Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Yoga Playlists, Music that Feeds My Soul, and Supporting the Artists

I have to say that my favorite music for yoga practice is silence.

That said, I humbly (wink) consider myself a master of the art of creating yoga playlists. I'm going to share with you a list of some of my favorite albums that I draw from in making my playlists, as this is something that has been requested of me many times over the years. I'm so lazy I'm just getting around to it now. Before I get into that, here's a few things to consider about music in yoga classes.

  • Are you a yoga teacher or a DJ? It's all about personal preference, but if I'm in a yoga class where the music is eclipsing my entire reality and drowning out the teacher, my breath and my sanity with a thumping bass and English lyrics that seem to have no relation to the dharma talk the teacher gave in the beginning of class I'm going to.... what? What am I going to do about it? Probably nothing. I'll probably just finish the class, get in my car and blast Beyonce all the way home, and then sit at my harmonium and chant. To me, there's a time for blasting pop music, and a time for yoga practice. I generally prefer music that evokes a sense of connection to the tradition of yoga when I'm on my mat, or no music. Ok and I'll add that that every now and then I go to a packed, sweaty, dimly lit class where the teacher is rocking my world with Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Joe Cocker.... and I LOVE it. But it tends to steal my attention.
  • Are you aware of the current legal issues around the use of music in yoga classes? You might want to read this. Go ahead. I'll wait. It's important.
  • While we're on the subject of musicians getting paid for their work—you should know that streaming services like Spotify and Pandora can be a massively unfair ripoff for indie artists. That kirtan artist you love so much probably spent upwards of $20,000 to record their last album, and will very likely never recoup that through streaming. Possible, but don't count on it (read this to learn more about how streaming services work out for artists). If you want to support indie artists, buy a physical CD or download the music from whichever service the artist links to on their website. And go see them live! Remember live music? It's awesome! 
Ok so below are some of my favorite albums to draw from in creating yoga playlists. Enjoy! 


photo by Niranjan Vaidya
Vinyasa / Flow / Power

Benjy Wertheimer & John de Kadt - One River
Chakrini - Songs of the Soul
Craig Pruess - Temple of Spice, Language of Love
Debashish Battacharya - Madeira
Kiran Ahluwalia - Common Ground, Stillness
Shantala - Jaya
Ananda Rasa Kirtan - Mulani
Mantra Lounge - Mantra Lounge
Kirtaniyas - Heart & Soul
Maria Gadu - Maria Gadu
Nada Sadhana & Kevin Courtney - Brooklyn Sessions, Vol. 1
DJ Drez - Jahta Beat: Chanting with Tigers
Donna deLory - Sanctuary
Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits - Ten Million Moons
The Hanumen - The Hanumen
Jai Uttal - Return to Shiva Station
Business Class Refugees - No Stranger Here
John de Kadt - Rhythms of the Infinite
Karnamrita - Dasi: Prayers By Women
MaMuse - Integration of the Awkward
Prema Hara - Tears of Love, Ocean of Grace
Rasa - Devotion
Rising Appalachia - Filthy Dirty South
Shubha Mudgal - Great Saints of India
Tina Malia - The Silent Awakening 
Tina Malia & Shimshai - Jaya Bhagavan
Tinariwen - Tassili
Transglobal Underground - The Stone Turntable
Trevor Hall - Trevor Hall, Everything Everytime Everywhere
Wah! - Greatest Yoga Music Ever



Gentle / Yin / Restorative / Shavasana

Choying Drolma & Steve Tibbetts — Selwa and Cho
Manose — Dhyana Aman and Epiphany
Benjy Wertheimer - Soul of the Esraj
Benjy Wertheimer & David Michael - Within
Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach - Loveland
Carrie Grossman - Soma-Bandhu
Chinmaya Dunster - Meditation Ragas
Chuck Jonkey - Tibetan Singing Bowls
Dechen Shak-Dagsay - A Call for World Peace, Universal Healing Power of Tibetan Mantras
Mandala - Healing Ragas
Wah! Savasana
Stevin McNamara - Shanti Guitar
Jean -Philippe Rykiel & Lama Gyurme  - The Lama's Chants
Krishna Das - Door of Faith
Snatam Kaur - Light of the Naam: Morning Chants
Jai Jagdeesh - Of Heaven & Earth



What are your favorites?

Check out http://www.yogi-tunes.com to discover more good music to inspire your practice.