Naked Yoga (1973) | Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short Film 1975 - Video

Three young ladies perform yoga without clothes in the open air of Cyprus. Another does the same in a studio. These visuals are interspersed with images of Eastern art, processed for "psychedelic" effect. The narrator relates the practice of yoga to Buddhist philosophy.

REVIEW -- This short will only appeal to those with a prior interest in either yoga or naturism. Such viewers are likely to find it interesting and inspiring.

In 1986, this film was transmitted by Channel 4 in UK - probably gaining more viewers in that one showing than in all other screenings. It is definitely not an instructional film, and the information content is low. This doesn't matter (unless the viewer is seeking those aspects - which is possible and the reason why my vote is no higher than 6/10) because the object seems to have been to inspire.

Yoga and naturism go well together, and there is some overlap of interest in these two minority pursuits. "Naked Yoga" succeeds in encouraging those who have only experienced one of these to try the other. It does this in spite of an over-emphasis on "psychedelic" visuals of manipulated images from Eastern art, and a score which is best described as "hippy trippy".

The core of the film is the presentation of a range of yoga postures ("asanas" - none of which are named) shown by four supple young ladies. Three are filmed in the open air of Cyprus, one in a UK studio. All are clearly experienced in yoga, and some shots illustrate beautifully the importance of breathing rhythms in the practise of the asanas.

It is probable that some will regard this film as aimed at voyeurs - I think such views are misguided and unfair, and I also think a voyeur would be disappointed! On the other hand, the way the participants are limited to good-looking young women does invite such criticism, and I regret that a wider range of humanity was not on show.

Complementing the visuals is a commentary discoursing on Buddhist philosophy and its links with yoga. This is delivered in the wonderful gravel voice of UK blues legend Alexis Korner.

If you are interested in either naturism or yoga, I recommend this film strongly. Unfortunately, it has never been available on commercial video or DVD, so the best one can hope for is to attempt to track down an off-air recording of the UK broadcast.