Laying on my yoga mat at the end of class in a blissful savasana, dimmed lights, completely surrendering into the moment with some Trevor Hall playing through the speakers… It is genuinely one of my favorite feelings in the world. I whole heartedly believe that music is therapeutic. It conveys feelings and emotions and times in our lives that we can’t put into words. It makes us smile, makes us cry and makes us feel deep inside. Music can take us back to a moment stored away in our past in a moment. It has the power to give us strength. Strength to let go. Strength to go on. Strength to find joy. Lyrics that tug at something deep inside each of us show us how much more we all are alike than different.
I find yoga and music to be such a beautiful combination because they’re both centered on releasing. While it’s true that yoga is a physical release, it is also a deep emotional release. In yoga, we move through postures that open our hips and our hearts, which release emotion and energy in the body. We release emotions through the breath, which allows us to release stuck energy, fear, stress, hurt and so much more. Each song has a different emotional effect on us. When we listen to music that we relate to intimately, as if it’s telling a part of our story, it releases emotions and evokes certain feelings. Artfully pairing yoga and music together can take your yoga practice to the next level, allowing you to let go of built up energy, fall into a deeper bliss and find a greater sense of clarity.
Getting out of your head
It’s important to note that traditional yoga wasn’t practiced with music; it was focused on the sound of the breath. I don’t think they had Spotify back then. 😉 I think simply moving with your breath is still a beautiful experience, and flowing with a room full of individuals moving to the sound of community breathing is truly an amazing experience. I enjoy practicing with music because it actually allows me to focus more on my practice. In the silence, my mind and anxiety tend to run wild. I know that spending time in silence teaches us to tune out the thoughts, but I prefer to save silence for meditation because I found that practicing yoga to music is a much more relaxing experience for me. I am able to be more present and in tune with my movement and breath. But always do what works for you! We’re all different.
Music is motivation
Have you ever made it to the gym just to realize you forgot your headphones? It’s painful. How am I supposed to make it through jump squats without Kendrick Lamar in my ear telling me to be humble?? It’s impossible. Okay setting the dramatics aside, although a yoga studio is a very different setting than a traditional gym, music still gives you that extra push to keep going. We may not be listening to some good ole gangster rap in yoga very often, but any type of music can give you that extra push you need to go further. Whether it’s Nahko’s loving tunes guiding you through your flow or a deep Lumineers song letting you melt a little deeper into pigeon or a hip opener, all music can challenge us, connect to something inside of us and let us surrender deeper into the moment.
Making playlists
I love, love, love making playlists for my yoga classes. Creating a #fire playlist gets me so energized to teach class. I love timing songs to my sequence, starting off with a slower song to relax my students into the space, moving to upbeat music to motivate them through a challenging flow and then closing class with some nice slower songs that tug right at the heart strings. Although I enjoy spending time creating my sequence, I have to admit I definitely spend more time on the playlist to make sure the timing and transitions are in alignment with the flow. 🙂 I sincerely mean it when I say that it is one of the best compliments when a student tells me they enjoyed my playlist. There’s something so magical about creating a playlist and sequence that are weaved together to create an experience in which you completely surrender your emotions and your focus to the present moment.
My Spotify
By now you’re like okay, girl, let’s see what ya got then! You can follow me on Spotify at morganstritz 🙂 I made all of my yoga tunes public as well as some other random playlists that I take songs from for yoga! Follow me, check them out and let me know what you think! I’m always creating new playlists and adding new songs. I should note that all of my playlists for hour long vinyasa classes are labeled C2_X. This is how I stay organized and keep track of my playlists that are timed to the classes I teach. I highly recommend you check those out first! I also have a general “yoga tunes” playlist full of songs that I will (or did) add to some of the C2 playlists.
If you have any awesome yoga jams or a killer Spotify account that I should follow, please leave a comment or DM me on Instagram! I’m always on the hunt for good music. Writing this post made me so happy. I know so many of you connect to music as deeply as I do, and I think it’s such a beautiful thing to share together. Yoga with good tunes is just the cherry on top. I encourage you to try different instructors so you can find a few with playlists that you love because I promise it makes the experience that much better. Thank you for taking the time to read this — time to go jam out!
x,
Morgan
