Canadian body-positive yogi does yoga in the snow

A Canadian yoga enthusiast is spreading messages of self-love and body positivity with her popular Instagram page — and she doesn’t even let snow get in the way of her mission.

Vanessa, who goes by @gypsyyogalove on the social media platform, calls yoga ‘my art, my passion, my practice.’ But her page isn’t just about promoting the flexible, meditative discipline. 

It’s also about embracing different body types. She embraces her own by dressing however she feels most comfortable — which is often in bodysuits, belly-baring sports bras, and short shots. In fact, she even sticks to minimal clothing when she’s doing yoga outside on top of a pile of snow.

Snow bunny: Vanessa, who goes by @gypsyyogalove on Instagram, is a yoga enthusiant

Shiver and pose! She does yoga outside year-round, snapping beautiful photos

Shiver and pose! She does yoga outside year-round, snapping beautiful photos

Freezing! She also wears skin-baring clothing year-round, even going barefoot in the snow

Freezing! She also wears skin-baring clothing year-round, even going barefoot in the snow

Free: She opts for short shorts, bikini bottoms, bodysuits, and crop tops

Free: She opts for short shorts, bikini bottoms, bodysuits, and crop tops

Typical outfit: She said she wears shorts all year so she is just used to it

Typical outfit: She said she wears shorts all year so she is just used to it

Yoga performed in the snow isn’t actually a new phenomenon — in fact, fans have dubbed the practice ‘snowga’.

But Vanessa mixes her snowga (which isn’t the only type of yoga she practices) with a self-love message, which she drives home in her photo captions.

for most of her pictures, she takes on different yoga poses somewhere in the outdoors. She is usually wearing skin-baring clothing, opting for short shorts, bikini bottoms, sports bras, crop tops, leggings, and bodysuits.

Sometimes she is in thongs, which she occasionally accessorizes with leg warmers.

But she keeps up this wardrobe even when there are several inches of snow on the ground, and poses for pictures that could make a person shiver just by looking at them.

Vanessa explained that she often gets asked about keeping this up.

She said she is constantly being asked about how she manages in the freezing weather

She said she is constantly being asked about how she manages in the freezing weather

She also wears heavier clothing out to the shoot and puts it back on when she is done

She also wears heavier clothing out to the shoot and puts it back on when she is done

No big deal: She brings hot tea as well, but says she is used to the weather

No big deal: She brings hot tea as well, but says she is used to the weather

'I love to get creative and the weather isn't something that will stop me,' she said

‘I love to get creative and the weather isn’t something that will stop me,’ she said

 Vanessa is also big on spreading messages of body acceptance and body positivity

 Vanessa is also big on spreading messages of body acceptance and body positivity

She has been faced with cruel comments from strangers on the internet

She has been faced with cruel comments from strangers on the internet

‘Many of you keep asking how I do these snowga shots if I’m cold,’ she wrote this winter. ‘Well there is snow on the ground, so its certainly not as warm as I’d like out. But its always warm given the time of year when I do go out to shoot.’

She said she always brings some sort of hot liquid to drink while she is outside, and she layers more appropriate winter clothes on top. She takes it off for the pictures, but can always put it back on quickly when she is done. 

‘I make the best of the weather that is around me,’ she said.

She’s also quite comfortable with a chill outside. She explained, ‘I have always been in a place where winter arrives, so I am used to the changes in temperature. 

‘One thing I do is I always wear shorts year-round. I think this helps me a lot with adapting to the weather changes. I just dress as I would, I don’t start adding a bunch of layers or staying huddled under a blanket.

She said she has not always loved her body but she does now, and yoga has helped

She said she has not always loved her body but she does now, and yoga has helped

She often uses a mat and doesn't actually do yoga directly on the snow

She often uses a mat and doesn’t actually do yoga directly on the snow

'We are all built differently. I love this about us,' she wrote

‘We are all built differently. I love this about us,’ she wrote

'My upper body is strong and fairly well toned. My lower body has always been on the bigger side. And I love that,' she added 

‘My upper body is strong and fairly well toned. My lower body has always been on the bigger side. And I love that,’ she added 

She said she eats healthy and has accepted that she will never be 'thin'

She said she eats healthy and has accepted that she will never be ‘thin’

Her empowering page has attracted thousands of fans

Her empowering page has attracted thousands of fans

‘I also only do a couple photos per outing. I dress properly when I go out to do this so I can cover back up easily,’ she went on. ‘So its not super difficult, at least for me.’

She added: ‘I love to get creative and the weather isn’t something that will stop me.’

It won’t stop her from spreading her message about body positivity, either. 

‘We are all built differently. I love this about us,’ she wrote in December. ‘We are all shaped in our own way. A way that is beautiful and unique.

‘I have never been thin. My upper body is strong and fairly well toned. My lower body has always been on the bigger side. And I love that,’ she added. ‘I didn’t used to. Hell, I would diet like you wouldn’t believe, trying to make my lower body thinner. It never worked.’

Now, she eats healthy, including lots of fruits and vegetables, and her body naturally looks the way that it does.

She also shared photos of herself doing snow yoga last year

She also shared photos of herself doing snow yoga last year

'I love my curves. I love all the pieces of me,' she said

‘I love my curves. I love all the pieces of me,’ she said

‘I get comments about my weight, and it’s more shocking that people can even remotely think it’s appropriate to comment something like that on someone else’s page. Calling them “fucking whale,” and “thick”… It’s disgusting to see and read, others having no respect or compassion for others.

‘I could do cardio everyday, restrict my calories, and be miserable trying to be a certain shape. Or I can eat healthy, do my asana practice, walk around all the places I love to go to shoot photos, and be happy. I choose happiness.’

She said that yoga has ‘helped me love my body, and every piece I deemed a flaw.’

‘I love my curves. I love all the pieces of me. I tell myself these daily, because the power of thought is one of our greatest tools and gifts,’ she wrote. ‘What you think, what vibe you put out there, is what you attract.

‘So if you want chance, start with how you think. Tell yourself you are amazing, you are a goddess. Tell your self how much love yourself. Put out positive vibes. Only think about what you want, and the good things. The power of thought is insanely powerful. Use it.’



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