Increasing Exercise Capacity of Patients With Heart Failure by Wii Gaming

Substudy HF-WII PLUS MEDIYOGA In this substudy Medical Yoga will be tested in a randomized group next to the Wii and the control group in the HF-Wii study and therefore the substudy will be called HF-Wii plus MediYoga. In addition to the usual treatment and information about rehabilitation and daily activities for heart failure patients, this group will train a 60-minute yoga class twice a week. Patients will sit on chairs or yoga mats to perform yoga. Each patient will perform a total of 20-24 sessions over a 12-weeks period. A session will include 10 min warm-up and breathing exercises, 40 minutes of yoga postures and finally 10 min relaxation and meditation. At the end of each session, participants have the opportunity to discuss their experiences or questions. At the first visit, participants will receive a CD and a booklet with yoga postures and instructions. Patients are encouraged to train Medi Yoga at home with a target of one session a day. All yoga sessions will be conducted by a certified Medicare Yoga instructor.