A North Carolina woman isn’t afraid to bare it all on social media while doing elaborate yoga poses, something she says its not about sexuality, but rather body positivity.
Kirsty Tavolacci has amassed more than 30,000 followers as @tiny.kirsty on Instagram, where she posts photos that see her showing off her expert yoga moves while completely naked.
The 21-year-old explained that she wishes everyone had the confidence to show themselves ‘naked, natural and truly themselves’ — and to that end, she does not hold back when people leave rude comments on her pictures, firing back at those who attack her for showing her nude body.
Confident: Kirsty Tavolacci, 21, (center) posts pictures doing complex yoga poses while naked on her Instagram page which has more than 30k followers
Friends: She is currently on a long-month trek across the nation which offers stunning backgrounds for her nude photos
‘Why are people so mad at girls who are okay with themselves? Do you know how many problematic things they have had to unlearn?’ Kirsty wrote alongside one of her nude pictures.
‘How much self-destructive stuff they have had to erase from their memory? Don’t patronize someone for feeling confident because you don’t know the process that went into building their self-esteem.’
The former cheerleader was inspired to practice yoga after seeing people’s skills on Instagram, and wanting to be able to strike such complex poses herself, according to Charlotte Five.
Kirsty, who was raised in New York before moving to North Carolina, began studying yoga on January 1st, 2016, and last April became an instructor by completing a 16-day immersion intensive in Pahoa, Hawaii.
‘I was prompted to post naked yoga photos because it was freeing, liberating, and truly a form of art that not many people had seen before. The purpose of the photos is to let everyone know that they are beautiful and to let everyone know that in their most natural state, confidence and self-love is everything,’ she told the website.
Not sexual: Kristy says she doesn’t post the pictures to sexualize her body, but to promote confidence in others
Living her truth: ‘Why are people so mad at girls who are okay with themselves?’ Kirsty wrote alongside one of her nude pictures
She says practicing yoga naked makes her feel powerful and removes distractions, allowing her to focus on the ‘physical and mental practice.’
She wants her page to be a place of positivity, so she is quick to delete nasty comments from critics and block those who write them.
When one of her followers left a rude comment about the size of her breasts, reacting to a picture of her naked and doing a headstand, she was quick to reply.
‘You would NOT like it if someone commented on your photos saying something negative about you. As a society we should be telling others they are beautiful and empowering them, not doing the opposite as you are doing right now,’ she said.
But the yoga enthusiast’s posts are not only notable for the nude photos, but also for the beautiful landscapes where they’re taken.
Kirsty has been on a long-month cross-country trek with fellow yogis. They have stopped in places like the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Arkansas, on their way to their final stop, Coronado, California.
She poses with clothes too: Kristy has replied to rude comments on her posts and isn’t afraid to block people who offend her
Sharing her knowledge: Kirsty and her yoga partner Heather Barb wrote an eBook, HIIT to Invert, in whichthey teach readers about ‘the empowerment of being upside down’.
‘Fitness and yoga for me has been a complete game changer in my life. It has inspired my personal development, and I hope to bring that inspiration to the world,’ the substitute instructor at a gym in Matthews told Charlotte Five.
She and her yoga partner Heather Barb even wrote an eBook, HIIT to Invert, in which they share their fitness knowledge and teach readers about ‘the empowerment of being upside down’.
Kirsty also plans on teaching backbend and inversion workshops after she finishes her travels.