Wii Fit Yoga

"The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more."
      - Liza Ciano

Believe it or not, yoga offers many more benefits than just a good, easy stretch and increased flexibility. According to WebMD¹, practicing yoga can lower your blood pressure, improve lung capacity, help with posture, and even increase muscle tone. Its benefits have also been linked to stress reduction, mood improvement, and relief of symptoms from asthma, back pain and arthritis. All of these benefits are available, in the privacy and comfort of your home, on the Wii console. And since it's an interactive game, Wii Fit keeps players interested, which keeps them working out.

Wii Fit Yoga Benefits

• Fitness for Everyone: No matter your age or fitness level, the Wii offers a relaxing yoga experience for you.
• Comfort, Privacy and Value: There are no monthly fees to use the Wii, so it will save a bundle over the gym. And you'll get to enjoy your fun workout program in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
• Health Benefits: Yoga can help to improve your breathing, flexibility, and even some health conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
• Quick and Easy to Get Started: With the quick start guide and the on-screen instructions, it's quick and easy to get started.
• Exercise Correctly: The Balance Board will allow your game to provide helpful feedback to ensure you perform the poses safely and correctly.
• Lots of Yoga: With 18 different poses on Wii Fit Plus and several other games focused entirely on yoga, there are plenty of customizable routines to help you achieve your fitness, cardio and weight loss goals.

Fitness in a fun and interactive setting

Exercise games are very different from a class at the gym or even a workout DVD. On the Wii console, a player isn't just copying what somebody is doing - they're actually interacting with their virtual trainer and with the environment. Players will experience different settings and scenery, play games, compete in activities, and even receive tips and motivation, all while working out and burning calories. It hardly feels like you're exercising at all when your playing a Wii fitness game.

Beginners welcome

The Nintendo Wii and its unique capabilities for home fitness enables anyone to learn and enjoy yoga, no matter their age or skill level. That's right – even those who've never attended a yoga class will be able to perform the yoga poses correctly and safely. Why?

Start out gently and easily. Wii Fit Plus, the most popular fitness game on the Wii, begins by teaching four basic yoga poses as a gentle introduction, only teaching more as your skill level increases. Just perform the motions to your comfort level and enjoy the healthy benefits that follow.

Exercise safely and correctly. With the Wii console and the Balance Board, players will not only be following an on-screen instructor, but the game will also track center of balance and weight distribution. That makes it easy for small corrections in balance and posture to ensure the actions are being performed safely and correctly.

Any age, fitness level and health condition

Yoga isn't just for healthy adults. Kids and seniors, no matter their fitness level, can benefit from yoga, even if it's just starting out with the most basic pose. And yoga is known to help individuals with many different health conditions, including anxiety, asthma, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, and osteoporosis².

Save time and money

Another major benefit of yoga on the Wii is the value and convenience. A Wii console is a one-time fee, so there aren't any monthly gym membership dues or any fees to personal trainers, saving money. And since the Wii is plugged into a television, anyone can enjoy the benefits of fitness and relaxation in the comfort and privacy of your their home.

The helpful Balance Board

It just takes a small step to get on the Wii Balance Board and start a yoga fitness program. The Balance Board is required for Wii Fit Plus and is used in specific exercises on other Wii fitness games. It also has the ability to track a player's balance and posture and enables the on-screen trainer to provide helpful feedback during the routine. There's no running or jumping involved – all yoga movements on the Balance Board are controlled, low impact motions that promote weight loss, cardiovascular health and flexibility.

Choices in your workout

Wii Fit Plus offers a great introduction to yoga, with 18 different poses to experience. Wii Fit Plus is also a complete workout, with customized programs covering aerobics, cardio, strength training, and balance exercises. But if you're looking for a more "yoga focused" game, there are several great choices for you. NewU Mind Body Yoga & Pilates Workout offers more poses that are demonstrated by actual personal trainers, as opposed to the virtual characters on most Wii fitness games. Other games such as My Fitness Coach and Fit in Six offer a full yoga experience with a celebrity as your guide. There's a yoga game to fit your tastes and requirements.

How to get started

All that's needed to get started with a relaxing yoga regimen is a Nintendo Wii console, a fitness game that includes yoga exercises, and potentially a Wii Balance Board, depending on the game's requirements.