Yoga on Ice: A New Way to Chill Out

Participants don't mind the low temperatures.

Forget hot yoga — yoga on ice is the latest unique trend of the ancient practice.

As temperatures dipped below -15 degrees Celsius in Canada Sunday morning, about a dozen people were seen sitting outside on ice during a yoga class at Winnipeg's FortWhyte Alive nature centre.

The 45-minute class was on the frozen lake at the center. The group bundled up in layers on their mats.

Yoga teacher Ashley Bourgeois called the weather "pretty sweet."

“We'll be able to sit and enjoy in meditation,” Bourgeois said. “If it's colder, we tend to do a lot more muscle-building, heat-building work.”

Participants say it’s fun to hear the cracking of the ice during the yoga session. Apparently, the cold doesn’t bother them too much.

“I checked the forecast last night too and went, 'Do you know it's supposed to snow and be really windy?' But that's OK, we're dressed for it. We'll be good,” participant Corrina Derewianchuk said of the class.

In recent years, yoga classes have continued to become more diverse, from goat yoga, to karaoke yoga and even yoga raves.

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