Sunday, February 24, 2008

Yoga Music

Lately I've been practicing more and more on my own. I love going to classes, but there are benefits to practicing alone. Also, work has made it difficult to make it to the classes I like best.

Usually practicing on my own means doing so in silence - just listening to my breath as it guides me. But lately I've come across some great yoga music, so I thought I'd share.

1. The Cello Suites by Bach, performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

Whether you're a fan of classical music or not, Bach's cello suites are fantastic for your focus as you practice. Listening to them adds a certain seriousness to your yoga, which is great if you're in the mood for it. For me listening to them also reinforces the fact that yoga is - among other things - an art form, and a beautiful, elegant practice.

2. Anything by Barbara Morgenstern, but especially the album "Nichts Muss"

She's German, and the album title means, roughly, "Anything Goes." If you haven't heard of her - and chances are you haven't - it's because not much German music makes it to the US. Her music is a bit difficult to describe, and I always get confused when I try to categorize electronic music. Suffice it to say that it's a bit trancey, calming but complicated, but not too distracting for yoga. Also, if you don't speak German, the meaning of the words won't distract you. I sometimes like to listen to Bach for the first half of a session (standing poses) and Barbara Morgenstern for the second half (seated poses and meditation).

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing that! As a teacher, I am always on the search for new music.

Peace,

Kali

thespacebetweenllc.wordpress.com

Yoga With John said...

Namaste! I can't find Barbara Morgenstern in Itunes. Can you recommend a good place to check here tunes out? hmm, perhaps I should have checked amazon before writing... Great blog, take care

John

http://www.YogaWithJohn.com

YogaLia said...

Loved this...I've been on the lookout for good at-home practice music...lately I can't stop with the Nickel Creek (though it's a little distracting, it makes me smile with my whole bod-ay). The silence is good though...can be good...makes you realize how much the instruction in a studio class distracts you from internal chatter.

YogaLia said...

P.S. just realized you are writing from SF...you should check out the SF branch of Laughing Lotus (www.laughinglotus.com) and try to take a class with Jasmine or Dana or Keith. Your mind will be blown...

Kara Gott Warner said...

Thanks for sharing your ideas for music. I'm always looking for something to add a new dimension to my practice. I really love audio podcasts too. There are so many to choose from, so I never get bored!
-kara

Anonymous said...

Yes I agree I also liked practicing alone w/o music until I heard just the music I liked and it's the nose flute. A teacher played it during Bikram and it was raining outisde. There were no beginners in the class so the teacher did not talk and she did the postures along with us. It was perfect and the best yoga class I ever attended and the meditation was awesome!

budgetfitnesskauai.blogspot.com

AWR said...

I have been listening to Iron and Wine while practicing.
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Michelle said...

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