The Best Music For Yoga: Top 10 [Non-New Age] Artists/Groups

7/29/2013

If you've been reading Starr Struck for a while or you've ever been to one of my yoga classes, you know that for me, yoga and music go hand-in-hand. One of the best parts of reading through the results of my 2013 Reader Survey was going over all of your answers to the question, "If you practice yoga, what is your favorite yoga song/artist/type of music to listen to while you practice?"

Not only did I get tons of new artists and songs to check out from these answers (many of which you'll hear on my August class playlist soon, so thank you!), but I was also able to see some interesting trends in the types of music that you all like to hear while practicing (which made me smile, because many of your favorites are also my favorites!).

So, today, I thought it only appropriate to share a list of my readers' [your] favorite non-new agey yoga artists and musicians, so that you, too, can be exposed to new music that can add great energy to your yoga practice.

Keep in mind that these are the non-yoga-focused artists that were mentioned multiple times in the survey responses, so you will not find your favorite yogi artists listed here. That's not because I don't LOVE yoga-specific artists or bands, because I do (!), but because I feel that it can be fun to mix it up and add other types of music to your yoga playlists, and yogi-artists are often a no-brainer.

Therefore, without further ado, here are your Top 10 [Non-Yogi] Artists to Listen to While Practicing--in order of preference/how many times they were mentioned (all of these artists were mentioned repeatedly!):

Florence and the Machine: By far the most popular! Many of you listed Flo as one of your favorite musicians to practice to, and I agree 100%. Btw, not to brag, but I went to her concert back in September... ;)
Coldplay: As one of you said, "I can't hear certain coldplay songs without going into a sun salutation series." Haha! I love it and ditto.
Alexi Murdoch: Classic yogi favorite. If you're not familiar with his music, I recommend listening to "Don't Forget to Breathe," "All of My Days," or "Orange Sky." So beautiful.
Bon Iver: Yes, yes, and yes. There's just something about Justin Vernon's haunting voice and Bon Iver's softly-powerful music that is perfect for yoga. Ahhhhh.
Iron and Wine: So many songs to chose from here! I play quite a bit of Iron and Wine in my classes, but want to warn you that you should be mindful about which songs you pick to play, as some that are too wordy or talk too much about religious figures can be distracting to students (I've learned from experience).
Passion Pit: OMG, I cannot agree with you guys more. I am obsessed with Passion Pit! PP = musical genius at play.
Feist: Beautiful, inspiring, and quirky. Check them out.
Regina Spektor: Probably one of my favorite artists EVER. Seriously, you guys. Although I have only played one or two of her songs in my classes over the years (because I always worry that her weird lyrics and vocal tricks will take students out of the moment), I think she is simply unbelievable and love every single one of her songs from every single one of her albums. Big fan.
Joni Mitchell: Classic. The only non-newer artist who made the Top 10, which I find interesting...
The Swell Season: Another one of my music loves and I agree, wonderful for yoga. You guys have some SERIOUSLY good taste! Yay! My readers are fab (as if I didn't already know that!).

Here are some other non-yogi artists that you mentioned liking to practice to:

Pink Floyd
Of Monsters and Men
Dispatch
Sufjan Stevens
Fiona Apple
Radiohead
Tristen

Bob Dylan
Beck
She & Him
The XX
Damien Rice
Ellie Goulding
Josh Ritter

Scotch & Sofa
Porcupine Tree
Laura Marling
Phildel
Sea Wolf
Mimicking Birds
The Lumineers

Zoe Keating
Paul Simon
Explosions in the Sky
Shiny Toy Guns
Trampled by Turtles
Kanye West

Overall, most of you seem enjoy listening to alternative or Indie music while practicing (at least that's what you told me!), and many of you like a wide variety of genres in your class playlists--from reggae, to hip hop, to electronica, to classic rock, to kirtan. I loved reading this, as I really do feel the same way and am happy to hear that we're all so compatible when it comes to musical taste :)

Oh, and this answer to the question made me kind of sad: "I get an F for this question since I haven't been practicing yoga lately :( "

Here's my response to that comment, and to all of you who might have a similar feeling when you take a break from practicing regularly: Don't give yourself an F if you haven't been to the mat recently! It's always there for you and will be waiting when you come back to the practice. Sometimes life gets in the way and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Practice a little self-compassion--that's yoga in itself.

