http://www.weather.com/sports-rec/ski/snowga-yoga-snow-new-exercise-20140113.
Snowga (aka Snow-Yoga): Extreme Meditative
Sport?
By Miriam Rosen Published: Jan 15, 2014, 5:41 PM EST weather.com
Melding Yoga and Snow Sports
Yogachelan/Lynda Kennedy
A new fad exercise has arrived: "snowga." Luckily, the yoga trend can be practiced outside — even in the current icy temperatures. In
fact, it has to be practiced outside. In the snow. As for its name, much like the conjoining of names for celebrity couples Beniffer,
Brangelina, and the erstwhile TomKat, snowga is a combination of the words, "snow" and "yoga." The workout itself incorporates the
breathing techniques and poses of yoga within the framework of winter snow sports.
The exercise is mostly practiced in ski resort towns and at experimental yoga studios, with participants maintaining traction by wearing
snow shoes or skis while exercising. The snowga devotees limber up by performing classic yoga poses, such as "downward dog" or
"lotus," a move which asks them to sit planted firmly in the snow. There are also a few poses specifically suited for those beginner yogis
more likely to enjoy a day on the slopes than a day in meditation. Such poses include the "chair," a bent posture meant to simulate a
racing tuck in skiing. Another, the "mountain'' pose, calls for a straight back and a centered body over skis, with hands raised and
balanced.
(MORE: Get In Shape For Snow Sports)
The idea to combine snow sports and yoga came to Anne Anderson a few years ago, while she was working as a yoga instructor at the
ski resort, Mount Mohawk in Connecticut. She quickly turned her idea into a Facebook group, started teaching 90-minute lessons, and
amassed a modest following. Today, just four years later, the exercise technique has a Facebook page with 1,300 likes and a Twitter
handle with more than 2,000 followers.
The workout isn’t just a social media curiosity, though. Another outlet for snowga can be found in Chelan, Washington, at Yogachelan,
a yoga studio where snowga sessions, and other novel yoga classes, have been a fixture for the past six years. The move to
incorporate snowga was a natural one for owner Lynda Kennedy at her Chelan-based studio, where winter temperatures regularly drop
to 20.
Kennedy believes snowga goes beyond just aerobic benefit. She told Carol Pucci of TODAY, "What I want to do is bring yoga to people
who would not normally try yoga. If combining yoga with snowshoeing might make them try it, then that's what I'm working towards.''
(MORE: Developing Proper Ski and Snowboard Balance)
It seems Kennedy's efforts are not in vain. Julie Jean, a brave 65-year-old beginner from eastern Washington, had never tried yoga or
even snow sports when she first attempted snowga at Yogachelan. Still, during her first stab at it, Jean reported feeling comforted by
the snow. She told Carol Pucci of TODAY, “the snow is very forgiving. If you lose your balance on any of the moves, and topple over,
nobody gets injured.” Jean added, “It’s like doing an unplanned snow angel.”
Julie Jean's reaction, marked by a sense of comfort and ease, is just the way Lynda Kennedy wants it. Kennedy declares, "When the
body is balanced, we're better at what we do, no matter what we do."
Follow The Leader
Yogachelan/Lynda Kennedy
Kennedy, who's practiced yoga for nearly 45 years, stands in a sun pose as students look on and model their postures after her. Next
week, Yogachelan will be holding an event where participants will snowshoe through a local vineyard, do a yoga session among the
vines, and then enjoy a wine tasting together to celebrate the fruits of their labor.
Yogachelan Students at Echo Ridge
Yogachelan/Lynda Kennedy
Here, a group of Lynda Kennedy's students — all wearing snow shoes — stand before the beautiful Chelan, Washington backdrop in a
moment of peace. They are holding their hands in the yoga salutation, "Namaste."
Greeting the Sun
Yogachelan/Lynda Kennedy
Kennedy's group stands in another sun pose against the beautiful Echo Ridge mountain range. Kennedy says, "It's a geological
wonder," adding, "This is just such a beautiful place." Her main goal is to use the natural surroundings of the resort town she loves to
inject meaning into the yoga she teaches.
Side Plank
Yogachelan/Lynda Kennedy
Lynda Kennedy, who has lived in Chelan for seven years, says the snowy landscape is so inspiring that doing yoga there is simply
evolutionary. She mentions, "The thing that I really want is for people to just come see Chelan."