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For me, music is an integral part of teaching my classes. So I thought I would share my music for yoga classes. I remember the time I was taking a class and heard a really familiar tune, but I couldn’t place it. It seemed like a classical piece, but felt very contemporary. When I left class with my friend she asked the teacher, and he revealed that it was a string cover of Red Hot Chilli Peppers Under the Bridge. We thought it was brilliant. After that I started paying more attention to the music my teachers used in class. At another studio they used all traditional Indian music and mantras. One teacher I know uses very upbeat songs with lyrics, while another maintains that lyrics can draw students attention away from the moment.
Personally I have a few different playlists I use when I teach, which often lets my students know what kind of class it’s going to be before I even enter the room. I have a light and cheerful playlist with Vitamin String Quartet covers, (I stole the idea from the teacher that used Under the Bridge!) and lots of uptempo classic, or lyricless songs. Then I have a super mellow laidback playlist for the nights everyone is tired and ready to chill. I also have a playlist for meditation. When I personally practice I may use any of these, or a playlist with lyrics. I find that while I hate teaching to songs with lyrics in my personal practice they can be ok. Don’t ask me why, cause I haven’t figured it out yet!
Songs to start and end class with, super chill quiet pieces to foster a meditative state:
- Fading Out – Steven Goldmund
- Breathing Space – Sacred Earth
- Through the Clouds – Lotus
- Wake up Restored – Biqram
- Alene Uden Dig – Tosh Moller
- Weightless – Macaroni Union (My go to Savasana song)
- Risen – Primer Dia – (After Savasna when students are beginning to move)
Songs for an Upbeat energetic class:
- Cheap Thrills – Vitamin String Quartet
- Take Me to Church – Vitamin String Quartet
- My Neighbour Totoro – Vitamin String Quartet (Studio Ghibli soundtracks are perfect for Yoga!)
- Torimichi – Coddneck (Pretty upbeat, I only use this in the middle of class)
- Obito – Desanctus (Kind of a lofi song as opposed to classical)
- Stay With Me – Vitamin String Quartet
- Smyang Piano covers a lot of BTS songs that are beautiful for class like Best of Me, Run, and I’m Fine
- Young Dumb and Broke – Vitamin String Quartet
- We Move Lightly – Dustin O’Halloran
- Then the Quiet Explosion – Hammock
- Second Sun – City of the Sun
Songs for a very chill class:
- Om – Hippie Sabotage
- Fake Love – Lofi edit – Smyang Piano, tamagopalette
- Summertime Sadness – Vitamin String Quartet
- Safe and Sound – Vitamin String Quartet
- Black Swan – Smyang Piano
- Don’t Leave Me – Smyang Piano
- Home Again – Drala
- Saturn – Sleeping at Last (One of two exceptions I make for songs with lyrics.)
- Mysterium – Hammock
- Blue Jeans – Vitamin String Quartet
- Chandelier – Vitamin String Quartet
Meditation playlist:
- It Ends With Us – Steve Mokwebe
- Falling Forward – Trond Asker
- Levitate – Lost Wings
- Galina – LOVIS
- Mass – Matter and Energy
- Home – Joanna Vicente
- Between Moments – Rand Aldo
- Deep Thoughts – Danny Shamoun
- Giant – Oliver Evilo
- All Rivers – Static Garden
- Limoges – Primer Dia
- Afternoon Spirits – Cora Zea
- Rising – Wellness Portal
- Surrounded – atm0
- Reasons for Being – Deep Watch
- Divine – Tejal Yann
- Threads – Ebb & Flod
- The First Goodbye – Askjell
- The Flow – Ambient Version – Toledo Rains
Another story that I felt should be included, is the time I was teaching yoga to a hockey team of preteen boys. They were super excited! Not. So while planning my classes to try and keep them engaged and paying attention, I put together my music for the yoga class with mostly covers of songs I thought they would know. Then at the start of class I challenged them to name the covers as they played. Suprisingly enough they got a few of them including the cover of Summertime Saddness by Lana Del Ray!
This all goes to show that the music you play when teaching or practicing can have a huge effect on the class you teach. I try to start and end with very slow calm songs, and build to a peak about halfway through class with the more up tempo songs. I keep in mind what I want to teach and how I want students to feel when I pick my playlist for class. It helps me to hold space and create the vibe I want each class. I hope you enjoyed my music for yoga classes.