Looking for more yoga music goodness? Here are some past Starr Struck yoga music posts:

Thanks for being my source of great music and musical camaraderie! You can check out all of myyoga class playlists here.

See you [grooving] on the mat soon...

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Tara B.

7/29/2013 12:45:52 am

I love this post and I always love the music you play in class! For some time I was in a bit of a rut with finding "new" (new to me...) music but I've been downloading a lot of songs from your classes over the past few months. Also let me just say that after the hip hop yoga class, I think a lot of other songs/artists can be added to this list! I can't wait for the next one!

Mary Catherine

7/29/2013 09:50:33 pm

Yay! So glad to hear this, Tara! xo

laura

7/29/2013 12:52:59 am

Thanks for this post! I am always looking for new upbeat, yet calming, yet not yawn-inducing music to put on my yoga class playlists. I am teaching crossiftters used to current music, so the "traditional" no music or just instrumental set list won't work. I am printing this post out for future reference. :)

7/29/2013 09:51:23 pm

Fabulous, Laura! I'm so glad this list will be helpful. I know--we yoga teachers are CONSTANTLY looking for new music ideas, aren't we? Sounds like you have a challenging crowd but I def think some of these artists will work :)

Good luck! xoxo

Jeanette link

7/29/2013 01:38:02 am

I'm surprised Bob Marley didn't make the cut. Whenever it's raining outside (which is quite often lately in Miami) I practice and teach to Bob Marley. It puts a huge smile on my face.

His music is just so darn festive! 'Every little thing is gonna be alright' :)

7/29/2013 09:51:55 pm

You're right, Jeanette! I'm surprised he wasn't mentioned, either!? Great reminder for those looking for ideas :)

Ben

7/29/2013 07:27:34 am

You left out the song that Dibora plays in each of her classes: "the night starts here, the night starts here . . . ."

7/29/2013 09:52:20 pm

That's bc I've already included it in a past post about the best yoga songs... ;)

monamelisa

11/15/2013 04:12:14 am

thanks a lot for the list:)

Chanda

1/9/2014 08:49:34 am

So grateful you did this post and shared so many amazing ideas and artist. I am not a music person but I love it when it moves me. :) So I have been trying to figure out what works for my power flow classes and this helps tremendously! Thank you!

Susan Doyle link

1/11/2014 12:15:14 am

Love your lists - thanks for sharing! I would add Michael Franti, Eddie Vedder, Ben Howard, Ingrid Michaelson, Ray LaMontagne, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Adele....I could go on and on!

mp3 download link

2/24/2014 02:53:10 pm

Thanks for sharing this great article! That is very interesting I love reading and I am always searching for informative information like this.

Elizabeth C

9/27/2014 07:45:54 am

I can't believe no one has mentioned Sigur Ros as a good thing to listen to in class! I have Takk and ( ) and both have amazing music on them.

Robert

6/1/2015 11:03:22 am

You missed Bon Iver... every yoga studio from NY, Toronto and Vancouver plays his stuff.

Kristin

10/7/2015 01:26:58 pm

Love your playlists!! Thank you for sharing!!

Adam Lees link

12/15/2016 10:52:00 am

Hey, great article! I've recorded an album that I think people would enjoy using with yoga as well! http://forwardaudio.ca/samples/

Lori Hawkins link

1/26/2017 09:13:13 pm

I have been at a loss for adding to my playlists for classes. No More! After delving into your post, I also have a few new favorite artists. Thank you!

10/5/2017 05:45:03 pm

Interesting, I didn't care for any of those! For the runner ups, I do like Explosions in the Sky and got to see them open for Smashing Pumpkins. They're great. I'm surprised Enya didn't make it. I do agree Florence and the Machine we're the best of the ones listed. My list is comprised of Kaleo's way down go, willy moon's railroad track, Chaos chaos Do you feel it, Ben Howard's Oats in the Water, Lea N'Kaoa Scratch Tail, Apocalyptica is always great especially Conclusion, Farewell, Epilogue, Romance, Misconstruction and others. Blackmill's The Drift, Little People's Basique and Moon, Massive Attack's Teardrop, Disturbed's the sound of silence and Evanescence's My Immortal are good go tos. Even Rammstein and Caravan Palace have good offerings. Actually, I think Apocalyptica is the only band I would say is good for yoga as a whole; everyone else has one or two songs at best.

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