or not to bare... This is the question. There are a lot of ways to bare yourself to your lover. But the baring I'm talking about is the body bare. ;) getting' nakie, nude, naked, without clothing, baring the goodies, flashing the stuff, showing the cookie. How ever you term it getting naked in front of our lovers can be both exhilarating and intimidating. (Unless you're a professional model or dancer! IJS)Awesome image post on tumblr by SlowRider655Now I can only write from the aspect of a woman, but I have to imagine that the gamut of emotions we run through when getting naked has to be similar to that of what men must go through as well. It's serious business getting naked in front of someone. (and big business as well) It takes some courage and for me at least took a few years of small steps to get comfortable just being naked in the presence of my honey outside the purpose of sex that is.It's relatively easy to get naked for sex, but being naked and getting naked just for the sake of being and getting naked is a stretch for most people I talk with. Also, appropriate times for nakedness can be hard to come by if you have a family. IJS, no one really wants to sit down at the dinner table on fried chicken night with nakedness all about. Now desert night while the kids are at camp, sure go for it.I think it may be more our culture that makes us weary of being naked just for the sake of being naked. Yet, we are bombarded with near nudity fairly regularly, we contend back and forth about the human form and what should and should not be displayed. We can all appreciate the human body in one way or another it's a beautiful thing.We find ourselves easily getting naked to shower or bathe, near naked for a dip in the pool or beach, and lingerie only adds to the sexiness of our naked. Still, getting naked just to be naked is something that we often avoid, don't ever even think about or find ourselves skeeved out by the suggestion. Now, I've read lots of material on the benefits of being naked, brought to you by the good people who gave us the Kama Sutra (you're welcome). I've also read a mountain of Cosmo's giving us instruction on how to strip etc...I forever it seemed would try these tips and tricks only to fall flat on my face, dive beet red under the covers or make a mad dash to the light switch to turn it off. It wasn't until I decided to just be naked for a half an hour every other day for no reason other than being naked. It's a strange thing to think about and make a conscious decision to do I know, hello, Hi, I'm me, have we met?Anyhoo, I did this only for me and not for any sexual purpose, trust me. Honey came home, found me naked as a jaybird sprawled out on the chaise reading a book on JavaScript having a peppermint mocha and listening to Etta James. NOT IN MY PLANS for the day. Nor was the explanation as to why exactly I was in the condition mentioned earlier. But he's French, and I'm odd so the end result was both of us sprawled out naked on the chaise, sharing (not happy about) my peppermint mocha, reading our respective pieces of literature (or instruction) listening to Etta James. This was 5 years into our relationship and he mentioned that he had never actually seen me lights on, no reason, relaxed & just naked. He said it was the most beautiful image he ever saw and of course this led to sex, but aside from that it was the naturality of the state I was in that was the beauty of it all.I've said it a million times, I'm a curvy chicka, big butt & boobs with thick thighs. So for me, being comfortable in the nude was hard to do, at first. It took a lot to be able to stand in front of a full length mirror naked and see all the flaws and self-perceived imperfections. I'll never be a super model, nor a not so super model, but for the most part becoming comfortable naked was for me:Learning to accept my body (easier said than done)Doing everything I can to be healthy (eating well and exercise)Accepting that we are all built differently (any image will show this fact, accepting it meh, that's iffy)I got to review all my scars. Yes snakes do bite people on the butt when they are peeing in the woods. (IJS) Yes, scratching poison ivy relentlessly for days on end will end up in scaring the skin. Yes small dogs teeth attached to an ankle does scar. Finally, yes that random puberty induced zit that you pick at will leave a scar. Then the honey and I got to spend time comparing scars and laughing at the memories. It was this second that I became comfortable with being naked, in more that the physical way, with another person. It's the best feeling in the world! It's being vulnerable, honest, open and naked!!!!So I've put together my lists of 5's: Five things that keep us from being naked for no reason, Five benefits of being naked for no reason, Five ways to get comfortable being naked for no reason. Buckle up, here we go...1. Self Perception. The way we see ourselves is often in the harshest light possible. We