How to Make a Yoga Class Playlist

As you all probably know by now, music is a BIG part of yoga for me. Yes, this is a somewhat "controversial" topic in the yoga world, and is a totally personal preference, but for me, music is a wonderful part of both teaching and taking class (to read more about this topic, check out this post). So, for those who feel the same way, I wanted to delve a little deeper into the playlist-making topic today. 

Last week, when working with a group of Teacher Training students, one of the students asked, "How do you make a class playlist? Where do you find the music? How do you put it all together?" and it got me thinking. Similarly, I recently got an email from a reader in Portugal (yay!) who asked something similar--she explained that she'd never taken a class with music, and wasn't sure how it would work--"There are no such yoga classes where I live, so I never understood if you link the movements with the music or the music is just for the background."

Since I assume that these two teachers aren't alone in their questioning, I hope to help out by answering these inquiries for my fellow yogis. Obviously, I'm no DJ or music professional, but I do like to think that in my almost 3 years of teaching (wow!?), during which I've made a new playlist on at least a monthly basis, I've learned a thing or two...

How to Create a Yoga Class Playlist 

1.  Before tackling a playlist, you need a clear picture of your class structure, as the way that you put together your playlist should have a lot to do with your class plan. Here's an example of a class plan (this is a very rough outline of the structure that I use for a 1 hr class):

• 0-5 minutes: Centering
• 5-15 minutes: Warm-up and step-backs
• 15-20 minutes: Surya A
• 20-23/25 minutes: Surya B variations
• 25-40 minutes: Standing flow + balancing poses
• 40-45 minutes: Varies depending on class, usually arm balance or other peak pose + pigeon
• 45-50 minutes: Seated poses and/or backbends
• 50-55 minutes: Backbends and/or inversions, finishing poses
• 55-60 minutes: Savasana + closing

2.  Once you have a class plan (with a general idea of the timing), you can begin to build your playlist around that class plan. What do I mean by this? Think about what type of energy/mood/music you want during each class segment, and try to find songs that create that energy. For instance:

• For centering, I usually go for a very calming song, preferably without words (so that it doesn't distract people). Instrumentals or yoga music with words in sanskrit can be great for this. 
• For Surya A & Surya B, the part of class where we're working to build heat, I almost always opt for really energetic music--something faster, or with a good, strong beat. I find that this helps people get lost in the flow and stay invigorated.
• After Surya A & B, I tend to keep things pretty upbeat for a while, so that people stay energized throughout the standing flow. 
• As class begins to wind down (think seated poses on), I like to begin to slow things back down with softer, more relaxing music.
• For savasana, I always search for a song that is helps people completely let go. This can be a song with or without words, but if it has words, you want to be sure they aren't too distracting or inappropriate for savasana. It's best if you just use one song for all of savasana, as it helps people to relax. 

3.  How do you find good songs/appropriate music? This is the part that takes some time. If you're new to making class playlists, this can be a little more time-consuming, but over time, I promise it gets easier. Here are some tips on how to find good music:

• Start paying attention to the music around you. If you're in another teacher's class and hear a song that moves you, ask them what it was after class and write it down.
• Listen to Pandora (or Spotify) and choose stations or playlists based on artists that you like. When you hear a song that you think would be great for class, write it down.
• Think outside the box: think about artists that you like and listen to their albums with an ear for yoga. Are any of their songs appropriate for class?
• Get on iTunes and search artists that you've heard in class before. If you're stuck, start with common "yoga" music: MC Yogi, Bhagavan Das, Krishna Das, Wah!, Deva Premal, Donna de Lory, Wade Imre Morrissette, etc. Listen to snippets of their songs and download the ones that speak to you.
• Check out other teacher's playlists! Lots of yoga teachers post them on their blogs/websites/facebook pages, etc., so this is a great way to learn about fun music. 
• Download Shazam. When you hear a song you like in a movie, a show, a coffee shop, the car, shazam it and find out what it is. Write it down and put it on your next playlist.
• *Personal method: I have a "note" in my phone where I keep a running list of all songs I've come across that I want to use in my next playlist. By the time I sit down to make the playlist, I'm usually halfway done. It's been very helpful to do it this way and has made the process of actually making a list a lot less daunting.

4.  Over time, I've learned to avoid certain types of music, because you want the music to add to the class, not distract or take away from it. Here are some tips (this is a personal preference, of course, but this is my opinion):

• Avoid Top 40 songs. They're too recognizable and when people start singing along in their heads or thinking about the band/group/singer/pop culture, it can take them out of the practice.
• Avoid overly romantic songs or songs that are obviously about a broken heart, being cheated on, finding "the one," etc. Obviously, this is hard, since SO much music is about romantic love, but if you can, try to find songs that don't spell it out in a way that will bring up romantic emotions for students. Sometimes this can't be helped, as emotions always come up in yoga and it's often not because of the music, but if you play a song about being cheated on and someone in class has been cheated on, it could be pretty upsetting for that student. 
• Avoid songs with curse words, explicit language, lines about death or killing someone, drugs, sex, etc. Try to keep things a little more uplifting and inspiring for your students.
• Include a mix of genres, male/female singers, world music, instrumentals, and Eastern/yoga music. Again, this is a personal preference, but it's really refreshing to mix it up and makes the music just as eclectic and diverse as your students.  

5.  Once you've made a playlist, listen to it the entire way through. If you hear anything that sounds jarring/not quite right, remove the song and replace it with another. Then, once you test it out in class, feel free to make a few more tweaks if it still isn't right. Remember, the music shouldn't be distracting to you as a teacher, either!

Does this help? I hope so. If you need more music ideas or examples of playlists, you can check out my playlists page and the following resources/posts:

• Shake Your Asana: Top 10 Yoga Songs 
• Shake Your Asana, Volume 2: 10 More Amazing Yoga Songs
• Shake Your Asana, Volume 3: Top 10 [Instrumental] Yoga songs
• Shake Your Asana, Volume 4: Top 10 [Upbeat + Energizing] Yoga Songs
• The Best Music for Yoga: Top 10 [Non-New-Age] Artists/Groups
• 10 Must-Have Savasana Songs
• The Sound of Music (In Yoga): What Do You Like to Practice To?

Now get to making those playlists! And as always, if you come across a great new artist that you think would be perfect for yoga, please send them my way ;)

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

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