How I Create an Embodied Playlist for my Yoga Practice
Music ideas for your yoga class
Hi! I’m a part time yoga teacher who loves being inspired by music, rhythm and movement through yoga. Creating playlists for my yoga classes in the past felt daunting to say the least. Through practice and learning from Mary Beth LaRue, I have discovered a process that makes the playlist creation process so much more fun! Let me break it down for you!
First you should pick a platform for your music. I personally enjoy Spotify. There is also Apple Music, and I believe Amazon has a music service. Once you have a platform picked out, you can begin to make playlists!
When you think of a yoga class, you have the warm up, the heat building sequence, and the cool down. Three main sections of a yoga class. You can break your class playlist down in a similar method with 1. Warm up music, 2. Heat building sequence, and 3. Cool down. So simple right! Let me break down these 3 sections for you further with tips on how I create my yoga sequence with the music.
“Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”
Section 1 | The Warm Up
For my classes, the warm up includes an introduction, along with a breath work practice to calm the mind and come into the present moment. For this section I choose calm, chill music with no lyrics. This is the part of class where the mind quiets down and we focus on the breath.
Section 2 | Main Sequence
Get ready to flow! Music in this section can have more of a steady, slightly quicker beat then section one. You can incorporate lyrics or not, your choice. Sync the movement of the practice with the rhythm of the music.
Section 3 | Cool Down
At this part of class, think super slow and chill music with no lyrics. The cool down is really nice to incorporate yin elements, think longer holds on poses and eventually finish in final resting pose, savasana.
There you have it! Have fun creating your inspiring playlist for your yoga practice! For some inspiration check out a recent playlist on Spotify.
