Nintendo DS Review: Quick Yoga Training

This new yoga companion is personal and portable, but not really “quick”. Players get more than 180 poses and different camera angles (referred to as point change, not camera angle) – a possible target for player perversion due to some compromising stances motion captured and approved by Mai Hashimoto and the Swami Vivekananda’s Yoga Research Foundation.

The journey begins after confirming a special exercising agreement, then records are kept as players maneuver through daily power yoga, prescription yoga, free selection and practice logs. Players can read all the information in English or Sanskrit and search several challenging poses by posture and action. Information on specific details and benefits help players customize their experience. Actions can be added to the practice menu as lessons are learned. Eventually, players can make their own routines. Skip step and rewind/fast forward options are available…if you can touch the screen with the stylus while exercising.

Players have no real guidance or interactivity, plus constant glancing at the screen during these physical activities. Special voice features eliminate voice overs, but not the need for them. Players also use the microphone to check breathing techniques. The voice features should be helpful throughout the text heavy sets, viewable on both screens, but are not really practical unless you have a headset on. Even then players must move and perform the actual poses – a challenging task without trying to keep up with viewings (yes, the font is a bit small) and voice commands (a voice recognized “pause” would have been nice, but players can still touch the screen for one).

Other features show calories burned, also represented by food and special relaxation techniques to treat insomnia, ease worries, tired eyes, and clear that head. The tools mode includes quizzes, terms, search options (a great place to start), breathing practice and a physical test that determines “how old your body is”. Music (with limited options) and sound effects provide limited cues for breathing and progression.

This latest yoga video game training assistant does not really qualify as a game and furthers mild displeasure with inconvenient navigation and functionality. This companion could use several improvements and might be used initially in more private settings due to the occasionally confusing instruction and required close proximity. Find a reachable viewing spot even with your eye line, possibly even completing sets by posture (sitting, standing, laying down, etc.) so you can complete several at a time. Once past the considerable learning curve, this title provides a helpful portable yoga companion for players willing to invest the time.

Quick Yoga Training is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB.