Pranayama review

We all need to stop and take a deep breath in our frenetic lives, and Saagara LLC’s iPhone app, Pranayama, can help with that. Pranayama is in fact a form of yoga that involves the act and control of breathing, something that we take for granted and overlook. Many people believe that breathing correctly can be relaxing and bring more energy and focus; read up on more health benefits under the Instructions tab. You should also read the How-To page to find out how to breathe properly.

There are four different breathing stages in Pranayama: inhalation, retention of internal breath, exhalation, and retention of external breath. Tap Begin to bring up the exercise selection screen. After choosing a level, choose a breathing pattern (for instance, 1:2 means that you’d spend twice as much time exhaling than inhaling) and a count for the length of each stage (a count of 2 for the 1:2 pattern means inhaling for two counts and exhaling for four)–beginners should start slow and easy and work their way up to the next breathing patterns. Tap on Options to set the type of music and animation you’d like to breath to, as well as the amount of time you’d like to practice Pranayama. The music cues each stage of breathing while the animations help you visualize your breathing. The dial shows the relative length of each stage, whereas the anatomical view of the human body shows you what’s happening while you are properly breathing. Tap the start button to begin your exercises.

The Pranayama app is gorgeously designed: the anatomical animation alone is one of the best uses for app graphics out there. Everything about this iPhone app is devised to help the user be more healthy, from helpful musical cues to keeping count for you, so that you can focus on your technique. This simple (almost effortless) concept, combined with the latest technology, is perfect for those who feel like they’re constantly on the go–all you need is this iPhone app, and you don’t even have to look at the screen to practice. And at the holiday sale price, it’s more than worth it if you get results.

Here is a video demo of the Pranayama app on the iPhone

AppSafari review of Pranayama was written by Julie Guan on December 26th, 2009 and categorized under App Store, Health, Utilities. Page viewed 8995 times, 3 so far today. Need help on using these apps? Please read the Help Page.