Begin by practicing in private. ‘‘Sure, you can be nude in your own shower,’’ Stéphane Deschênes says, ‘‘but how about sitting in the living room watching TV? How about having dinner?’’

Deschênes oversees all non-­European countries in the International Naturist Federation, an organization with headquarters in Austria that acts as a sort of United Nations of nudism. He also teaches a course called Public Nudity: History, Law and Science at the University of Toronto and owns a popular nudist camp on the city’s outskirts. ‘‘Your confidence in who you are should not be based on the artificiality of your clothing,’’ Deschênes says.

The first time you strip down in front of strangers, do so at a specified nudist destination — a sauna or a beach where everyone else will also be unclothed. If some are covered up, you get what Deschênes calls a ‘‘voyeur-­exhibitionist relationship.’’ To be truly at ease, you have to be naked for yourself, not for the pleasure of others. The moments before disrobing are always the most anxious. On average, it takes an hour for people to get comfortable and begin frolicking ‘‘like 5-year-olds running around the backyard,’’ says Deschênes, who in the summertime goes naked at home and work about 80 percent of the time, occasionally donning a fleece throw to ward off a chill or an apron to protect against hot bacon grease.

Choose your activities carefully. Swimming is the easiest for beginners. Volleyball and other jumping sports are more challenging. Yoga can be particularly intimidating, even for committed nudists.