What happens on one of these gay naked yoga retreats?

Deciding to join any retreat is a big deal. It’s a big decision - and a very brave one! Well done for even making it this far and reading this blog.

Below I give you a brief idea of that happens on one of my retreats. We have a lot of fun. We get some truly incredible men from all over the world joining us.

We eat great food. Out of this world food! Retreats can be deep and emotional, they can be silly and playful, they can be the whole spectrum of what makes us human.

It’s a space where we meet ourselves and each other just as we are. In truth, and authenticity. It’s brave, courageous, vulnerable, and life changing.

Many wonder if it’s a very sexual space. After all it’s a group of gay men, naked together, in hot sunshine. Sounds sexy right?!

The truth as always is a little more complicated than the fantasy. Sure, often there is chemistry and connection and excitement within the group. And it’s beautiful to see guys sharing intimacy and love and touch and excitement.

The mindfulness practices are there to support us being our most authentic selves. To be open and vulnerable with each other. Which for many of us, can be quite a scary place to be. We feel shy and insecure and anxious around new people and new groups. We’re scared of feeling rejected or left out. All of these fears can come up on a retreat.

Casual sex, hookups, anonymous sex, Grindr etc means that pleasure and intimacy become increasingly transactional and disconnected. We don’t have to risk being ourselves and being vulnerable when all we want is some quick physical gratification and objectification.

On these retreats, it’s an opportunity to be fully yourself, to be in your power, to let the world see you just as you are, to feel full and authentic and confident and present. And maybe from that place, there is attraction and chemistry and desire within the group.

If you are looking for deeper, more authentic, heart centred connections and relationships with gay men, then a retreat is a great place to start. It’s fun, sexy, playful, curious, exciting, from a place of courageous authenticity.

THE PRACTICE

Naked Yoga, Meditation, Breathwork, Singing, Dance, Nature, Ceremony, Cabaret, Games, Nature, Swimming, Hiking, and much more.

These are practices to quieten the mind, energise the body, soften tension, brighten your Spirit and change your life.

WHY NAKED?

Being naked literally strips away all the social and economic barriers that clothing can represent. Being naked in front of other people can be challenging as it brings up our vulnerabilities around self acceptance, being seen, and around shame! Together we will playfully confront these vulnerabilities!

Society often tells us that being naked is all about sex. Practising Yoga naked, singing and dancing naked, walking through the woods naked, swimming in the pool or ocean naked, is an exhilarating way to feel freedom and build self acceptance in your beautifully unique body in a non sexual space.

Arousal can happen, if it does that's beautiful and magical and can be enjoyed and celebrated. Connection and intimacy with other men can happen, which can be intensely healing and nurturing and wonderful. The invitation for this retreat is to connect with yourself and other men from the heart. To embrace self acceptance. To shed layers of shame, guilt and regret. To come together with other men in celebration of queer community and spirit!

Nudity can deepen our spiritual practice and help us to face some of our deepest fears in a a safe, supportive and non judgmental community of men - come join us!

On Retreat in Portugal

A SPACE FOR GROWTH HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION

• A sacred pause from daily life in the company of like minded GBTQ Men from around the world.

• Time away from life’s responsibilities and pressures.

• Time to rest, eat well, to be in nature, and to be yourself.

• An opportunity to reflect on your life and make positive changes.

• Make new friends and connections. Feel part of a community.

TO HAVE FUN

We do the work. These are challenging, deep practices, that take you to your edge to face your fears and limiting beliefs.

On the other side is joy, gratitude, peace, embodiment, presence, pleasure, contentment, purpose, meaning, and spirit.

This is a brave space to express yourself courageously and authentically.

We smile, we laugh, we dance, we sing, we cry. All of you is welcome here.

Main reasons for joining a gay yoga retreat

1) I NEED A BREAK!

• Many guys are simply looking for a break from the pressures and stresses of daily life.

• Sometimes a ‘normal’ holiday just isn’t enough.

• A retreat is nourishing for mindy body and soul. We take care of you. Great food, comfortable accommodation, spectacular nature, interesting people from around the world, and embodiment practices to calm the mind, energise the body, and brighten the spirit.

• It’s incredible what just a couple of days of healthy routines, time in nature, and a break from daily life can do.

• After a week together you go home feeling strong, aligned, energised, and ready to face the world again.

On retreat in Portugal

2) I’M FEELING STUCK IN MY LIFE

• Many participants arrive feeling stuck in their lives, and they want to give themselves a week on retreat to reset and recharge and get some clarity and perspective.

• This could be issues at home, at work, with boyfriends and husbands, or feeling that you are ready for a change and a new chapter but you’re not sure what!

