“Naked life” is a metaphor for human existence reduced to its essence. In its most extreme form, this metaphor even mentions “bare survival”.

Nude life, in the meaning of a life practice, also describes the manifold experiences and values of a life in nudity, as it was for our ancestors in the early days and still is for a few peoples up to the present day. This is “nude life”, which naturists consciously cultivate today.

So, this is about practice in the nude. “Naktivity” is an artificial word that is made up of “naked” and “activity”. It was probably coined by the naturist activists Anita & Wolfgang Gramer from Berlin, who in their book “1, 2, Frei – Das NacktAktivBuch” described the range of naturist activities at that time.

Living in the nude was once common. However, is that still something for today?

You bet! Nature and naturalness are more important today than ever!

Nude at a beach – bathing naturally

The most common naktivity is of course bathing or swimming in the nude, which you may combine with a nude stay on a beach or a meadow at a bathing lake. This is almost the epitome of naturism [in German also: “Freikörperkultur” (“FKK”)] and millions of people practise it.

Naturally, you also practise usual beach activities like beach ball, badminton, beach volleyball, or pétanque (“boules”) in the nude, which is the first step to nude sports.

Nude in an association – or unorganised

For a long time, people practised naturist activities only in more or less delimited areas, i.e. at naturist beaches or lakes (tolerated or officially declared), on naturist campsites, or on association grounds.

In the last decades, however, naktiv naturists have conquered more and more open country outside fenced areas: Nude joggers do their runs in city forests, hikers in the buff meet for naturist hikes in the most beautiful nature parks, nude cyclists are en route with mountain or touring bikes – by no means only on the annual World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) Days.

Why nude at all?

Because it's beautiful! At any rate, this is how many people feel being nude in nature, and it is a fundamental human right to be human in all its naturalness.

For Hans from Vienna being nude is logical: “A human has five senses. What do I see, when I cover 95% of my eyes? What do I hear, when I put absorbent cotton in my ears? What do I taste, when I put a small plastic bag over my tongue? What do I smell, when I cover my nose? What do I feel, when I cover 95% of my skin? If you want to find out, what the world feels like, you have to undress!”

Don't I have to be ashamed?

“Honi soit qui mal y pense.”
(Edward III, King of England from 1327 to 1377)

Our body is a gift of nature. It would be ungrateful and blasphemous to disrespect the Work of God or Allah and to develop shame for the fact, that he has created us humans according to His likeness!

Am I really allowed to be in the buff?

“Naturalia non sunt turpia”
“The natural is not disgraceful”
(Virgil, roman author Publius Vergilius Maro, Georgica, 70-19 BC)

In many countries, nudity in public – like in Germany – is only prohibited, if it serves sexual purposes. Good to underline, that this does not apply at all to our naturist activities.

What about ethics?

“Because of being created by God, the human body can remain nude and uncovered and, untouched, still retains its splendour and beauty.”
“Nudity as such can not be equated with physical shamelessness.”
“Immodesty is only given, when nakedness plays a negative role in relation to the value of a person.”
(Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005)

What do I actually get from “nude life”?

More empathy

In a community of nude people, everyone is much more understanding and considerate, yes: more approachable, facing, and caring towards others. This is probably due to the fact, that people in the nude feel their own vulnerability very clearly and automatically show the consideration, which they themselves expect and absolutely need, towards others.

More intense experience

All senses are stimulated, attention is heightened, sensitivity is much higher than under the cover of fabrics. This has an effect on the absorption and processing of all impressions: Experiencing the natural environment, the accompanying fellow human beings, feeling the movement of your own body – you perceive everything more intensely.