The Role of Music

[Kimberly]

As you start to plan for our Karma Yoga classes, one of the things to consider is music. Will you include music, and if so, what genre? Music is a very individual choice. It is key to pick music that fits the style of your class but also your students. Share your thoughts on what music (or silence) means to you and how you plan to integrate music into your class.

[EmilyD]

Emily

I love, love, love music. I definitely plan to use it as I teach. It’s one of my favorite things about Kimberly’s classes. If find myself energized and happy after each of her classes – it’s a wonderful mix of the flow with the music. I get out of my head and sometimes find myself happily singing along. It puts me in a wonderful place.

The genre of music will really depend on the kind of class I end up teaching. If it is restorative, the music will need to be quieter and without words (think the sounds you hear during a massage) so that it isn’t disruptive. If it is a flow class, I feel like there is more room for music selection, and I lean toward familiar music so that people will recognize it. I will select music that makes me happy, because as I mentioned before, it puts me in a good place. Music has a way of calming me down and lifting my spirits. It will most likely help me calm my jitters as I teach.

I do like music for savasana that is quiet, without words, and with a very slow beat. Savasana is time for a quiet mind…not toe tapping and singing in your head. No distractions.

That being said, I may wait until I get all of my karma yoga under my belt before I add music. I think I will do best if I focus on one thing at a time as start planning classes and for me, the music is the ta-da.

[sally200]

I was reading Emily’s response and agree totally. I love music and plan to use it in my sessions. Music entering, the session, the savasana, and exiting. Now that is my longer term plan, I have not orchestrated something like this before, but my experience of managing events and spa massage music maybe my assist here. I will start simple, and grow.

I am a theme/intention person, and the music will compliment the theme. I feel that will be really fun creating. I have Apple play, and a cool
Speaker a kind lady gifted me, so that will be where I start.

I went to my first class w/o music, only Jungle noise at the zoo. It was very moving. So silent at times, then the sounds of nature.

Now, those are my feelings about music, and I feel most students feel the same. I will be anxious to read what the other students write. The amount of music available to us is such a gift.

[msinghal]

I grew up not having any music during my yoga practice. I liked the silence and quietude to listen to my body while I practiced. In the last few years, practicing in the USA at various studios, I have been exposed to music.

Initially, music bothered me in yoga classes, particularly the energizing upbeat ones. While now I have acclimatized myself to having music in yoga sessions, I lean towards soulful and calming music like kirtan, sounds of nature, or instrumental.

It does seem like a fair amount of work to listen, select, and download relevant music and categorize them into playlists. I personally also do not mind not having music in my classes either; however, I feel it is normally available in most studios and therefore most students may come to expect one. I will definitely experiment with music. It might turn out that it might be distracting to me while teaching, at least initially.

As I am planning my Karma classes, for lack of time, I am planning on keeping the music selection simple by choosing a yoga pertinent calming music from Youtube or Insight timer. My focus for the karma classes is to create a worthwhile asana sequence and its cues. When I have reached a comfort level in that aspect, I think I will have more time to invest in to music selection and to personalize it according to my personality.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by msinghal.

[regmarlew63]

I plan on using music when teaching. I feel, with the correct choice, it aides in helping people feel calmer, more relaxed, peaceful, and helps to get in the right mindset. Music for most, has such a healing property to it. It activates our mental state, and does something to the physical body. Depending on the kind of music, it can calm you, amp you up, bring happiness and joy. And in some instances, back to a memory or time that is not so happy. My experiences as a student in class that uses music, has told me that I prefer instrumental styles of music. When there are lyrics, I tend to be distracted or influenced (sometimes in a negative way) by what they are saying, versus the melody that is playing. I also feel that it would keep me, as a teacher, in a good place; meaning I am sure there will be times when I am at a loss for words, or direction. The music can also help to ground me and direct me into a good place, so that I might bring positive energy to the class. I understand that it can be tricky, because not everybody has the same ideas about a specific genre of music. I do feel though, that a non-agressive beat and melody can be pretty much universal or even have a more neutral quality to it. And, if it happens NOT to be to the liking of anyone in particular, it is something that is doable and not extreme enough that it would bring them to an intense negative emotion.
I have had the experience where there was no music during a class. And it did not bother me as much as I thought it might. I did focus a lot more on the verbiage and how I was using the teacher’s words to apply them to specific parts of the body in the asanas. I just feel from a teaching perspective, it would be more comfortable to use music rather than not. I would be willing to try either way. And who knows? I might surprise myself with what preference I choose.
I also have enjoyed the use of bells when trying new classes. Sometimes, they startle me if I’m in a very deep state of meditation. So, I have mixed emotions about that, and would like to learn more on how to properly use bell tones.
Regina Lewis

[betshellhaas]

I do plan to include music into my classes. As for genre, I am so excited to explore different ones to find that perfect playlist. Music really is limitless and I think it can bring so many different aspects to a class. For myself, I have noticed that it really depends on the type of class to understand what music will be played. I really enjoy upbeat music when attending a power or vinyasa class and slower, meditative music during a yin or slow practice. I also hope to find some mantra/chanting music to include in my classes.