• A retreat is a terrible place to come and think about your problems. What a waste of time and energy!

• A retreat is a perfect place to get in your body, connect to nature, enjoy the company of incredible people, to laugh, to have fun, to come alive, to remember what is important to you, to remember who you are and what your values are in life.

• And then you’ll just know with trust and instinct, what the next step is for you and your life.

On Retreat in Portugal

3) I WANT TO MAKE GAY FRIENDS AND FIND COMMUNITY IN A SAFE SUPPORTIVE FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

• Many of us find it hard to make new gay friends and find community.

• The apps, the bars, the clubs, the saunas, none of these are easy places to navigate and make meaningful connections.

• Pleasure, sex, and connection can feel transactional and distant, and we long for deeper relationships in our lives.

• A retreat is a wonderful space to be yourself. And to see others for who they are. Beyond desire and objectification. We get to see and experience the heart and spirit of one another.

• These retreats are truly a community. With hundreds of guys around the world who keep in touch and meet up years after sharing a retreat together.

Sunset on the beach in Portugal

4) I WANT TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD TIME!

• Retreats should always be fun. They are a celebration of you, and a celebration of life.

• Joy, pleasure, games, laughter, silliness, playfulness, performance, music, all play a huge part.

• We do the work. The yoga practice is deep and challenging. We face our fears and learn to be courageous and vulnerable with each other.

• And on the other side of that are all the elevated emotions - joy, appreciation, empathy, compassion, curiosity, gratitude, peace, and so much more.

• Through presence we connect to the lightness of being. And it can be absolutely hilarious.

STAYING HUMAn IN 2026

I’ve been practising yoga for 21 years. In that time I’ve seen huge changes in the way people approach yoga. Both as yoga students and also the studios.

When I first started practising in London, yoga studios were booming. Yoga was the hot trend. Celebrities were doing it. Media was talking about it. Especially styles like Bikram and Power Yoga. I got hooked and as you know this practice changed my life dramatically.

Back then we only had Facebook on our computers. Social media was in its infancy. And this was years before society became hooked on smartphone screens and apps and connectivity.

So it felt different showing up to a yoga studio. This was also long before Urban Sports Club and Class Pass. Most of us would become members of a studio and become very loyal to their teachers. You would recognise familiar faces in every class. Slowly staring to make friends and connections and feel part of the community of the studio. The changing rooms and waiting areas would be filled with laughter and chat and gossip and excitement for the next class. I loved every part of this. Now many students walk into class, scan the QR code to sign in, do the practice, and then leave with their phone in their hand.

In my early yoga years, we all of course came to class for personal reasons. The usual stuff. We wanted to get stronger, discover who we are, find meaning and purpose in our lives, ease the pain of the past, lessen the anxiety of the future. And grow our practice so that we could feel confident moving through the world as ourselves. If you were lucky to find a good studio with inspiring teachers, every class you were reminded that we are there to support each other, to grow together, to share the burdens we carry through life, to heal together, to lift each other up. It very much felt like a collective effort and community.

Over time I’ve noticed this change. Many students use Urban Sports Club and Class Pass and drop into different studios and teachers around town. Very few pay for monthly memberships and remain loyal to the same studio. Which makes it very difficult to cultivate togetherness, continuity, and community.

We live in an age of hyper individuality and connectivity. And something the wellness industry gets wrong is focusing too much on the individual journey. If you are practicing yoga for yourself, and only focusing on our own healing, and your own personal journey, you’re missing the point, and so many of the life changing benefits and teachings of this practice.

This is the age of the individual. Social media has completely changed our relationship to ourselves, to community, and to the world. I’ve definitely fallen into this trap also. Becoming too focused on my own journey, and losing the bigger picture - that we are all connected, our most basic needs are survival, safety, and belonging. We can’t do it alone. We need to feel connected, we need to feel like we belong, we need to feel welcome in community.

I’ve also noticed a change in my teaching over the years. Especially on retreat. In the early years it was to bring people together to celebrate life with joy and appreciation. To learn practices that help us to grow and to heal. 10 years ago we were all still familiar with gathering as humans without the saturation of screens and notifications and apps and social media.

In the past 10 years technology has dramatically changed our lives. In many miraculous ways. But with all this information, all these opportunities for experience and connection, are we any happier? Do we feel more fulfilled? Do we feel clearer on our purpose in life. Or do we just feel more anxious and alone?

I realised that my priorities were shifting in the way I organised retreats. And that actually the main focus of our time together was to help participants to remember what it feels like to be human again, in a world filled with technology that demands their attention.

