Deepak Chopra's 'Leela' heading to 360 and Wii this November, isn't quite a game
THQ and Deepak Chopra are finally building out that lucrative partnership they agreed on late last year, with an announcement this week detailing 'Leela' as the first product to come from the collaboration. Rather than task players with games based on Chopra's teachings -- said to be based on "mind-body healing" -- Leela intends to send you on "a ground-breaking journey of mind and body" when it arrives on November 8 for Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360.
"But what's the game part?" you ask. "A ground-breaking journey of mind and body where you have to race friends to nirvana, perhaps?" Not quite.
Leela instead "combines physical activity and meditation to create a fully immersive experience" says the press release. Okay, still confused. What do you actually do with this interactive ... thing? "Chakra-based meditations" are the only actual actions named on the product's "key features" list, and that only applies to the Kinect-enabled 360 version. So, it seems that this is essentially an application to help assist people in chilling out, via Deepak Chopra and his teachings.
Luckily, we found this preview of the game with the Associated Press: "Seven different interactive exercises based on the seven 'chakras,' the points along the body that Chopra says serve as energy centers, task players with moving their bodies to control graphics onscreen set to a soothing soundtrack ... the root chakra exercise, for example, directs players to tilt their hips to seed a virtual planet."Color us ... intrigued.%Gallery-128689%
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Deepak Chopra
Product Description:
Brand Overview:
Deepak Chopra, MD world renowned expert on mind-body healing and bestselling author, collaborates with THQ on a unique interactive experience inspired by the ancient system of chakras - the body's seven energy centers through which the life force flows - and invites players to achieve a peaceful and focused "flow state."
Game Overview:
Leela is Sanskrit for "pastime", "sport" or "play". Deepak Chopra's Leela is a ground-breaking journey of mind and body that combines ancient relaxation and meditation techniques with the seamless technology of Wii. Leela uniquely combines physical activity and meditation to create a fully immersive experience infused with stunning landscapes and captivating sound-scapes to help instill a sense of focus and rejuvenation.
Key Features:
• Groundbreaking. Deepak Chopra's Leela uniquely combines physical activity and meditation to create a fully immersive experience using game consoles.
• Controller-free. On Kinect, Leela allows players to utilize full-body gestures to relax the entire body.
• Chakra-based meditation. Through seven movements, users can focus their attention on specific parts of their bodies to relax and develop a "flow state."
• Stillness in motion. In the "Stillness Meditation" tradition, the Kinect measures players' breathing and provides gentle feedback and encouragement.
• Connected. On Kinect, users can create a personal mandala (an artistic expression of an individual's essence and focal point for meditation) and share it on Facebook.
• Personal. Deepak Chopra's Leela utilizes the player's own abilities to help cultivate a healthier, harmonious and more balanced life.
