A smart yoga mat that leads users through routines and offers real-time feedback is set to launch on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo next week (October 1).

The SmartMat communicates with users' smartphones or tablet computers to give them visual and verbal feedback to perfect their positioning and balance, allowing them to practise without an instructor.

The feedback is based on sensors that measure weight distribution and positioning, and is tailored to individual users after an initial calibration. The mat can recognise "almost every yoga pose", according to its designers.

As consumers are increasingly overwhelmed with a sense of busyness (see Battling Busyness for more), practices such as mindfulness, meditation and yoga are turning into multibillion-dollar industries. Americans spend $10.7bn annually on yoga classes and equipment, according to a 2012 study by Sports Marketing Surveys, the global sports research firm.

For more on how consumers have shifted their focus to personal wellness, see Reflect & Contemplate, part of our Balanced Values Macro Trend.