gymnastics – Active Naturists

Olympics at Sandy Hook beach near NYC on the 20th of August

11 August 20169 October 2016 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

I thought that this month it’d be very appropriate to organize a sports competition, mini-Olympics of a kind – in the nude, of course – to remind about the origins of the Olympic games in Ancient Greece,

and very much in spirit of Active Naturists and our Gymnasium project.

We’ll have a few events throughout the day on Saturday, 20 Aug (raincheck Sunday) at my favorite Gunnison beach on Sandy Hook peninsula (just across the bay from New York City) :

long jump around noon;
wrestling around 2pm
running and swimming races during low tide time – to run on wet sand/swim in shallower water – between 3pm and 5pm; 100m and 500m;
discus throw (frisbee) at 6pm;
+ there are always volleyball games going on at Sandy Hook;
and maybe we can even have some gymnastics and capoeira!

Look out for our Gymnasium banner on the right hand side of the beach (looking at the ocean). See you!

naturist gymnasium 0005 Burning Man 2015, Black Rock City, Nevada, USA

Fifteen shades of tan… on Sandy Hook beach

25 May 201617 June 2016 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Finally, summer weather has come to New York and it’s time to open beach season here! My favorite beach around is Gunnison on Sandy Hook peninsula in New Jersey. I’ve written about it on multiple occasions already (just make a search on the site for other blogposts), but I have some nice photos to share from last year – in anticipation of yet another great beach time this summer!

The best way to get to Sandy Hook from New York City is by Seastreak ferry.

I used to post the discount coupons for it, but it seems there’s no need for it anymore. According to the ferry website, starting this year, with fist departure of the day, you always get a $30 return ticket to the beach (regular is $45). A sad news is that there is no late departure from the beach anymore – the last ferry to the city is at 5:45pm, while it used to be 7:45pm – no more sunsets on the ferry? However, there is a shuttle to the late ferry departing from the town nearby. Update: the late ferry is back on the schedule!

The ocean water is probably still too cold to swim properly this weekend, but there are plenty of other activities to do on the beach! Volleyball is very popular at Gunnison beach, as expected from a naturist location.

But our favorite pastime last summer was acro-yoga.

It was great to see how engaging it was, as a few strangers joined,

while I was practicing acro-yoga with my friends David, Eddy, Antony and others. (Remember our spontaneous handstand class 3 years ago?)

Acro-yoga creates a great connection between the ‘flyer’ and the ‘base’,

and it’s even greater when done in the nude.

It’s quite an amazing experience,

if you do it in the open air, especially in a place like this beautiful beach

with Manhattan skyline in the background.

But we also experimented with a log as the base –

floating in the air yoga?

Probably the most entertaining acro-yoga pose is ‘the laughing dragon’ (you might remember some more pics of it from last year’s Burning Man post).

Well, the more participants the merrier!

So, Sandy Hook is a perfect place for socializing and getting your all-over tan!

PS Sandy Hook is also good for watching airplanes coming to NYC airports. Who can spot an airplane on one of the photos in this post? Where does it seem to be landing? 😉

PPS If you like to bring a lot of stuff with you to the beach, which can be difficult while walking on sand, you should support this campaign for funding of the extension of the matted walkway!

celestial bodies at Sandy Hook

31 May 2015 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

naturist-backflip-0001-Sandy-Hook,-NJ,-USA

Now that the beach season is open in NYC, here is a recap of last year’s fun times at Sandy Hook, and to complete the full circle (and start the new one!) – a couple of photos from the first beach day this year. (Well, first beach day here – as you know, I was in Miami in March :-))

Before I forget, here are useful links for the Seastreak Ferry that goes to Sandy Hook: two $25 dollar offers – Groupon 1 and Groupon 2; and $30 coupon from website (regular price for return ticket is hefty $45).

