There are few things more healing or introspective than a good, long yoga session. The therapeutic effects of the movements open us up physically, and the meditative quality opens us up mentally. But not much thought is given to the sounds we hear while doing yoga. It’s no secret that certain types of music elicit certain feelings and sensations, and yoga with music can encourage flow and open our minds to exploration. No other form of physical exercise emphasizes finding the right type of music than yoga. Yoga music should keep you motivated, relax your nervous system, and bring you closer to your practice.
How Music Can Enhance Yoga Sessions
Yoga is meditation in action, whether you're practicing a demanding ashtanga flow or a more restorative yin sequence. When you get on your mat, intentionally choosing music to heal may help you focus, maintain your breath, and deeply feel the advantages of yoga's contemplative side. Crucial to complete relaxation, yoga music can provide a peaceful environment that encourages you to get the most out of every second of your session.
Creating Bonds
Music unites individuals of all ages, genders, races, and religions. As humans, we all respond to the same rhythms and sounds. If you’re an instructor, you can utilize zen meditation music to encourage the formation of personal ties and lifetime friendships among your pupils. Music for healing is specific to yoga and brings students together who may otherwise have little in common. During class, yoga music has the same desired effect on everyone — no matter who they are. Everyone senses the same energy and is stimulated in the same way. Students can reach a more meditative state and become more present as a result of this practice and feelings of connection with others.
Embrace The Flow
The process of entering “the zone” — when you are completely focused on the work at hand — is known as getting into the flow. High levels of creativity and production characterize this special mental state. If your students come to class after work and want to de-stress, you'll need to get them into a yogic mindset. Warm-up exercises, chants, and the right music can all be used to achieve this. With just a few minutes of listening, yoga meditation music may assist your pupils in entering a meditative state, making them more present and responsive to the practice. Always make sure to incorporate yoga music in your class if you want your pupils to get the most out of the session.
Improve Mood
Healing meditation music can immediately affect one’s emotional state and can improve mood. The mind reacts to external stimuli, and when that stimulation is soothing music, endorphins are released, making us feel better. When we listen to upbeat music with a rapid tempo, we feel compelled to move quickly to the beat. This is why hip hop, electronic, and pop music are often used for cardio workouts. In the same way, when we hear calming meditation music, we respond by tuning in to our spiritual side.
Boost Your Immune System
Listening to music can stimulate the body's synthesis of immunoglobulins, which can help the immune system operate better. Your students come to your yoga class to enhance their health and well-being, both physically and mentally, and playing music can help them achieve that goal.
Relaxation
Yoga music is calm and soothing, similar to what you’d listen to when going to sleep or spa music, and it aids in both physical and mental relaxation. Music can help reduce stress hormones by decreasing the heart rate, which helps stabilize breathing and blood pressure. Yoga music has also been shown to reduce the production of cortisol, a crucial stress hormone that activates our fight-or-flight response. Generally, we feel safer and more tranquil when the brain generates less cortisol. Playing soothing music relaxes your students and encourages them to fully embrace the meditative aspect of yoga.
Tips for Creating A Zen Music Playlist
Whether you're strengthening your core in a hot yoga class or enjoying a gentle Child’s Pose in a relaxing restorative class, yoga is all about being present in the moment. Start your yoga session off right with these music tips to get the energy flowing in your limbs, cleanse your chakras, and tune out your daily worries.
Use Instrumental Music
You can mix chants with the music beat if you like, but you should avoid any music containing lyrics. The goal is to create a pleasant atmosphere in the studio without distraction or disrupting mental processes, which may happen if yogis are listening to the lyrics.
Make It Flow with Your Studio
You should choose music that is appropriate for the kind of yoga you're teaching, as well as the location of your studio. Playing music that doesn't fit the natural flow of your vinyasa is the worst thing you can do. As part of the teaching process, you must also know when to turn off the music altogether. Chants don't work well with music in general, so make sure the volume is turned down when you're doing them. You'll also want to tone down the music during beginner sessions because you'll be talking a lot while teaching the various postures to newbies.
Make a Playlist
Because you want pupils to be fully immersed, the music must feel as if it is freely flowing. The only way to accomplish this is to create a one-hour playlist before the start of class. Nothing disrupts a yoga session more than having to change the music in the middle of class. It's simple to find yoga playlists on services like Cloud Cover Music because they have already done the legwork for you.
Play Around With Music
Another primary reason yoga teachers use music in class is to lend variety to the session and try something new. Many people, however, go overboard. Playing the same yoga spiritual soundtracks repeatedly in your sessions might have a negative effect. Recycling the same playlists over and over again can get old, and as a teacher, your objective should be to continually introduce your pupils to new things, whether it's yoga postures, chants, or music.
How to Find Calming Meditation Music
The right yoga music can elevate your studio above all others. Enhance your vinyasa by providing a multi-sensory experience for your practitioners. Yoga music is meant to create calming connections with your spiritual side and remove stress, not create it because you need to have the appropriate performing rights organization's license (PRO). If you neglect this crucial step, you risk facing significant fines if one of the licensing firms does a surprise inspection and discovers that you're making money off music without paying the PRO. Thankfully, Cloud Cover Music can create the perfect zen mood for your studio while complying with regulators. Thousands of companies trust Cloud Cover Music for their legal streaming business music solution. Take the stress out of finding the perfect yoga soundtrack for your studio, and try Cloud Cover Music for free today.
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