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If you're holidaying at a cold destination to escape the sweltering heat, try this cool exercise form.

The summer vacation translates to snow-clad mountains for many people. Enjoying the cold while getting into various asanas is picking up as a hot fitness trend. Just when you begin to assume that yoga is boring, done-to-death and has exhausted all the other expansion opportunities like naked yoga, hot yoga, dog yoga, paddleboard yoga and floating or anti-gravity yoga, along comes snow yoga . For Indians, it is not new as our yogis have been doing it since hundreds of years in the Himalayas. Now, there are holiday destinations (for snow sports) abroad that are offering snowga. And a typical snowga class has people wearing snow-friendly footwear and clothes that protect them in freezing temperatures as they hike up to a spot in the hills. This trek acts as the much-needed warm-up, which is followed with yoga postures.

What is it?

Globally, snow yoga or snowga is about practicing yoga asanas or postures on the snow and it is often combined along with snow sports like skiing and snowshoeing. The fact that snowga is definitely more challenging than the traditional yoga done in the confines of fitness studios and gyms, is what seems to be one of the reasons for its presence on various social media platforms. The strong, cold winds atop hills, uneven snow-covered grounds and, of course, the temperature there — all add to the challenge.

Heat should be induced in the body

Yoga professional Dr Amrapali Patil says, "People like new trends and it is good to see that through snowga, yoga remains in the foreground. Snowga involves asanas that induce heat, so there are positions that deal with the surya nadi — Suryanamaskar, recitations — Surya mantra, pranayam — Surya bhedan, and mudra — Shankha mudra. When doing snowga, one should concentrate on the manipur chakra or solar plexus or the nadi. This can induce heat in the body."

Snowga poses you could try

Fitness trainer Asif Shaikh says, "Some of the snowga poses could be Utthita hasta padangusthasana (extended hand to toe), Tadasana (mountain pose), Virabhadrasana (warrior pose) Utkatasana (chair pose) and Garudasana (eagle pose)." Experts reiterate that one has to be thoroughly warm before doing these poses and never attempt to do them barefoot on the snow. Some photosharing website have pictures of people doing yoga poses barefoot, but that is a strict no-no, unless it is for a photo op that lasts a few seconds only. Not wearing proper footwear and warm clothes could prove to be perilous, warn experts.

Breathing exercises you could do on snow-clad mountains

When enjoying snow capped mountainous regions this vacation, you could try doing some breathing exercises. Asif says, "As we are at high altitude and the air there is at its purest best, it is ideal to perform some breathing exercises." Exercises you could try...

- Kumbaka pranayama (breathing retention )

- Kapal bhati (skull shining breath)

- Surya bhedan pranayama (single nostril breathing)

Benefits of Snowga

- It strengthens your immunity and increases vitality.

- "Practising yoga in the cold is immensely challenging as it is tough to hold muscles and balance them. This increases your core strength," says Asif.

- It helps you appreciate and enjoy the invigorating fresh air of the snow-clad mountains where you are vacationing (whether in North India or abroad).

- The mindfulness achieved in natural, quiet surroundings, is much more than you would in a closed yoga studio or fitness centre.

- When you are in proper snow gear and do the yoga postures perfectly, your summer vacations to snow-clad mountains can mean much more.

Beware...

- It is risky to practice snowga without qualified instructors.

- Experts reiterate that it is essential to wear warm clothes in order to really benefit from snowga.

- Never indulge in snowga barefoot and without a thorough warm up.

- Losing body heat when out in the open could lead to nerves and organs getting stressed, which may mean inflammation and muscle tensions etc.Read more at:short formal dresses