I’ve written on Gunnison Beach of Sandy Hook on multiple occasions (just do a search for “sandy hook” on this website for more); so if you’ve read my blog for a while, you know it’s a kind of beach where you go with with a group of friends, and even if you go alone, you end up with with a few friends anyways 🙂

naturist 0012 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

… just sometimes you need to dig them up from the sand!

naturist jump

With my friends, our beach day is rarely a passive pastime, as we literally jump around, and frolic in all ways possible.

naturist 0009 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

While I did some acro-yoga with one David, I was happy to see another David to be almost fully recovered after his surgery and back to do his gymnastics tricks, including a backflip.

naturist flip

Looking forward to doing more gymnastics and capoeira with him this year, just like we did it two years ago! If you’re there, feel free to join us 🙂

I did report about our ball games at Sandy Hook last year, and I hope to do only more of these year. It’d be awesome if we could manage to play foot-volley,

naturist 0007 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

though unfortunately one of my best friends who was good at football juggling has moved to Hawaii.

naturist 0010 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA naturist 0008 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

As the evening approaches, the beach is emptying out and calms down.

sunset and crescent moon 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

If you stay till sunset, you may be a witness of a grand show provided by our two brightest celestial bodies.

crescent moon 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Last year, I discovered that there is a campground on Sandy Hook. Unfortunately, if you want to stay on the weekend, you have to reserve it well in advance (most Fri and Sat nights for this summer have been booked out already)! The campground itself is not nude-friendly, but you can go back to the beach and experience it like never before.

night naturist 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

These are pictures from Christian and Giorgio –

night naturist 0002 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

they were inspired by the full moon.

night naturist 0003 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

But if you are not lucky enough to capture the full moon,

night naturist 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

you can enjoy the lights of a different kind:

night NYC view 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

New York City at night provides quite a spectacle too.

night NYC view 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

However, I was looking forward to seeing sunrise at Sandy Hook, as the beach faces eastwards.

sunrise 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Arriving to the beach just before sunrise, to our surprise we were not the first ones, but it was still very different from a day scene there.

sunrise NYC view 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Well, and even the ‘city that never sleeps’ looked kind of sleepy in those pale morning colors. But the sun was about to come out,

sunrise 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

and we looked away from the city skyline. I don’t see sunrise very often, and there is always something inherently exciting about seeing the rise of our parent star.

sunrise 0003 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA sunrise 0005 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA sunrise 0006 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

It was even more exciting to experience that naked; not to mention that even in August, dawn time is a bit chilly, so the first rays of the sun were very much welcome on my skin!

sunrise 0007 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

The beach was still pretty empty,

sunrise NYC view 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

and shorebirds such as plovers certainly took advantage of that.

plovers

It is always funny to see how they follow retreating water in search of newly revealed food

plovers 0002 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

and then hastily run away from approaching waves. They literally live on the edge… of the ocean.

plovers 0003 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

And here is a couple of photos from my first day at Sandy Hook this year – this past Monday. That was apparently the last week until the end of summer when Gunnison Beach was open in its entire length, as already this weekend part of it was closed for an endangered plover species to build nests in the dunes.

shrine 0000 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

No, this is not how plovers’ nests look like. Somebody had built parts of this construction, but then I found it destroyed by the strong wind later in the day. I repaired this “shrine”,

shrine 0001 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA adding an animalistic twist to it. Well, to me it was just an artistic expression, but I can bet that if it ever gets fossilized and then later discovered by future archaeologists, they will get some twisted story to explain it 😀

naturist 0015 Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

By the way, I have a strong suspicion of who might have initiated this construction, as someone I got to know last year built something of this kind but even more impressive. This summer has just begun though, so surely we’ll have more stories to share from this amazing place!

Sima bog near Moscow

27 August 201429 August 2014 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

Русский

naturist 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

There is a very pretty bog not too far from Moscow, and it was one of the most interesting places where I’ve enjoyed outdoors the natural way, naked. It is a peat bog called Sima at the Zvenigorod Biological Station of Moscow State University, where I spent quite a lot of time during summer practices in my student year. It was so nice to come back there a few years later. Student excursions aside, it’s an ideal place to find oneself at peace with nature.

view 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Sima is a relatively small peat moss bog surrounded by fir-tree forest.
view 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

The bog is outlined by a stretch of smaller-than-usual birches and pines, as well as blueberries and rhododendron. There were no berries of course, when I visited in May, but rhododendron bush was in full bloom.
Rhododendron 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Though transition between the forest and the bog appears relatively smooth, there’s no transition between the bog and the lake in the centre of it: the mire just ends abruptly and the lake is over 1-1.5m deep already at the very edge of it. This used to be a peat pit. Thus the lake looks like a huge pool with black water.
view 0002 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Of course, we couldn’t help swimming there on a hot day like that.
naturist 0004 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Such a dark water surface reflects exceptionally well.
naturist 0008 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

We didn’t see any fish in the lake, but there must be some, as a couple of seagulls hang out by the lake too.
seagull 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

