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):
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:
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:
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):
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:
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 4/1/2013 05:07:07 am
Thank you so much for this post and for your answer to my email! I definitely have to add music to my home practice!
Mary Catherine
4/1/2013 10:11:06 pm
You're welcome! I hope this was helpful/what you were looking for :) xoxo
Thanks so much for this post! I found your playlists since some of my students asked me about music. I am a new yoga teacher and usually prefer not having music when I practice, but I also the way that music helps people be in the moment.
i just wanted to drop a line & say Thank You!
Stephanie
1/28/2014 01:15:04 am
Thanks for this post! I'm a new teacher in Brooklyn and love it when I take a class and the teacher plays music. I wanted to incorporate music into my class but wasn't sure how. This should be a big help!
crystal b
8/30/2014 09:14:05 am
thanks for your great blog, it's been so helpful to search around and have answers for my questions. i'll be doing my first teaching position shortly and have found your blog to be a great resource!
Henry
9/22/2015 04:47:48 am
Thanks for sharing awesome blog . Always Keep Posting.
louis
9/22/2015 04:54:08 am
Thanks for sharing. Always Keep Posting such kind of information. Comments are closed.
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HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
{Learn more + read my story}
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