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Il écoute le mantra nu-tête pour se détendre.

Il écoute le mantra nu-tête pour se détendre.
He listens to the mantra bareheaded to relax.
From Lesson 404:Invariable adjectives before nouns (demi, nu)·French

Questions & Answers about Il écoute le mantra nu-tête pour se détendre.

Why is it nu-tête and not nue-tête since tête is a feminine noun?
This is the core rule for nu: when it comes before a noun, it is invariable (it doesn't change gender or number) and is connected with a hyphen. If it were placed after the noun, it would act like a normal adjective and agree: la tête nue.
If the subject were plural (ils), would nu-tête become plural?
No, it remains exactly the same. When nu- is placed before the noun, the entire hyphenated phrase acts as an invariable expression. Whether it is one person or a group, they are all nu-tête (bareheaded).
In English it's "listens to", so why isn't there a preposition like à after écoute?
The French verb écouter inherently means "to listen to". It takes a direct object, so you don't need to add a preposition. Saying il écoute au mantra is a common direct-translation mistake for English speakers.
Why is se détendre reflexive here rather than just détendre?
When a person relaxes, French requires the reflexive form se détendre (literally "to relax oneself"). The non-reflexive verb détendre is only used when you are relaxing or loosening a specific physical object, like a muscle or a rope.

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