In any case, it is the bog that makes Sima so special. If from the photos you might think it wasn’t much different from a meadow, this animated picture will assure you that it was a true quaking bog.
naturist-quake-0000-Sima,-Moscow-oblast,-Russia

You can feel like a giant quaking the earth! It’s a funny feeling to walk on that jelly-like surface, you just need to make sure not to sink into it. The trail is enhanced with wooden planks, as you can see on the first photo and the one below.
naturist 0006 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

But if you get off the trail, stay closer to the edge of the lake, where the mire appears to be more solid.
naturist 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Although this place feels secluded, some people just can’t get out of touch with the rest of the world thanks to their mobile phones… However, we did spend most of the time with various activities and observing the nature around.
naturist 0005 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

There were many things to marvel at even at our feet. Besides sedges, cranberry plants and peat moss, we found quite a few carnivorous plants.
sundew 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

This plant is called sundew due to obvious reasons; this ‘dew’ is used to catch small unwary insects.
sundew 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

They are not alone in that quest, having to compete with frogs
frog 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

and other insects, such as dragonflies.
dragonfly 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Not all dragonflies, however, were busy preying: some demonstrated amazing stunts of sex in the air! (I would explain the fact that camera focused on their reflection in water as a mode of censorship blur, but the reflection was just as sharp and clear!)
dragonfly 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

In any case, we weren’t disturbed by any mosquitos an flies on that day.
Considering the soft and flat surface of the quaking bog, I decided that it was finally the time to practice some gymnastics after half-a-year break due to my ankle injury.

naturist-flip-0000-Sima,-Moscow-oblast,-Russia

Even though I wasn’t in the best shape, I jumped to my heart’s content.
naturist 0002 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

I almost got stuck in the mire after one jump 😀
naturist 0003 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Actually, there were no issues with that. It was a unique experience of gymnastics in its authentic meaning – exercising naked – in a completely natural setting with a natural bouncy floor.
naturist 0007 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Thanks to this soft spring floor, Sasha even mastered a headstand for the fist time. Then we switched to acro-yoga, doing both core-strengthening
naturist acro-yoga 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

and relaxing exercises.
naturist acro-yoga 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

Altogether, we had a glorious day in our altogethers.
view 0003 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

I hope Sima will keep its uniqueness, although bogs are prompt to changing due to natural reasons and man impact. Unfortunately, we saw some deep potholes at bog and the trail leading to it that resulted from an overuse by quad-bikers, and later we saw two such all-terrain vehicles on the trail. ATVs are certainly not an eco-friendly way to explore outdoors, and I hope the trail entry will be gated properly. The forest, as in many areas around Moscow, has been also infested by a fir-killing bug.
view 0005 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

I’ll end the story on a pleasant note, however. We also saw quite a few flowers on the trail,
plant 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

such as this exotic-looking spurge,
plant 0001 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

an aromatic and bright-flowered bean plant,
Convallaria 0000 Sima, Moscow oblast, Russia

and an even more aromatic lily of the valley. Thus, Sima is an excellent place for naturists and naturalists alike!

Wreck Beach, the largest nude beach in North America!

22 October 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

This is another guest entry, now from our devoted reader-turned-contributor Nat

Wreck Beach is North America’s largest nude beach. There are actually three nude beaches – Acadia Beach, Towers Beach and Wreck Beach – however most refer to the whole 8 kilometres around the Point Grey peninsula, as Wreck Beach.

naturist 0000 Wreck Beach, BC, Canada
The beach is located on the campus of University of British Columbia in Vancouver. It is easily accessible by transit, car or bike. It’s a 15 minute car ride from downtown to Acadia Beach which has a gentle slope for those that can’t do stairs.
As NW Marine Drive curves around the point, the slope get higher so that by the time you get to the main Trail 6 you have a few hundred steps to get down to the beach.
They are well built steps, however coming up is a good workout for some.

