Creating a Yoga Playlist for Your At-Home Practice
Written by Gabrielle Rosa
Music is a form of yoga. Nada Yoga is the yoga of sound. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” meaning to unite and nada translates to the flow of sound. Therefore, Nada Yoga literally means union through sound. This union refers to your inner and outer world through sound vibrations.
Music can be a beneficial element to your at-home practice. It can support your mental and physical flow as well as directing your energy and attention inward toward the heart and the mind. To begin creating your yoga playlist, start listening to music with intention. Observe how the music in different yoga classes with different teachers affects you and your practice. If the teacher is comfortable sharing their music with you, collect artists and songs you connect with from their playlist.
The goal of incorporating music into your practice is to create a harmonious atmosphere that follows the intensity of your flow. A good starting point is instrumental or ambient music on Apple Music of Spotify. Other resources that can help construct an at-home practice playlist are Yoga Download, and Meditation Music World.
My playlists usually begin with ambient music until I feel like I have had enough time to integrate my mind, body, and spirit on the mat.
Once you feel grounded, you can try Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists, listening to the radio, YouTube, or Pandora to find new songs and artists to add to your playlist. I also like to listen to Yoga Feels and Yoga & Meditation on Spotify to find new songs and artists.
If you already have your sequence mapped out, implement music that matches the intensity of your poses and overall flow. To do this, begin with calmer, more relaxing songs. As you get into more complex and challenging postures, strive to match the increase in energy by choosing faster-paced music. After you reach a peak, gradually bring the intensity back down to with soothing, peaceful music, ultimately ending with more ambient music for Savasana. Try to create smooth transitions and avoid songs that drop off too quickly or change the tempo dramatically. Listen to the full length of a song before adding it to your playlist.
Play the music as you practice your sequence and observe how it makes you feel. What songs worked and what songs didn’t? Since this is your practice, you have the freedom to make adjustments as often as you like. For inspiration, I included a 60-minute sample playlist of my own.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7y2EO8qnhT8Ar92Jsn3Tkl?si=3glR4F3kTVm12NnCstmO1Q
Make sure to follow Fits4Yoga on Spotify for more yoga and meditation music
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