Patent Application
20100140868
The present invention refers to the teaching of yoga as a gymnastic or recreational discipline, especially for children, by using a kit to perform a didactical game.
Modern society has become aware of the importance of benefits obtained from yoga practice as a gymnastic discipline. Currently, yoga is considered as one of the most suitable ways through which it is possible to achieve tautness and stress relief, and its practice spreads gradually among the population.
Also, the belief that it is convenient to begin with the practice of said activity since childhood has been generalized, above all if considering that today's life tautness and stress begin to be felt since early ages. Besides learning to stretch, to breathe better and to relax, children who practice yoga intensify their power of concentration and enhance their body posture. This helps them to gradually dominate their bodies and minds. Since seven years old, they are able to practice the most frequent yoga postures.
Consequently, several ways of approaching the teaching of yoga in children have been designed, in order to ease learning and encourage to approach the different body postures, specially those most demanding.
One of the teaching methods used in children, for several activities, is the application of didactical games which makes use of their natural ludic tendency towards the development of learning methodologies.
Thus, numerous U.S. patents related to didactical games are known; e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,653, U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,473, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,905 for teaching basketball, or U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,781 for teaching speed concept, or several puzzle or memory games, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,527, U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,909 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,830 B1, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,556 B1.
Furthermore, a teaching yoga game was disclosed in the published Application Number US 2007/0057460 A1, which reveals a yoga game comprising a surface or matting for games which is big enough so as to hold a person, with a diversity of printed illustrations showing body postures, a pack of playing cards with images and text printed, related to body postures and a device such as a “roulette” to sum other actions randomly to the postures or numbers in order to displace towards the game surface.
None of the above-mentioned documents discloses or even suggests the association, for a game development, of ludic material together with a requirement of physical skill, and demonstration of theoretical knowledge about the gymnastic or sportive discipline, and about human body, health and hygiene, particularly by means of answers to specific questions related to the subject.
Additionally, none of said documents considers, nor it is derived from them, the possibility of directly linking the game situations with a teaching book, instructions, and printed material containing the discipline object of the teaching.
Consequently, there is still a necessity to have new yoga teaching methods, especially for children, which are pleasant, raise interest, and familiarize, and get them into the habit of using bibliographical material for reference and learning.
The present invention is intended to satisfy said necessity through a game which permits to provide the initial practice of yoga a strong instructive sense, being at the same time ludic.
Consequently, the present invention refers to a kit for didactical game, for yoga teaching as a gymnastic discipline, and to a game method for teaching using said kit.
The kit of the invention comprises a plurality of packs of playing cards or cards with printed human figures in the different postures corresponding to said gymnastic discipline, an inscription with the name of said posture, a reference number, and optionally an indicative sign of the posture lateral symmetry, i.e. postures which should be performed twice, towards each of the sides. Each one of the packs is distinguished by a corresponding color on the back of the playing cards or cards. The kit of the invention also comprises a pack of playing cards or cards containing each a printed question about said gymnastic discipline or about human health, anatomy, physiology and hygiene aspects, and its corresponding correct answer, distinguishing said pack by its corresponding color on the back of the playing cards or cards. The kit of the invention also comprises a playing surface which comprises in printed form, a plurality of pathways, made up each one by a succession of boxes from a start box to a finish box, being each of the boxes colored with an identical color to the distinctive colors of the packs, and being the boxes colors distributed irregularly throughout the pathways. The kit of the invention also comprises a plurality of markers, which comprise pieces to identify each one of the players on said board, and a random numbers generator device together with a teaching instructions book of said gymnastic discipline which comprises written instructions and illustrations for the implementation of said postures of said gymnastic discipline, being its pages or its explanations numbered according to said playing cards or cards reference numbers of said plurality of packs.
The invention also refers to a game method which employs the mentioned kit for yoga teaching as a gymnastic discipline.
In contrast to the above mentioned state-of-art documents, the present invention has achieved to combine in a single yoga teaching method, as a gymnastic discipline, the learning of body postures through its practical development, together with the theoretical learning through the answer of questions which require conceptual answers, both about the gymnastic discipline and also the human health, anatomy, physiology and hygiene in general, and together with the creation of a habit or custom of consulting teaching material printed with written texts, and illustrative figures. All of these educational activities are made up within a pleasant and motivating framework, in the form of a game consisting essentially of a board, cards, markers, a teaching instructions book for the gymnastic discipline, and a random numbers generator device.
This teaching methodology can be an extremely useful tool in those areas where it is necessary or convenient to impart yoga knowledge, for example at school, in the bosom of the family, or within institutions related to health.
Consequently, the present invention comprises in a general way a kit for didactical game, for teaching of yoga as a gymnastic discipline, comprising:
In an embodiment of the invention, said human figures are individual figures.
In another embodiment of the invention, said human figures are group figures.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said indicative sign of the posture lateral symmetry is a horizontal double arrow. This sign indicates that the posture should be performed twice, towards both sides.
In a still preferred embodiment of the invention, said correct answer is within a list of possible answers to said question, such as “multiple choice”.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said playing surface comprises a folding tabletop game.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said random numbers generator device is a set of one or several dices.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, said random numbers generator device is a spinning device such as roulette or teetotum.
