ThinkFun Yoga Cards Review

**Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

So I recently received yoga cards to try out.  I thought it was an interesting concept to turn yoga into a game. Why shouldn’t becoming physically fit be fun?  Wouldn’t more people do it if it was more play and less work?

So, I took these cards and decided it was time to give it a try.  Well, who is going to play a yoga game with me? My husband? Ha! My one year old? Nope.  Ah, yes – my reliable and active 4 year old who is also a ballerina!  She is, of course, in that phase of what are you doing and can I do it too?  Got to keep the wheels in those curious young minds going so why not let her join me and practice her core work too!

First off, let me explain the game per the manufacturer –

In the box is 48 cards with poses, 6 mission cards and 1 help card.  The goal is to be the first player to meet both goals listed on your mission card.  In the set up - each player takes 7 pose cards and 1 mission card.  The first person takes their first pose card and has the option to 1) play it and perform the pose for 10 seconds, 2) play the card in a “discard pile",  perform that pose for 10 seconds, or 3) discard one of the cards and take a new card to pose. The goal is to hold the pose successfully while meeting your goals set in the mission card. If you are not successful, you have to keep the card. If you are successful, you get to put the card in a personal “collection pile”.  The next player goes and has the same three options. It continues until someone successfully collects 7 cards in their “collection pile”.

Now – I will not lie, the directions are not as clear as I would have hoped.  Where the mission card and the pose join was not clear to me.  It is initially confusing so be ready to act it out, practice in a sense, to see how it works.  I think you have to completely play it as outlined to get the full effect. 

Since I did not like the mission aspect to the game - I had to modify it. The missions seemed to throw off the main set of directions, in my opinion. Maybe if the mission cards were a type of bonus challenge or alternative version, it may fit better. What we did is whatever card we picked, we had to hold that pose.  So we simply worked with the main instructions. Easy peasy from there!  Not exactly a challenging version, but something fun to play with my daughter. We enjoyed it because it was a quick physical game that we did together.

I think this type of game is very much aimed to those that need a different or new way to yoga; otherwise, it may not be your cup of tea.  I do believe this could be great way to introduce yoga to kids, to have kids be active for a period of time as they step away from electronics, or even for kids or adults to practice specific poses on their own time.  I find it hard to see a group of adults playing this game in their free time.  So if you are in the mood for a game with your yoga friends or with your kids, give it a shot and see how it goes! I think you will be pleasantly surprised how to incorporate it into your life.