Interactive Yoga

Using an on body sensor based motion capture system, the performer practices a series of Asanas while generating Interactive Sound.
The system (EnYoga) classifies the Asanas and calculates the body dynamics while builts up a memory based on a posture recognition algorithm.
The project was realized during a workshop with the professional Yoga instructor Gesa Piper, in Edinburgh, March, 2010


There were six types of Asanas defined by the posture of the spine which were classified automatically:

Deep Bend: A deep bend of the spine which defines an angle of
less than 30° angle with the feet
Gamma: This is a range of postures with a folded spine.
Standing: The pose is performed with a straight spine 
Forward Lean: A pose with the feet  horizontal, and the spine
bent forwards from horizontal to an almost vertical position. 
Back Bend: A challenging range of standing postures with the
spine bent backwards to define an arch
Arch: A specific type of back-bend where the body forms an arch 
Twisted: The spine is twisted either to the left or to the right

   


Three main categories of balance challenging postures were recognised in software using the classification algorithm. The one in which the hips are the lowest part of the body touching the ground,  followed by balancing on one leg, and finally a position in which the lowest points of the hands are lower relative to the lowest points of the two feet.

Practicing Yoga while controlling real-time interactive media was a study of the intimate relations between the body and a Whole Body Interactive system. Away from the performance stage this work led to new findings and alternative methodologies for music composition and the connection between action and interactive responses.


EnYoga by Lympouridis Vangelis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at inter-axions.blogspot.com.