are so prone to see only our flaws, anything else I was taught was vanity. So I say to hell with that, we all have the right to love ourselves; flaws, scars, curves, beauty all of it and all at the same time.2. The way we believe others see us. This is a big one, and hard to get past. Simply put if someone is in that close of a proximity to you and they are judging you on your body, show em the door and be naked when you do it!3. Privacy. Yes, being naked should probably be done in private space. Though, in many cultures naked is accepted and good. It's the level of prudishness that our society has placed on us that makes this a requirement. I can talk about how easy it is to walk nude on a beach in France, except I can't because it's so ingrained in my psyche that I can't do it.4. Appropriateness. Is it ok to be naked for reasons other than washing and sex? I wouldn't suggest standing over the fireplace or splitting wood in the nude. No need to watch the newest scooby doo with your kiddies in the nude, but outside of exposing yourself to children or the unsuspecting neighbor WHY NOT?5. Comfort. It's easier to be comfortable in a pair of yoga pants and loose-fitting t-shirt, sure, but you're not naked.1. Confidence. If you can get comfortable being in your own skin, and I mean only your skin, your confidence level is forced to rise, begrudgingly perhaps. Lets face it, we wear things to accentuate the positive, to bring out those parts of us we are comfortable with. Being nude for no reason puts it all out there, our small or large butts and our knobby knees or what ever part we keep trying to hide.2. Air. Exposed skin absorbs more nutrients! Also, being without clothing allows your skin to BREATHE. Without air, we would die and when we leave the largest organ (our skin) bound up covered with layer upon layer or air blocking clothes our skin suffocates. Clothing also "holds in" natural body odors, causes sweat to become stale and stinky. Fresh air combats the odor molecules that can accumulate on the skin and in our body hair.3. UV Light. If you know of or suffer from the "Winter Blues", this is a vitamin D deficiency that happens because the sun is out for shorter periods. The skin transforms sun light into vitamin D and in turn vitamin D helps the body to regulate calcium & phospahte levels. AND (yes there's more) The light that gives you a tan also destroys the bacteria that gives you acne.4. Blood flow. Bra straps, tight elastic bands, tight-fitting anything restricts the blood flow. Better blood flow and circulation is key to a healthy heart.5. Weight. Metabolism and digestion are improved because the waist is not in a constant state of being bound. Organs are able to shift to their pre-restrictive clothing permitted positions. The mental and emotional benefit also increases our desire to exercise & eat right(Double edged sword there).1. Take small steps in private. You have to be comfortable with yourself before you will be able to be comfortable in the presence of another person while nude.2. Spend a moment after your shower or bath. Let your body air dry, less those parts that take too long (under the breast, the genital, between the toes) This is not only good for the skin, but it gives you those few moments being naked for no reason other than you have to dry off!3. Find something beautiful about your own body. Focus on this. Adore this. Let your confidence grow in this one area and watch it seed and grow throughout your body. All things start pretty small, confidence is the same in this aspect. It can be as simple as a small beauty mark that sits in an alluring place, your eyes, what ever it is. Every person has something about them that is beautiful!4. Sleeping nude or near nude. Take a short nap if you sleep with a partner, and do it nude. If you can't do this, find something as close to nude as you can get. A huge t-shirt and no skivvies will work. OR talk to your partner, see how they feel about having a nude night in bed. Not necessarily for sex, but for sleeping. Sleeping with a partner in the nude is less intimidating that standing in front of them in the nude, you can pull that sheet in close and have a modicum of coverage but YOU are still nude.5. Exfoliate, groom, mani/pedi and tint if necessary. Keeping the skin exfoliated is a huge part in keeping us comfortable in the nude. Grooming goes a long way in creating a higher comfort level, even for those out there who choose a natural state, trimming is a great practice. Mani/Pedi both men and women can benefit from this, keeping our hands and feet well maintained just feels good. I love extending a well manicured hand when meeting someone (with my clothes on!). Tint, we all have to moisturize our skin, if you have uneven skin tone or texture, there are some great tinted moisturizers that are body safe. There's an old saying, if you can't tone it, tan it. True statement.So get naked, get comfortable, stay sexy and as always...Stay CurvyXOXO