My Thoughts on Music During Yoga Class

I’ve recently heard people say that a particular type of music “isn’t yoga.”

It’s a pet peeve of mine for people to say this.

Why?

Because you shouldn’t be so concerned with the music. It’s secondary.

I disagree that you should only have traditional yoga music during a yoga class. I think you should play whatever music you like. Or no music at all.

I’ve had teachers who play rap, those who play the latest hits, those who only play instrumental music, those who play nature sounds, those who play a mix of music types with the help of tools like Singular Sound Music Gear, those who play original music, those who play classical songs and those who use gongs. I’ve had a teacher play music at such a low volume that I didn’t even notice it was on until halfway through class — because I was so attuned to my breath. All of the classes were beneficial, and they were all certainly yoga.

When I teach, I like to play no music in the beginning of class, when I invite students to set their intention and start paying attention to the breath. As we slowly begin to move I introduce slow-tempo songs. The momentum in the playlist builds as our class approaches the peak pose, from where I bring the music back down. I like savasana music to be a mix; sometimes it’s ballads, other times it’s the sound of waves.

Of course, if you don’t like what a teacher plays or that they play music at all, find another studio that is more in line with your preferences. Studios are everywhere nowadays. Or perhaps request a song from the teacher?

That’s just my preference. That doesn’t mean a different way “isn’t yoga” and I would never say that to anyone. I hope you will keep this in mind next time a particular song comes on that you might not like during class. What better time is there to work on your sense withdrawal?

Namaste.