Despite their unquestionable convenience, at home workout have their limits. You don’t have direct access to the instructor or practice with your fellow students. And you certainly don’t understand the invisible The “vibe” of the third space so many of us crave. By entering the new frontier of virtual reality, companies are trying to create a whole new way to exercise in your own space, one that doesn’t make you miss out on the in-class experience. Instead, it creates a whole new vision of what the stay-at-home movement could look and feel like.
With the launch of its app on Meta Quest 3, Alo Yoga has bet big on the world of mixed reality—the word for the combination of physical and virtual worlds that exist inside these headsets. The Alo Moves app delivers virtual instructors right in your living room so you can complete 5 to 30 minute classes, including yoga, Pilatesor meditate—feels more immersive than your typical home workout class. Imagine a hologram of your favorite yoga instructor, where your coffee table should be, a backdrop of ocean paradise right behind them. This may sound like something out of a sci-fi movie but it’s very real and launches on VR headsets on October 10.
Eager to check out this virtual yoga studio for myself, I tried out the beta version of the Alo Moves app. To date, Meta has sold at least one million Meta Quest headsetss, but when I unboxed the device (which weighs about 18 ounces), I realized how unprepared I was for mixed reality. The process of learning how to turn on and navigate the virtual world reminded me of the first time I played with the iPhone 1 in 2007. The device felt foreign, vast, and new.
Finally, I called Magnopus, the group that Alo Moves partners with to get their teachers into the super field. The company has a team of Oscar-winning visual effects artists working together to “unite the physical and digital worlds.” The team got to work teaching me how to move through mixed reality, essentially mapping your environment (for example, your living room) before layering virtual elements on top of your physical reality .
It took some getting used to, but eventually, I felt comfortable enough in my new living environment to roll out my yoga mat and gather the blocks, bolsters, and yoga straps I always have on hand. I lined up for a yoga class taught by one of the brand’s top teachers, Ashley Galvin. She appeared before me, life-sized and wearing the company’s signature sleek tracksuit. While she doesn’t look “real,” she definitely feels more physically present than the 2D version of her I was used to seeing on my computer screen while training with Alo Moves. The ocean roared behind her, virtual waves crashing against the shore.
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Alo Moves and Magnopus developed these semi-immersive conditions using volumetric capture, which uses synchronized cameras to capture 3D views of landscapes or people. “This level of immersion fosters a deeper connection and provides a much clearer understanding of movement, especially for those who just started”.
As the 10-minute class began, I couldn’t stop thinking about the heft of Meta Quest 3. It felt heavy and unnatural on my head, especially in poses where gravity wasn’t a factor. is my friend—like a dog facing down and bending forward. The discomfort made me lose my sense of discomfort right then and there, but there were some advantages to enduring the strange feeling of the headphones.
First, Alo Moves introduced mini guides or miniature versions of Galvin that you can place next to your mat and rotate using hand tracking (a setting that lets you control experience with your hands instead of a controller) on Meta Quest 3. This means you can see the pose from any angle and adjust your own form accordingly, a great feature for beginners and seasoned yoga practitioners alike.
I also found that Meta Quest3 created a barrier between me and the “real world”. While this definitely made me feel a little disoriented at first, it worked to help me focus on yoga class, even though I was often distracted by dishes, laundry, and work while working out. education at home. It feels like I’m both in my own space Are not added to the advantages of this mixed reality experience.
As I took down the Meta Quest3, I kept thinking about what unstoppable mixed reality would look like when the headset was replaced by thin glasses or, better yet, contact lenses. Startup augmented reality brand Mojo Vision developed a prototype for the latter technology before ceasing research on it altogether after the company was unable to raise additional capital. However, it is possible that this technology will reach us sooner than we think.
As of now, headphone technology seems too cumbersome to replace my trips to the local studio or yoga sessions on my old laptop. Perhaps that will change once Alo Moves launches its full range of intensive classes later this year. For now, I’m sure AR natives who are used to the extra 18 ounces will love the opportunity to immerse themselves in a tropical yoga retreat transferred to their living room.
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