Let's Yoga!

Back to the main review

What’s the Story?

LET'S YOGA! is an application for the Nintendo DS that teaches people about yoga, a series of poses and breathing techniques originating in India that are designed to exercise the body and mind. Players can participate in five increasingly difficult classes to master the basics of yoga under the tutelage of Master Yogi. An animated female model demonstrates correct posture and a sliding meter indicates when to breathe in and out.

Once players have mastered the basics they can check out the Yoga Course section. Here they'll find My Yoga, which allows them to create their own yoga workout by choosing a series of poses; Short Set, a workout that allows them to focus on one specific area like Restful Sleep, Energize Your Eyes, or Boost Your Motivation; and Chair Yoga, a series of exercises designed to be performed while sitting in a chair. The Pose List is a great feature that lets you examine specific yoga poses in more detail. Players will receive tips on how to perform the move properly can see which muscle groups the exercise is meant to isolate. There's also Random Yoga where the program will create a 10 to 60 minute workout, and a calendar that keeps track of workouts and points you've earned in the areas of energy, flexibility, and balance.

Is It Any Good?

Let's Yoga! offers more than 80 different poses, an eclectic soundtrack of Indian music, and heaps of helpful advice and instruction -- a significant portion of which is provided in voice-over as well as text. One of the most helpful features is the ability to pause an exercise at any time and use the DS stylus to rotate the model 360 degrees. Nothing will ever beat going to a real yoga class, of course, but Let's Yoga! is a good substitute to take out on the road or to provide a solid introduction to the world of yoga.