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A fun, easy way to enjoy a little yoga!
I'm a yoga instructor (also teach Pilates) and while this is no replacement for a live class or teacher, it is a really cute, fun game! I was very skeptical of how it was going to describe/demo the poses and practices, but I must say I am very pleased. The little avatar actually demonstrates the poses (as well as how to get in and out of them) quite safely, plus there is a lot of good detail. There is even an option to explore the poses individually in even more detail, rotating the avatar using the stylus in order to see it from any angle. The vocal guidance is nicely descriptive without being too repetitive, and the narrator's voice is very neutral and pleasant. I love how they guide your breath with both the use of sound and a very light growing/shrinking mandala. I've found everything about it very relaxing and fun!
Some drawbacks that keep it from being a 5-star game: it does not offer any modifications or easier/harder versions of poses, which almost every student will need for at least a few poses. I can understand why this would be difficult to build into a game like this, but that's one of the reasons that it's best to start with a live teacher. For the short practices, rather than flowing from one pose into the other it always goes back to the starting position - I understand this from a programming perspective as well, but it's still a slight drawback. The only other thing I must mention is that some of the practice titles and descriptions are almost comical, which I can only attribute to it having been translated from the original game in Japanese. What the heck is a "yoggy" anyway? LOL! That said, they still offer asana names in English AND Sanskrit which is pretty helpful and useful.
While longer practices are very effective, the game's MANY options for short practices (some as short as 3 minutes) allow you to squeeze in a little peace and yoga into any break you have in your day. There are even several options for Chair Yoga to do at your desk! After all, any yoga is better than no yoga! Who couldn't afford to spend 3 minutes to get more relaxed and clear-minded during the day?
It is not perfect nor is it a comprehensive way to learn all there is to know about yoga, but for the price and the format it is MUCH better than I expected. Highly recommended for casual and hardcore yoga fans!
Great Solution for On-Bus, Waiting Room and Other Spots
If you're interested in learning more about yoga, or simply stretching and relaxing, Let's Yoga definitely is software worth owning. From chair stretches to step by step lessons, there's something for everyone here.
You get to customize your "guide" with a variety of hair styles, outfits, colors and signal shapes. There are numerous ways to then use the software.
Starting with the simple, there are a few chair poses that you can do on the bus, in your office, anywhere! They are great stretches and moves that help you stay limber.
Next there is an area of quick "problem solving" poses, broken up into body, mind and beauty. They are relatively brief 3-5 minute combinations of poses. You choose a topic - for example helping swollen feet, or easing cramps, or fighting stress. The system then provides a series of poses to help you with that issue.
You can even ask for random poses to meet a given criteria (raise flexibility) and see what happens!
One of my favorite parts is the area where you make your own combinations. You can draw from every single part of the yoga library. You can put together a stress-free relaxation set, a high intensity workout, or anything in between.
If you're new to yoga, their poses area goes step by step through each pose. You can zoom in and out on the video, back up, pause. You can get easier ways to do the pose, and tips on how to do it well. They even show which muscles are helped by the pose.
Once you're ready with the basics, there is a multi part class laid out. For each stage of the class you get a lesson and then a series of poses to practice.
There is a wealth of great information here, but there are some down sides. First, the inherent problem is the small DS screen. You're trying to do poses that involve standing, sitting, and lying down. All the while you're trying to peer at this tiny screen to see what to do. A DVD does a MUCH better job in this regard. However, for all the times you're not somewhere that you have a DVD available, this is certainly an OK option. You just need to watch it a few times so you know what she's doing, rather than having to try to hold and watch your DS while you move.
Next, the speaker goes rather rapidly through the moves. You are told to kneel, then instantly to move into plank, then instantly to move into another pose. It is hard to keep up. In most yoga progressions they are smooth and orderly. The pace is quick, and the dialogue is clipped. There is a pause button - but the chance of grabbing it easily while doing poses is slim. They could have used much better pacing on this.
There are written words which also guide you through the lessons, but sometimes they cover up what the woman is doing, so it's a mixed benefit.
The manual is impressively thorough in a world where most manuals are a four-page warning about flashing lights. That being said, they do a paragraph of English, then one of French, the one of English and so on. You have to hopscotch your way through the instructions.
Still, all being said, it's great at what it can offer. Like I said, if you are waiting in line, or hanging out at a doctor's office, or stuck on a bus or train, this can be perfect. Anywhere that there isn't a DVD available, and you had no other option, this is certainly a good fallback.
So to summarize, make sure you have some DVDs for actual working out. But as a stop-gap for other times, this game works nicely.
Great supplement to Wi Fit
It took the Wii Fit to finally get me re interested in Yoga. I tried a few Yoga classes when I was in college but decided to concentrate my efforts into a more hard core martial arts workout. Stupid me, I could have done both and been all the better for it. Still, after being becoming somewhat more adept at the 15 Yoga poses in Wii fit, I felt I needed more and the inexpensive Let's Yoga cart did the trick.
I love Wii Fit Yoga but Let's Yoga really adds so much more to the Yoga experience. Wii Fit is a pretty good (but small) comprehensive warm up but "Let's Yoga would be like the real class. I would imagine a typical Yoga class might cost somewhere in the range of 10 to 25 dollars for one session. Just about the cost of the Let's Yoga cart. Imagine, you could do Let's Yoga for a few weeks and become familiar with a lot of the Yoga poses. And then when you are ready for an in person classroom instructor, you will not be lost with all the poses.
The Lets Yoga instructor is also pretty good about explaining how to get into the poses. The cart even allows you to stop the session and reposition the instructor to view the pose from different angles. There is even a place in the cart that explains (and shows) all the various Yoga moves on the cart and even offers options for getting into the pose. And unlike the Wii Fit you can even design your own Yoga Workout.
An absolutely terrific exercise cart. And a must have for any traveler when you can't always rely on a gym in the hotel or nearby.
Price: $74.88
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