BC Business
At this time of year most people are busily trying to fulfill resolutions by reviving regular exercise programs. And many are failing. But a new app for the yoga chain Yyoga turns that routine into a game in which friends help each other stay on the righteous path.
So when is the hard work of regular yoga practice not hard work?
When it’s a game, of course.
And regular yoga practice becomes a game on an iPhone app created a month ago by Terry McBride’s rapidly expanding Yyoga chain.
Unlike most apps, the Yyoga app is a social portal in which Yyoga enthusiasts can take part in challenges with friends and play games that lead to rewards. At the same time, they maintain a regular yoga routine and so gain the benefits that come with that.
“A game is inherently social,” explains McBride who launched the app in November and updated it by mid-December.
“It engages you and changes what you are doing and how you do it. When you do things with friends, you are more likely to continue doing them.”
McBride says he saw other yoga-based apps but didn’t like them because they were “just schedulers”. So he had an app created that was then pushed out to his friends for testing.
It immediately went social with users commenting on it and offering suggestions to make it better. Their suggestions were included in a version that came out last month.
“It was done in coalition with customers,” McBride said. “It’s intuitive, and all businesses are going that way.
“It’s the sandbox versus the beach approach.”