Smart Yoga Pro is a great app for anyone who wants their personal 2010 to be more balanced and fulfilling than 2009. It is available from Migital in Ovi Store for $4.99.

Whether you are new to Yoga or need some help renewing your practice, putting this app in your pocket is a great way to start the year. I have been practicing and teaching yoga for a decade or so, but business pressures have encroached on my personal practice during the last year or two. One of my goals for 2010 is a more consistent personal practice, and Smart Yoga Pro is part of that renewal. I tested it on my Nokia N97.

When first encountering Smart Yoga Pro, I suspect most people will go directly to the section Learn Yoga, where the app introduces the budding yogi to some postures. The app offers a “common” collection of postures, plus collections for Adults, Kids, Seniors, and Pregnant Women.

Yoga postures are collected for different types of yogis.

Each posture is presented as a series of diagrams. Here is the sequence for Cat Posture:

Each posture is presented as a series of images along with text describing the benefits and techniques for the posture.

I suggest the beginning yogi start by understanding the instructions for proper alignment. Alignment is critical to obtain the full benefit of the poses and to avoid injury. This pose requires the proper alignment of hips and legs and the proper rotation for the shoulders.

Moving deeper in your yoga practice, experience the relationship of breath to body. You will notice the instructions discuss when to inhale and when to exhale during the posture. How you move your breath in a pose is more important than how far into a pose you are capable of stretching. As humans exhale, our pulse slows, our blood pressure drops, and the level of stress hormones decreases. As we inhale the opposite occurs. Think about your reaction if you see a child dart into traffic – you instinctively draw in your breath and become tense. When an adult retrieves the childe safely, you exhale and relax. The same connection between invigorating inhale and calming exhale is part of your yoga practice.

Also notice in the instructions suggestions for “gaze”, or where to look during different portions of a posture. Bringing discipline to your gaze brings focus to your practice. A gaze that darts around the room indicates a mind that is not totally engaged with the practice. Calming the gaze calms the mind.

Easy Access

There is a welcome absence of intimidating terms in Smart Yoga Pro. In most yoga texts and classes the instructor uses specific names for each posture – such as Bidalasana for Cat Posture. Using common names is easier for beginners. I notice the screen shots in Ovi Store show the technical names in parentheses, but the edition I downloaded for my Nokia N97 eliminated the terms. I think that’s a move in the right direction.

To continue moving deeper into Yoga, check out The History of Yoga section in the app. It includes sections on the Vedic, Classical, and Modern periods of yoga. I highly recommend at least a quick read for an introduction to Yoga as a practice that transcends to pursuit of pretzel postures. The app’s Classical description includes an introduction to the eight limbs of yoga, including Asana (physical practice) and Pranayama (breath control).

Postures are just the beginning. The Eight Limbs of Yoga include non-violence, breath control, and other disciplines.

The description of Yoga Type also provides a glimpse at the richness of yoga pathways, including Hatha Yoga (the yoga of postures with which we are familiar), Raja Yoga (the Yoga of Self-Control), and Tantra Yoga (the Yoga of Rituals).

Room for Improvement

I like the app and expect I will continue to refer to it for a month or so as I enter this New Year. There are some improvements, though, that I wish the developers would consider.

• The first is the presentation form. The app is designed as a content package that is accessed via the developer’s reader interface. However, the interface consumes about 40% of the screen, which leaves too little space to present detailed illustrations.
• The app also makes no mention of cautions, at least none I encountered. The physical practice of Yoga is a wonderful benefit for most people, but not all postures are appropriate for all people. Inversions such as the common downward facing dog may not be a good idea for people with high blood pressure. Many postures are not recommended for people with comprised knees.

But those suggestions are minor quibbles. Smart Yoga Pro is a great way to begin or renew your practice. If what you read in the app appeals to you, here are my suggestions for developing a practice that will transform your life:

• Listen to your body. If something hurts, you are probably not doing it correctly. Be particularly sensitive to any pain in joints.
• Find a teacher. This time of year most yoga studios are offering great deals for exploring yogis. There are as many teaching styles are there are teachers, so if you don’t click in your first class, try another one.
• Open yourself to more. I began my yoga path as a pure physical technique to enhance range of motion. Over the years my practice has grown to feel more like movement as metaphor.

Namaste.