Music and Yoga

I was at a Hatha yoga class yesterday and the stereo wasn't working so we did the class without music. The teacher apologized for the lack of music but I have to say that I didn't miss it. That's not to say that I don't enjoy practicing to music, but it was a nice change. I used to go to a Scaravelli class with Joanne Royce and she did not use music for the class. It may be that it suits a traditional Hatha class better than a flow class. 

One of my favourite yoga moments was at the end of a class taught by Lori at Yoga Source. As we prepared to go into the focus posture, headstand, Lori changed the music from soft flowing yoga music to Elvis Presley. I can't remember what song it was but I still remember that moment. Totally lightened the mood. It's hard to take yourself seriously when you are doing a headstand to Elvis. 

I have recently picked up music by Jesse Ohe who plays a bamboo flute, which has a nice earthy sound although there are a number of songs on the album that incorporate the sound of running water which I don't tend to use during class. I also sometimes use Jack Johnson, not typical music for a yoga class but it works for some classes. 

Some of the music that I use in my classes:

• Gandalf (described on his website as "painter of musical landscapes") http://www.gandalf.at
• Mike Rowland http://www.mikerowland.co.uk
• Lagoon West
• Nawang Khechog, Tibetan meditation music 
• Rasa Shajan
• Jesse Ohe

Then there’s the non-traditional yoga music that I sometimes use like:

• Jack Johnson
• Jann Arden
• various artists for Svasanna like Leonard Cohen, Canadian Tenors, Bruno Mars

I'd love to hear about your experiences. Do you listen to music while you practice? What is your favourite music to use when you practice yoga? Do you have a particular memory related to music? 


*I updated this post to make it easier to read!