All-In Yoga HD for iPad Review

The iPad is quickly establishing itself as more than a simple media consumption device -- more than just a viewing/listening device for movies, books and music. Some developers are beginning to see the potential for the iPad as an actual teaching device, one that can interact and grow with students as they develop skills. All-In Yoga HD is part of this new vanguard of apps. It is not without a few minor issues, but it does show how the iPad can improve on the standard book or even video approach for teaching a skill.

Opening the All-In Yoga app presents users with a small, simple number of options. You can look at the pose base, a composite encyclopedia of all available yoga poses in the app, or the "My Programs" section, which allows you to choose from several ready-made yoga routines (ranging from beginners to advance/guru) or design your own based upon your own needs. Once you have selected or created a program, you can save it and run it at any time.

When you start a yoga program, you have the option of having pose instructions spoken, playing background music (currently limited to in-app music - no integration with your iTunes library at this point) and even having pose videos play in some cases. Each pose is timed and will automatically proceed to the next after the assigned time passes.

Once you have completed a yoga routine/program, the calendar on the home screen marks the date of your yoga, the time you spent in the routine, and which routine you worked through. This is a handy feature for anyone wishing to track their development as a yoga student and a great inclusion in the app.

If there is one nit to pick with All-In Yoga HD (and, thankfully, there seems to be only this one), it's that it is severely gender-biased towards women. Everything, from the app icon to the background screens in-app, is pink with flowers everywhere. The poses are all performed by women, though, strangely, the audio instructions are spoken by a man. I'm not proposing that the developer have a male version and a female version - just a more gender neutral app. I'm sure there are many men (myself included) who practice yoga and would like to feel included in an app as strong and useful as this.

All-In Yoga HD is an impressive app for anyone interested in beginning a yoga routine or growing further as a yoga student. Gender bias aside, it is a fantastic app, and one that shows the potential of the iPad as a teaching/learning device.