Strike a pose and become a yogic genius with just one app. Anna Hunter discovers Pocket Yoga
The ideal antidote to stressful, deskbound days, expensive gym classes and fitness DVD fatigue, Pocket Yoga is your wise and highly flexible guru on the go. Developed with the world-renowned School of Gaia Flow, this enlightening app can guide you through 27 different yoga sessions, all tailored to different practices, difficulty levels and durations.
Whether you're starting the day with an energetic thirty-minute blast or switching off with a more relaxed hour-long ritual, Pocket Yoga's detailed voice and visual instructions will guide you through every pose and position. The soothing instructor will even tell you when to breathe, so that you can concentrate on more important things like getting your feet up by your ears.
The app is simply yet beautifully designed, with a bendy cartoon yogi acting as your visual guide through the moves. Whether you choose an 'Ocean' background for cardio work, a 'Mountain' panorama for power or a 'Desert' scene for detox and flexibility, the app certainly promotes inner peace.
You can get into the flow accompanied by a peaceful, default soundtrack or alternatively you can play music from your own library (drum and bass playlist best avoided). To achieve a truly zen state, you can also turn off voice instructions and musical accompaniments altogether.
A dictionary of yoga poses features over 150 illustrated images with Sanskrit to English translations and assigned difficulty levels, so that you don't run before you can walk and get yourself in a bit of a tangle. The app will help you work your way to vinyasa nirvana though, as it logs all of your previous yoga sessions to track your progress and promote consistency. And if squinting at your screen while in Downward Dog is stretching your eyes a bit, you can also follow the sessions on a larger TV screen by connecting it wirelessly via Apple TV or using AV cables.
Oh, and did we mention that Miranda Kerr loves it? We would bend over backwards to achieve anything resembling her angelic frame; daily Pocket Yoga is our new mantra.
Pocket Yoga is £1.99 for iPhone and iPad, £1.89 for Android. Available from the Apple App Store .