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Fooled Swedes sign up for 'cold yoga classes'

Oliver Gee
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
Fooled Swedes sign up for 'cold yoga classes'
A frozen yogi, not a frozen yoghurt. Screengrab: Sats

VIDEO: Nordic gym chain Sats wowed the Swedish public on Tuesday with their April Fools' offer of "cold yoga" - a mind and body experience undertaken in sub-zero temperatures. The clip had wannabe cold yogis calling to sign up.

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"The latest research shows that if you lower the room temperature by a few degrees then you increase your metabolism," the gym chain wrote in a statement, published together with a video (below). 
 
In the video, a handful of frozen Swedes carry out yoga poses such as downward dog as icy breath escapes their lips. Their faces are noticeably red and frost-rimmed as they perform the moves. Sats added that in winter, participants were welcome to enjoy the exercise outdoors.
 
As the video surfaced online, a handful of calls from would-be cold yoga practitioners came in, asking for information on how to book a class.
 
One of the actors is Sats instructor Fredrik Sjöberg, who told The Local this year's video played with "an extreme idea" but was based on a sliver of science.
 
"Some research shows a person's metabolism increases with a simple drop from 17C to 14C," he said.
 
But the shivers and suffering were all made up. 
 
"For the make up we just went to the kids store down the road and bought some cheap make-up, and our producer added a filter. He also added the breathing effects." 
 
"We're really bad actors, we shouldn't quit our day jobs, it was actually 24C in the room."
 
Sjöberg added that cold yoga, however, wouldn't be a good idea for the human body.
 
"To do yoga when it's very, very cold would put your body in absolute stress. I don't think you'd enjoy it very much and it'd have the opposite effect of what you were trying to achieve. You wouldn't be strong or flexible at all, neither mentally or physically."
 
Sjöberg adds that the spoof was also a comment on the trend of hot and warm yoga, off shoots of Bikram, where participants drip with sweat in heated rooms.
 
The video was also released in Finland and Norway, where Sats also has gyms.
 
 

Last year's gag:

 

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