Beginner and the Wii Fit

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

Thanks to the wii fit, I have included yoga in my morning routine. From the little I have read, there appear to be many facets to yoga whose specifics currently elude me.

The principle behind the fit is that by measuring weight distribution, the console can evaluate your center of mass, your balance, and so on.

The yoga segment on the fit, goes through a cursory introduction on the stance, and how to perform it, however, I find the introduction to the pose lacking.

I would like to know if there are any tips you could offer or how-to that I could be pointed towards for the poses I am currently practicing. More stances will be available as I put in more ‘yoga time’ on the fit.

The following stances / techniques are currently available to me:

deep breathing, half moon, warrior, tree, sun salutation, palm tree, chair, triangle, and I believe it is called standing leg curl (stand on one leg, holding the other leg with both hands, bringing the leg in during inhale).

Cheers :slight_smile:

#2

Can you imagine the complaints we going to read about now!

I am glad that you have added yoga to your routine, but please a programme cannot replace the invaluable input, knwoledge and wisdom of a properly trained teacher.

#3

I’m the “yoga chick” at work and people are always coming into my office telling me about wii fit and the yoga poses. What exactly is palm tree pose? hehe

I think it’s a great start to the practice and if you are very interested, I suggest definitely going to a class!

#4

[quote=thechemist;12346]Hi,

Thanks to the wii fit, I have included yoga in my morning routine. From the little I have read, there appear to be many facets to yoga whose specifics currently elude me.

Cheers :)[/quote]

I’m sure there are many, like me, who would luv to say that aside from a 4 letter similarity, wii fit yoga and yoga are not related.

That it has brought you to the awareness and the door of yoga, is a good thing. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Yoga is a forest of experiences and ideas to be explored, which to me (others may feel differently), is primarily centered within myself. Exploring that forest means my attention is within me, and from there I look outward.
Movements without ideas, without relationships, without the ‘self’ is not even close to what yoga can be.

I believe that once you truly look for yoga, in yourself, you’ll find the wii to be a foreign distraction, and not related at all.

…bon voyage on your search…

namast

#5

I have a Wii Fit and I do “real” yoga…there are crossovers. The principles are quite different. There’s no “competition” in yoga and in Wii, as in any game, there is a sense of competition against yourself. Training to increase your stats, etc. Yoga in “real life” is self-improvement of a subtler variety, to me. Wii Fit’s yoga is just for fun, but if it became my true yoga practice, I’d be right back to exercise bulimia as I’d obsess over doing “better” (as I do a bit with Wii Sports where your “fitness age” is calculated and can go up or down in a given day). I still like it as a game.

But it’s fun that it is bringing yoga to more public consciousness. Can it be a bad thing for people to get curious about a practice like yoga? Aside from the potential of doing something incorrectly and hurting themselves, I mean. Perhaps people will be drawn to learn more about the practice legitimately (as I believe the individual who began this thread was). I think if everybody took some yoga time in a day quality of life would be improved (in a world where we degrade our own quality of life with self-imposed stressors).

I love that there’s a video game platform that makes you move, period. Wii Sports blew my mind the first time I played it, and I think I totally annoyed my cousins (who are kids) who introduced me to it - I was bouncing all over the place playing tennis as if I was doing the real thing. They were much “cooler” simply flicking their wrists and I’m sure I came across quite a buffoon. But I love my Wii for an excuse to get moving in a fun way.

#6

Hi all…
I’m new to the forum and found this thread pretty interesting. I have a wii fit as all and have found that the yoga is fun, however, I have also taken yoga classes so I feel that with some of the poses I am doing them on my own without the competitive aspect.
Does any one have any specific yoga dvds they would suggest? I’m hoping to make yoga a much more prominent part of my life and am thinking that would be a good way to start.
Thanks in advance…

#7

Hi Lindsay,

While hard to find (I think they may have only been released on VHS), I recommend anything Randi Botnick has done - she has a tremendous voice, a very gentle and understanding style of instruction, and peppers just the right amount of information in. It’s not overwhelming even at the intermediate/advanced level, unlike some instructors she doesn’t interrupt your concentration constantly with information. She strikes the right balance. Her meditations are perfect, sometimes very moving.

I don’t think she makes videos anymore, I believe she’s gone on to be a therapist with emphasis on hypnosis - which is very apt given her skills. :slight_smile:

At any rate, you can find them online at my favourite video repository Yoga Learning Center - Yoga online video classes and instruction
You do have to pay but you can access dozens of videos, so many I haven’t made my way through even a small portion yet! Her stuff is on there, available online 24/7 whenever you want to do your practice. Ultimately a year’s subscription is cheaper for me than buying DVDs and I love that I can save the videos to my favourite practices and create a routine.

Another instructor with a great voice and extremely informative style, who has some nice meditations and helpful tips, is Kavita Maharaj. You can find some of her videos on YouTube or YogaYak.com | Yoga Classes Online, Meditation Classes Online & Pranayama Videos ~ Yoga Online Live and Interactive (some are free, but the full benefits of the site are for paid accounts, I haven’t registered an account there but I’m thinking about it). She is also affiliated with Red Door Yoga in Canada, who have an online quarterly Yoga 'zine that’s really great. I print it out and put it in a binder. Red Door Yoga Canada | Nanaimo Yoga Classes

Namaste!

#8

Hello Lindsay.

I recommend the DVD Patricia Walden has released for beginners.
Why? She provides foundational skills for asana which will last an attentive student a lifetime. That foundation can provide a framework of safe practice as it unfolds in your life.

#9

Although I haven’t used the Wii Fit yet, I found the [I]Let’s Yoga[/I] game for the Nintendo DS to be a pretty nifty little number. I wouldn’t sub it in for a real class, but they do a pretty good job telling you what to focus on and there are lots of different programs to set up.

Also, it could help out those of us that may feel slightly self-conscious or would like to get a little boost in self-esteem or coordination before beginning a class, (e.g. working out to build up fitness before joining a gym - you know someone who has!). That being said, you need to beware of the possibility of developing bad habits that need to be ‘unlearned’.