I noticed that people (myself included) were so overwhelmed by the modern world, that they needed a structured space to rest, reset, and to detox from modern life. Thankfully, this is not complicated, it’s actually very simple! Switch off devices, slow down, get still, eat well, do yoga, watch the sunrise, watch the sunset, sleep well, do yoga, play games, spend time alone, read a book, sing songs, dance sober, it’s not rocket science. And very quickly you see people’s energy shift, they get brighter and more alive. As their human nature starts to return.

I was thrilled this week to read about the Meta and YouTube being found liable for intentionally making addictive products that harmed people. Hundred of millions of dollars in fines, which is nothing to them, but this is just the start.

I have been saying for years that Big Tech will have its moment like Big Tobacco did in the 90s. There will be a public reckoning with huge fines and legislation that requires them to change the design. We have been the guinea pigs, the canaries in the coal mine. And we are suffering the consequences. Human attention was intentionally manipulated and monetised. And we’re struggling individually and societally as our mammal brains are not evolved to cope. We’re losing our humanity.

So how to counter this in the modern world? Here are my suggestions

• Join a community or create your own. Around a hobby, spiritual tradition, or whatever else that looks like to you. But where participation does not depend on payment or buying a ticket for an experience. A community where you have to self organise together. And the focus is for the greater good of the community and not profit or reputation. Community is hard work and stressful. But in a hyper individualistic world it’s essential to remember our humanity, and what’s important in life. And working together makes us feel like we belong, and reminds os of our place in the world. And can be filled with moments of deep joy, purpose and gratitude. In my life this is the Radical Faerie Community which I give significant time to over the year.
  
  

• Is there a place in your life where you can sit around a fire and sing songs, share stories, or just sit in silence? If not - make one! Humans have been sitting around fires for thousands and thousands of years. Fire is the element of transformation. Fire brings us together in community. When you sit under the stars around a fire, with fellow humans, the cells of your body remember something ancient. There is a wisdom and intelligence there that is timeless. Staring into the fire will ease pain, quieten confusion, allow emotions to flow and be expressed. And time around the fire is spontaneous. It can be hilarious and loud. It can be quiet and introspective. It can be musical. It can be whatever you want it to be.
  
  

• Sing in a group. Dance sober. Play games. Learn new hobbies. Simple, satisfying, pleasurable, human activities that bring us together. There is a deep reason why music and dance and games play such a central role in my retreats. They are an ancient and effective way of bringing us together, where we can be ourselves, and be present, and get to know ourselves and each other. Life is complicated. Our journey is complicated. Emotions and thoughts are complicated. Group activities like this remind us to keep things simple, to appreciate life.
  
  

• Prioritise small talk! Talk to strangers. This is a funny one. Especially in spiritual communities there can be an aversion to small talk. I don’t want o talk about bla bla nonsense that doesn’t matter, I just want to talk about trauma and my pain and the real shit. That’s the important stuff. I have been like this myself in the past! There is a time and a place for deep conversations and for emotional honesty and vulnerability. But not at the expense of spontaneous interactions with people in our lives or strangers. Why? When we embrace the art of small talk we are present and looking to connect with the world around us. Who is this person in front of you? What can you do or say in 30 seconds that will put a smile on their face, surprise them, or teach them something new. What opportunities and possibilities could emerge through having the courage to talk with a random stranger. Not knowing what;’s going to happen but trusting your instincts. How often do you sit on the train and observe the whole carriage including yourself just staring down at a phone? How many real life connections have been sacrificed because we’re too distracted by screens. Talking to strangers and celebrating small talk, is a beautiful and simple way to embrace the flow of life. To embrace reality just as it is. And to be open to whatever surprises the universe may have in store. It also makes us feel human. We feel seen, we feel heard, we feel accepted, we feel like we belong.
  
  

• And of course go to yoga. Go to yoga to invest time in your personal practice. To honour your healing journey. To make peace with yourself. And to live a life of meaning and authenticity. But remember that you can’t do it alone. And you are never alone in your fears and anxieties. Every single person in the room, including the teacher, is not so different to you and has their own struggles. Go to yoga for personal reasons, but also know that just by showing up, your presence is a gift to everyone else. That the power of yoga is collective practice. Talk to the teacher. Talk to the other students. Find a studio and teachers that know how to truly cultivate community.

I feel like this topic is especially important now, as we move into the AI era. Which will transform everything in ways that we can’t even imagine. But no technology can ever replace our ancient need for survival, safety, and belonging. This means real world human connection. True community. Spaces and people where we can be ourselves and where we can belong. Thankfully, no matter how advanced technology gets, the path to feeling human again will always remain, very simple.