Let's Yoga: DIY workouts

Four days in and the first course is complete! The Naga class in Let's Yoga wrapped up with a simple review of the poses learned throughout, so instead of focusing on that, today we'll be exploring the extras available in Konami's training title. There are loads of options available beyond the basic lessons, including the ability to design your own workout.

After a look ahead at the beginning of the Krishna class, I must say that playing with the options looks a lot easier than what's in store, lesson-wise ... there are rough times in my future.



But it's not the time to dwell on muscle aches yet to come. From the main menu of Let's Yoga, a number of options are available. So far, we've focused on the Master's Lesson and the settings, but you can also access a guide that recaps some of the basics of yoga. We're headed into the other main option, however: Yoga Course.

From here, you can make Let's Yoga your own. Select between the following options:

• Short Set (several five minute exercises)
• Random Yoga (you set the time limit and difficulty, and Let's Yoga generates a workout)
• Chair Yoga (yoga you can do in a chair or at your desk)
• Pose List (really, it's a pose list)
• My Yoga (the best option of all!)

Most of these seem self-explanatory, but actually feature some surprising depth, particularly in My Yoga. Here, you can design ten separate workouts from the ground up, and Let's Yoga will walk you through them as it does with any other lesson. There are some poses that still seem to be locked, but not many, and you can even select poses not yet covered in the lessons.

The Pose List is just that -- a menu leading to each of the (unlocked) poses in the title, with the 360° rotatable view and tips on performing each movement, as well as a short clip walking through the movements. However, there's also a button labeled "make it easy." When pressed, it yields tips for "cheating," or easing into a pose. Might be useful once the Master's Lesson gets difficult!

Chair Yoga looks interesting, and very easy to explore with the DS, since it can be left open on a nearby desk while you work in a chair. The included pose list is short, but looks like enough to keep you going during a busy day when you just really need a break to stretch and wake yourself up:

• Chair Stretching pose
• Chair Forward Bend
• Chair Twisting pose
• Chair Full Boat pose
• Chair Half Lotus pose
• Chair Eye Relief pose

The best part of all of these options, however, is that they're easy to work with and set up, and then easy to use. I created a short workout (twelve minutes) as a test, and after working through the first five Master's Lessons, it was easy to design a set that flowed well and worked for me. I think I'll work through more of the Master's Lessons before I fiddle too much with that, however -- gotta unlock all those mystery poses!