At the top of the trail you usually see lots of bikes and a concession stand selling snacks etc.
Trail 6 is the main section where you see thousands on a busy summer weekend, It is also one of the better places for swimming since when the tides are out you get large expanses of sand to run and play.

naturist 0001 Wreck Beach, BC, Canada
The beach has a breakwater. Near the breakwater is one of the area’s where gays like to hang out.
You will also see many licensed vendors selling food and non-alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is illegal on the beach. You will find people selling it, but when the police come down, it suddenly disappears. Be discreet, or if they see you, they will pour it out.
If you go continue to your left, you can find a trail that takes you to the gay beach.
You can also choose not to go down Trail 6, but continue on NW Marine, it turns into SW Marine Drive and go down Trail 7. You will need to look at a map if you plan to go to Trail 7, since it’s on Old Marine Drive, an offshoot of SW Marine Drive.
Once down Trail 7, again well maintained steps, you can go left for an older crowd (jokingly called Jurassic Park ) or right for a younger crowd. If you go right it’s about a ten minute walk or so to an area called Oasis.

naturist 0004 Wreck Beach, BC, Canada
The only thing that is not so great about Oasis and the beach along Trail 7 is that it is not good for swimming. Many just walk the trail towards Trail 6 and the main beach to do that. The area of Trail 7 is known for cruising.

naturist 0002 Wreck Beach, BC, Canada
There are no food vendors at Oasis, it is much quieter, but on some days you may find someone selling beer.

The great things I like about Wreck Beach are it’s size. You can strip down at Acadia Beach and walk for two hours around the point totally nude and still be within the city limits.

The views are of mountains and forest. When you stand on the beach, especially Oasis, you look at a fir tree covered hill tumbling down into the ocean. You feel very far away from the city.

naturist 0003 Wreck Beach, BC, Canada

Baker Beach in San Francisco

14 September 20138 January 2017 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

naturist 0000 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

Did you know that now massive Burning Man festival started from a gathering of a few friends at Baker Beach in San Francisco in the ’80s? That’s where I went after my first Burning Man experience last year, to relax after the festival and before the oncoming cycling trip down to San Diego with two friends.

Now, that public nudity is outlawed on the streets of San Francisco, Baker Beach may be the only place in the city where body freedom can be practiced in the open air any time of the year. As long as you find nice enough weather for that. Many people, including me, think of San Francisco as a warm sunny place, as the image of California usually presented in the media. In fact, it can get chilly and foggy there, even in the middle of the summer. Coming there after New York’s hot summer and then Burning Man, I was sort of shocked to see people in jackets. Luckily, the following days got warmer, so we could enjoy the beach.

naturist 0037 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

The beach is surrounded by a beautiful park,

naturist 0036 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

and it provides iconic views of the Golden Gate Bridge too.

naturist 0004 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

The bridge inspired us for some posing, doing the body bridge was the most obvious.

naturist 0005 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

It was also nice to move around, as it wasn’t that warm despite the sun, and the water almost never get warm enough for swimming there. So, if you don’t feel like volleyball (there is a pitch with a net at the beach) or jogging, handstand is a good way to warm up.

naturist 0003 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA It was a nice day to get into an active state of mind after our ‘post-burn decompression’ and we were looking forward to seeing Californian coast south of San Francisco.

naturist 0001 Baker Beach, San-Francsico, CA, USA

Gymnastics and capoeira at Sandy Hook beach

5 July 20136 September 2013 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

naturist 0000 4 July flag of USA @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

This blogpost contains some of the best photos that qualify for both ‘active’ and ‘naturist’. It was prepared for the 4th of July, but instead of finishing it on time, I went to the beach 🙂 Well, I guess most of the readers in US did the same anyway, so one day delay is OK. Moreover, now I have this photo with historic American flags to add. Thanks to the nice couple who brought these flags and my friend Andre, I got a little lesson on American history right on the beach (I wish all history classes were like that, I would probably have learnt way more). Although I’m not a US citizen or a big fan of any sorts of patriotic celebrations in general, it seemed appropriate for the Independence Day to take a photo with the 13 star “Betsy Ross” variant of the first (or second?) flag of the USA, as well as the Gadsden Flag. Actually, I liked that according to Wikipedia contemporary significance of Gadsden Flag includes its use as “a symbol of disagreement with government, or a symbol of support for civil liberties”; given unfortunate recent developments with closure of some nudist beaches around New York and anti-nudity law in San Francisco, for example, this rebellious interpretation seems more appropriate for a nudist beach. Well, I don’t want to get carried away with this topic for now, I promised some of the best active naturist photos 🙂

So, the visitors of Sandy Hook’s Gunnison Beach may have encountered quite astonishing situations with some crazy people ‘flying’ around, sometimes upside down.

