Go outside yoga box with wintry ‘snowga’ classes
MONTREAL — If you think achieving the yogi’s perfect balance and inner peace is already hard enough hard, just try it with frozen toes.
But on Saturday morning, when people were more likely to be waking up over a leisurely cup of coffee, dozens of men and women were plunking yoga mats into the footdeep snow of Montreal’s La Fontaine Park to do just that.
They were taking part in “snowga” — outdoor yoga classes that have been increasingly popping up at ski hills, parks and outdoor carnivals across the U.S. and Canada.
While Montreal’s free weekly lessons have been going on for five years, demand has skyrocketed this winter, with classes regularly drawing in between 50 and 65 people, according to instructor Melissa Ciampanelli.
The 45-minute program consists of a sampling of active poses designed to keep participants warm and give them a taste of what yoga is all about.
If yoga evokes a mental image of an Instagram-worthy pose performed by a woman in perfect spandex outfits, snowga is more likely to involve awkwardly toppling over in a bulky snowsuit, which Ciampanelli said is all part of the fun. “We’re all here in a spirit of non-competition, it’s not a hot yoga class where there’s mirrors everywhere and everyone’s serious and striking a very straight pose,” she said.
Outdoor yoga does have its limits, she said, since flexibility is limited by cold and some moves can’t be performed properly without an even surface. But while the classes are more about fun than serious practice, she said the movements are strenuous enough that participants don’t really get cold until temperatures reach near -20 C, when classes only run to 30 minutes.
Even some Canadian ski hills are embracing the practice. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, for instance, occasionally offers skiers and snowboarders the chance to step out of their bindings and perform a few sun salutations at the summit, led by snowboarder and yoga instructor Jessica Pyper.
She said she adapts her classes to the cold by focusing on standing poses and ensuring her students don’t force a stretch too quickly. And while yoga helps to limber up and relax tight muscles, Pyper said it’s the mental workout that provides the most benefit to active skiers and snowboarders.
But sometimes, she said, people just want to take in some beautiful winter scenery while they’re doing it.
“The view from the top is amazing,” Pyper said.