Opening up
A brave face is just one of many shown by yoga teacher Rhyanna Watson.
A brave face is just one of many shown by naked yoga teacher Rhyanna Watson. Interview by Paul Rouse.
Courage comes in many different forms. And as Australian personal trainer, yoga instructor and wellbeing consultant Rhyanna Watson puts it succinctly: “Being brave doesn't mean we have to jump out of planes or fight lions.”
In her experience, “it simply means being open enough to really get to know and love ourselves, stripped of all society’s pressures and expectations. And when it comes to being beautiful, well, we're all beautiful in our own ways, so it's just about accepting our own truth and embracing and believing in ourselves.”
In Rhyanna’s case, these are more than just words. Her journey towards where she is today started when she suffered deeply from pre- and then post-natal depression. “I lost a child and was told I would not be able to have any more,” she explains openly. “I finally did conceive my miracle daughter, and she is the love of my life. However this took a toll on me that ended with my mental health at an all-time low, where I attempted to take my own life. I have always been fit, healthy and sporty, but my recovery was spurred on by the realisation that I needed to become fit from the inside. That meant getting in touch with my sensuality and my body, reconnecting with both myself and others, and healing myself by feeling less judged, more accepted; less flawed, more worthy; less insecure, more confident; less scared, more loved.”
Message
It’s a key message that Rhyanna has put across in her characteristically honest book, Brave, Beautiful and Baring it All. “Through what I now do and share in my working life, I want to show that it's only when we're willing to be brave, open our minds and hearts, get fit from the inside out, and both 'bare' it all (allowing ourselves to be vulnerable when appropriate) and 'bear' it all (accepting both the good and the bad with patience and grace) that we will be able to feel our most beautiful and live our best lives. I am pleased to say that I have come out of a lot of personal trauma on the other side, both stronger and with more awareness. And if I have something to pass on to others, it’s that life is often about how to strip back our protective layers, and feel brave, confident and beautiful.”
Outwardly, Rhyanna had few problems on the physical fitness front. She played water polo and swam for her native Tasmania at state level, competed in track at the Pan-Pacific Games, and was fitness director on a luxury cruise ship. A qualified personal trainer, she has also studied yoga, Pilates and nutrition, trained professional golfers from the European and Asian circuits in golf technique, core strength and flexibility, and has worked as an Executive Assistant in the corporate market, managing accounts, human resources, marketing, events, finances and office duties.
Approach
It will also come as no surprise that Rhyanna has an open and honest approach to nudity.
“I grew up with a father who would happily walk around the house naked. Through him, I associated the body as a tool for life. It was something that was part of our day-to-day life and did not have a ‘look.’ It had a feel. We would go to the beach and swim naked. To him, the body was neutral and natural, as it is for me too. My mother however was very shy and uncomfortable in her skin, due to her upbringing and past experiences, and her self-worth was sadly lacking. She was beautiful to me however, even if she didn’t swim much and wasn’t comfortable showing her body.
“In 2010, when I went to Austria for the first time, I had my first naked sauna experience with the family I was staying with. It was all so normal. We went to a unisex change room, which included families getting changed for the pool all together. We then went to a unisex sauna. I met the head of the Police and the Town Mayor, and still cannot recognise them with clothes on to this day!”
She has a similar attitude to body positivity. “It’s about accepting ourselves for who we are, and others the same. It is not about whether you wear clothes or not; it is simply about feeling good within yourself. I respect that my dad was comfortable naked, and I respect that my mom prefers clothes. I believe we need to allow people to be themselves, and never force anyone into something they are not comfortable with, or try to label them. It’s why I don’t necessarily call myself ‘a naturist.’ I am simply a human. Just like when someone asks me what yoga I do. I simply do yoga. I don’t need labels to show who I am. I am just me, and allow others to do the same. I think as soon as we label ourselves, we already set up invisible barriers. Why can’t we just ‘be’?
“I have been naked all over the world in many places, creating art, experiencing different cultures. My favourite place to be naked? It always changes, because the only constant is change. My most recent favourite place was with a good friend, creating art in St Louis in the woods and by the river. But it is always about the joy it brings, not where I am.”
Aspects
Nudity is certainly a part of the joy Rhyanna is currently experiencing, although not exclusively. “Naked or clothed, I teach movement for medicine and movement for our real wealth - our health,” is how she describes her work. “I teach being human. That can be however you wish in looks, but it is more about how it makes you feel.”
The main aspects, brought together under the banner of Open Hearts Can Unite, involve yoga, contortion, handstand training, backbend training and mental health work, offered in face-to-face sessions (personal and in groups) or online. “However, it will depend entirely on the clients and their needs when it comes to subject matter and projects,” she explains. Rhyanna is also one of several guest instructors in the Audri & Asana series of naked yoga videos, and is available for retreats, conferences and social events, in Australia and further afield. “I taught my first overseas yoga retreat this year in Utah. It was an amazing experience and I hope to do another one next year in Europe.
“The feedback from my students has been very humbling to receive. Many have said it has changed their life, helped them to grow as a person professionally and personally, helped them to feel happier in their bodies, build better relationships, feel healthier and fitter, and know there are still people that care in the world. And I work with all age groups. We can all get more ‘life’ in our bones if you believe you can still move and do incredible things. Age is a gift, not a limitation.”
Rhyanna doesn’t limit herself either. “I am always taking courses to learn and grow as a teacher. Different disciplines help to enhance my abilities to understand the body better, teach myself, and pass this on to my clients and students. The same goes when it comes to promoting my work. I use many forms of media, and it is about finding what works best for you. For me, it’s a combination of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, podcasts and Vimeo. My book is still paying off the advance, but it was such a gift to be able to write it, and it was so healing for me to do so. Knowing I can help others by telling my story makes my journey more filled with purpose. It’s my way of paying it forward. When I first started doing yoga and fitness, nothing was online. I had to pay for courses and books and do it all myself. Now, all that I have learned is online, mostly for free, which I hope helps others.”
And next?
“Next is what the wind blows in, and the world offers. I don’t have a 5-year or 10-year plan. I am a hard worker, and knock and open every door I can that comes my way. I believe in remaining open-hearted and open-minded, and that the best is yet to come, even if I can’t see or imagine it yet. Ten years ago, I never thought I would be where I am today, or doing what I am doing. So here's to new adventures. I’m a barefoot, footloose, fancy-free soul with a sprinkle of the Tasmanian Devil in me!”
Well, as they say - fortune favours the brave.
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THE BACKSTORY
Brave, Beautiful and Baring It All by Rhyanna Watson
ISBN-10: 1786782898
ISBN-13: 978-1786782892
Price: £12.99
A 160-page paperback, described by its publishers Watkins as “a bold, compassionate title” from an author who “loves engaging with her extensive online community, helping them be brave enough to live in ways that they previously only dreamt of - fit, open, vibrant, contented, true to themselves and free. She is now keen to share her messages of love and empowerment in this book.”
Available via watkinspublishing.com