naturist 0000 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

One of them is certainly to be my gymnast friend David, who just cannot sit still for too long. His moves are impressive from the beginning

naturist 0049 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

to the end,

naturist 0076 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

but of course it’s what happens in between that draws attention!

naturist 0006 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

David can do most major exercises of floor gymnastics and tumbling and is eager to demonstrate his prowess,

naturist 0007 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

for which I have to thank him, as it inspired me to take gymnastics classes too.

naturist 0005 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

I’m still struggling with front handspring though.

naturist 0001 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

However, I could show a one-arm cartwheel…

naturist 0004 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

or a three-leg-one-arm cartwheel 😀

naturist 0003 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

A handstand isn’t a problem either 🙂

naturist 0002 gymnastics @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

I wasn’t the only one inspired; when we were tumbling last year during Tacoboy’s Beach Fest, we were joined by Amanda, and she learned how to do a handstand!

naturist-0074-gymnastics-@-Gunnison-Beach,-Sandy-Hook,-NJ,-USA

Another fun activity that we’ve engaged with at Sandy Hook was capoeira.

naturist 0013 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

We are yet to get big enough group to arrange a proper roda (capoeira game), but it’s fun even with just two (this time with Fardo), only more tiring as there is nobody you could rotate with and rest in between.

naturist 0032 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

At least we had the advantage of not being constrained by clothes and doing it in the fresh sea air 🙂

naturist 0039 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Playing on the wet sand felt nice (pretty close to the matted floor that we usually have in classes), but it sort of added a ‘secret weapon’ to some of the kicks, when the sand would get off the foot during the kick and fly into your opponent. Oh well, but capoeira game is all about surprise moves and being unpredictable.

naturist 0051 capoeira @ Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ, USA

Here’s a video that sums up all this fun, hopefully more and more people will get inspired!

PS I’ve just realized, my Independence Day blogpost last year was also about Sandy Hook (check it for directions and general description), it’s probably going to be a tradition!

Burning Man ticket for sale, plans and Tacoboy’s Beach Fest at Sandy Hook

2 August 20127 July 2014 by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

I’ve already announced that I’m going to Burning Man this year, a crazy festival of artful, creative and positive spirit that several friends of mine say is the most memorable event of their lives. BREAKING NEWS: guess what, I’ve got an extra ticket to sell! Last year was the first time when the organizers had to limit the amount of tickets and it was quickly sold out. This year, they tried a new lottery system for selling tickets, and I was among the lucky ones who got two tickets! Unfortunately my supposed-to-be burner companion has got a new job and cannot join me anymore. So I’ve decided to give it a try and see if there is anyone interested among my readers!

Let me know by e-mail or leave a comment here if you want to get the ticket! I don’t think I need to advertise this sought-after item, but FYI the ticket is from the cheapest tier and in the good spirit of Burning Man I am selling it face value.

Meanwhile, I was trying to pick a theme camp to join at Burning Man and chose one that might not be the most artistic but definitely is one of the most handy camps: Playa Bike Transport. Apparently, bicycle is the way to go at Burning Man, and this camp provides bikes for rent and free repair service during the event. The idea to learn bike repair is especially appealing to me, because I plan some long bike trips.

Needless to say, I’ll spend a lot of time naked there – perhaps I’ll be your naked mechanic? But I still need to think of a costume for night time, as it gets really cold after sunset.

And just a couple of weeks ago, I got a bit of a taste of Burning Man at Sandy Hook beach. One of the famous fellows from the so-called burner community, Tacoboy, organized a mini-fest there with potluck food and drinks, hula-hoops, some music (just as loud as it was allowed at this place), give-aways and lots of smiles. There was a couple of other groups that brought some decorations.

We spent a lot of time hula-hooping, as well as playing volleyball and frisbee.

As we were a lot of people, we didn’t play with just one frisbee, but with two. Simultaneously 🙂

The game provided plenty of opportunities to take photos à la discobolus statue.

But the hollow frisbee also proved to be a nice decorative tool.

As if all that wasn’t enough, we topped it up with some gymnastics! I’ll write more about our beach gymnastics classes in one of the following posts, but for now I’ll post a photo of our awesome foursome handstand.

Can you believe that the girl on the photo was able to do her handstand for the first time on that day? David, who was in charge of our acrobatic frenzy, must be a really good teacher! And again, such unexpected (and free!) class of gymnastics with a naked instructor is totally in line with Burning Man spirit the way I imagine it.

Tag: gymnastics