from clothes, that is.

Yes, going au naturel is the latest yoga trend. And while being naked around other yogis might sound more anxiety-inducing than stress-reliving, those who've done it say it can boost self-confidence and help people to accept and celebrate their bodies.

Shedding one's clothes brings a new level of honesty and authenticity to yoga — an authenticity that can sometimes get lost in the fashion and branding surrounding yoga, said Isis Phoenix, a yoga instructor at Naked Yoga NYC in New York City.

And the practice helps people let go, offering freedom from the constraints of life, which might include your job (or even just spandex), Phoenix said.

Some might feel self-conscious at first, but Phoenix has seen participants undergo a metamorphosis of sorts, a change only made possible by baring it all, she said.

"A new reality is created in the first 15 minutes of class — a reality where people can be naked and practice yoga in the room, and it's ok," Phoenix said. "Nobody's going to point and laugh," she said.

"In that first 15 minutes, I would say most people go through a transformation of holding that new reality really solidly, and that makes other things possible," including confronting their fears about their new experience, Phoenix said.

Stretching boundaries

Phoenix started offering nude yoga in 2007. "Right away, people were attracted to it," she said.

"I would say it's a new trend," said Janet Konefal, assistant dean for complementary and integrative medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who researches yoga's health benefits. "I don't know too many people who were practicing it 10 or 20 years ago."

The practice may be becoming trendy in part because yoga is so popular right now, Phoenix said. Even the name itself creates intrigue. "Just the title 'naked yoga' is eye-catching — it's like, 'whoa, wait, what?'"

Some participants are nudists who want to try yoga for the first time. "So it's not the nude part that’s strange to them, it’s the yoga part," Phoenix said.

Others are yoga aficionados looking to "stretch themselves in a new way" by taking up naked yoga, Phoenix said.

Regardless of why they come, it's a chance for participants to "lay down their armor, in a sense," and breathe, stretch and mediate, Phoenix said.

Some people become more familiar with their own bodies, such as discovering a mole they never knew they had, Phoenix said.

"[There's] a level of living with your body your whole life and then really, truly seeing it for the first time," she said.

Health issues?

Experts agree there are psychological benefits to naked yoga, but not physical ones. "If you're wearing loose clothing or spandex, there's nothing to stop you from doing all the postures or stretches or movements in yoga with the proper clothes," Konefal said. "The sense of freedom is not a physical, it’s a psychological."

And the practice may present a potential health hazard if the yoga studio supplies mats other people have used. To avoid sanitization issues, you want to make sure to always use your own mat, Konefal said. (Naked Yoga NYC requires that all participants bring their own mats).

"You don’t want have a cut or nick and risk of infection," Konefal said.

Pass it on: Naked yoga is a new trend that may help participants accept and celebrate their bodies, but experts say the benefits are psychological.

MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer Rachael Rettner on Twitter @RachaelRettner

Sat Jul 30, 2011

Camp Pendleton beach at center of fight over nudism

Mon Jul 11, 2011

Naked Yoga Stretches Self-Esteem, But Is It Healthy?

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