In still another preferred embodiment of the invention, said random numbers generator device is an electronic device.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the instructions book exhibits the pages or explanations numbered according to said reference number contained in said playing cards or cards, which enables an immediate access to specific instructions about the posture to be performed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a didactical game method for teaching yoga as a gymnastic discipline, comprising:
An aspect which differentiates fundamentally between this aspect of the invention and the above-mentioned documents, in particular in the game methodology, lies in that the game participants of the present invention have no a single path to arrive to the final box but they are able to choose among different options which lead to that box; in addition to choosing the beginning box from where they will begin to play.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention, it is envisaged the incorporation of a game coordinator, who is not participating as a player but as a guide and instructor.
On stages (f), and (g) already mentioned, the coordinator checks the correctness of the postures developed while performing the teaching from the instructions book, and also checks the correctness of the answers given to the questions of the corresponding playing cards.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the game ends with an additional stage in which all of participants perform a joint activity referred to as “Sun Salutation”, which consists of the continuous performance of a series of exercises in a dynamic way.
The invention will be described now in a more detailed manner, and by way of example based on the attached figures, which show several preferred embodiments of same, which shall be construed as an illustration only, and in any way as limiting of the scope of the present invention.
In order to illustrate the invention even in a more detailed way, it is hereinafter provided, only with illustrative purposes, an example of a preferred embodiment of the kit, and that of the didactical game method for teaching yoga of the present invention, referencing to the described figures.
Composition of the kit of the present embodiment example: a tabletop game 3 of
Game Development: The game objective is to move along the board paths achieving the goals arising from the cards, until arriving at the final box, referred to as OM. The first participant to arrive to that final box will be the winner, and the game is over.
Before starting the game, the board 3 is placed in position, the playing cards and cards packs are placed facing down, and each participant chooses a token (marker) which is placed on some of the Beginning boxes 53 of the External Path 51.
In a game arrangement, a coordinator is designed, preferably an adult or another person who is not participating in the game, and who will guide the participants for them to properly perform the postures, referred to as asanas, with the aid of the instructions book. The presence of the coordinator is optional, and in another game arrangement, the participants can play alone.
In a preferred form, the youngest participant is the first one to start, who throws the dice, and moves forward his/her token by the External Path 51, in a clockwise direction as many boxes as the dice indicates. Then he/she picks up a card of the box color where the token arrived, and performs the activity indicated on it.
If it is a card of the pack containing the questions, it is handed in to the coordinator who reads the question in a loud voice, and the possible answers listing. The correct answer will be highlighted in bold or capital letters.
If it is a card of the packs containing postures, the participant must mimic the posture (asana) indicated under the coordinator's supervision, who consults the detailed sequence in the instructions book. Once the posture is achieved the participant must remain performing it during 15 seconds.
In case the number of players is greater than four, they will participate as a team, and not individually, thus all the team members should perform the posture at the same time. The proof will be considered passed provided that all the members have achieved the goal.
If the proof is passed by the participant, he/she will remain in that box; if it is not, he/she comes back to the box where he/she was before throwing the dice, and waits for his/her next turn.
The participant being on the left continues the turn, and so on.
If a participant's token (marker) falls in some other box 53 referred to as Beginning, he/she remains in said box, and does not perform any activity until his/her next turn.
If all the cards were used, and the game continues, they are given a new shuffle, and placed once again facing down.
In the pathway there are three boxes 56 referred to as Group Box through which the participants must pass mandatorily to be able to access to the next stage (Internal Path). To reach a Group box 56 it is not necessary to obtain the exact number with the dice, it is enough to get out the same or a greater number.
When a participant reaches or passes by a Group box 56, he/she places his/her token in this box, and gets out a card with the color corresponding to the group activities postures; all of the players must perform at the same time the indicated activity on it. Once the exercise is finished he/she must retain the card.
All of the group exercises are performed in pairs. If there are an odd number of players, the participant who has no pair waits seated while the rest perform the exercise. Then, they will alternate during the rest of the cards, so that everyone had to wait only once.
In order to access to the Internal Path 52, and be able to get nearer to the final box OM 57, the participant must have obtained the three cards with group exercises, and have reached to some of the Jump 55 boxes in the External Path 51. In case of falling on some Jump 55 box in the External Path before having obtained the three cards with group exercises, the participant remains in the box without performing any other activity until his/her next turn.
In order to reach a Jump 55 box in the External Path 51 it is not necessary to get the exact number with the dice, it is enough to get out the same or a greater number. Once in the box, the participant gives the three cards to the coordinator, places his/her token in the corresponding Jump 55 box in the Internal Path 52, and waits for his/her next turn.
In the Internal Path 52 the participant is able to move in any direction, but he/she can not move forward, and move backward in the same game turn. At this stage, the participants continue achieving the goals indicated on the cards.
In order to get to the OM 57 box the participant must get the exact number with the dice. Otherwise, he/she continues moving his/her token by the Internal Path 52 boxes until obtaining the exact number.
The first participant who arrives to the OM 57 box will be the winner. As a final activity, all the players must perform the exercise: “Sun Salutation” obtaining the explanation which lies on the instructions book, and the game is over.
Having thus described and illustrated the present invention, various modifications, and variations based on the present invention and on the common knowledge in the technique will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Among these said variations, it is considered the possible application of the kit, and game method for teaching other gymnastic or sportive disciplines which involve the exercising of predetermined postures or poses. Also, there are being envisaged embodiments of the game, and methods of the game performed in an electronic way, with videogame softwares, which display, e.g. images of a virtual board in a screen, of virtual playing cards or cards, and of teaching texts in a virtual way. All of said modifications, and variations will fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| P 2008 01 05296 | Dec 2008 | AR | national |