Music, or lack of helps, to enhance the experience. I have found that during my own practice, I am in and out with the music. Sometimes I am hearing it loud and clear and other times it is as if I have tuned it out. I think sometimes my concentration on what I’m doing takes over and the music subsides. However, in moments of struggle music can push you to that next level of continuing without giving up. During the Ashtanga 101 workshop, there was no music at all. I did enjoy this silence as well. I do not think it is something I will always have in my class but I think it’s a great change to implement every once in awhile.

For my first Karma class I had last Wednesday, I picked a very meditative playlist because I really wanted the instruction and techniques to be focused on instead of the music. I think it’s a great idea to keep it simple in the beginning because our main focus is on the class and the instruction we’re doing. I plan to keep my playlists pretty simple until I feel I have a better handle on the class overall.

[heatherfly]

When I started this I wasn’t fully sure I wanted to teach. I’m only 79% there even now. But when I thought of being able to create playlists my hesitant 50%/maybe jumped up to 70%/probably. The idea of creating an atmosphere is really exciting to me. And I love the idea of being able to freely play music from the soundtrack of my own life and my own development as a person… It feels almost as if music is a way we get to know the teacher.

I’ve also found music helps me focus. Not all music but some and particular kinds. The fewer instruments the better. When writing long papers in grad school I listened to Bach’s suites for the unaccompanied cello. It had a marvelous effect on my ability to stay focused and reduce the impact of other distractions. When working around the house acoustic guitar and folk music keeps me moving and focused but free feeling.

But I also love silence and when I’m alone I’m often in silence and it restores me. and though I wouldn’t lean toward it, I’d want to experiment with silence for a yoga class or teach outside and let nature’s music play (a fantasy).

[CindyHurst]

I love a variety of music and rarely do I find it distracting, regardless of the genre. I actually find it the opposite – music helps me focus. I don’t believe I’ve given the subject of music in a yoga class much thought over the years that I’ve practiced until recently when I’ve heard multiple people express their preference for no music, only “yoga music,” or instrumental (no distracting words). I honestly did not realize until recently that some students are very particular about music.

Now that I am opening my mind to the preferences of my future students, I want to make more conscious decisions as I chose my class playlists. The playlists I select will not be just about me and what I like. I love Kirtan, which I believe is a happy median – this genre mostly sung in Sanskrit so the words are less distracting to students. I also love classical music and opera (sung in Italian, of course). Who knows – there may be a few arias from my favorite operas that I chose to add to a classical playlist. Then there is the other end of my musical spectrum; rock music – everything from classic rock to some serious grunge rock (Nirvana, Alice in Chains…). Surely there is a class style that fits with some of the thought-provoking words sung by Kurt Cobain or Layne Staley. Not sure about this – probably won’t go this route. 😉

[Beth]

I think music has always been something I’ve enjoyed in yoga class, but now that I’m becoming a teacher I find it hard to imagine cuing with music going. I am considering playing soft sounds, like a creek flowing or other nature sounds or maybe softer, instrumental music. I feel like at first music with lyrics will be distracting but I am going to try several options during my free classes at OSU and get feedback from my coworkers.

I personally love music but the deeper I have gone in my yoga practice and the more meditation I do, I find I am listening to music less and less. I think initially music helped me quiet the worries on my mind, but my mind managed to replace worries with other thoughts. I realized that I could quiet my mind without music, but I know my home practice does not need to be the same as my teaching. I think music helped make yoga accessible to me when I first started out and I intend to try different playlists with my students. I like a range of music and it will be a journey for me as well as my students to discover how music can influence the practice.

In savasana, when first introducing students to a meditative state, I think music can be very comforting. I intend at the least to provide music to new yogis during this pose and during the centering pose at the beginning of class. I may try a Spotify playlist the first time teaching. I think nature sounds can be just as centering and provide some calm guidance or peace during a practice.

[KHuttsell]

Music for me is truly the rhythm of life. There is not much that I do that doesn’t involve music. Music evokes emotion, energy and mental awareness. It can make you smile, cause you to dance or even reflect on a great memory from years ago.

However, I do understand that music for some can be intrusive to their practice and may even evoke emotions that are uncomfortable or painful. I know we plan to address this topic later in our training – so I hope to learn a lot during that time so I can be congniscent of my students.

So when music is appropriate – I will use it to enhance and provide a quiet melodic line to my classes. Nothing is worse than music that doesn’t fit the practice or is so loud it overpowers the students’ mindfulness.

I feel many different types of music can fit in a practice as long as it is purposeful and “flows” with the movement of the class. For example, savasana should be a more quiet time with soft music while a more powerful song may fit an apex pose and give students motivation to embrace the pose.

The music should also be a reflection of a teacher – they should be comfortable with their selections. I’ve seen teacher make Michael Jackson truly “rock” their classes. While other teachers have been able to bring traditional classical music to their classes.

My style is very eclectic. I have started making a list of music as I hear things that inspire my yoga practice. I have also listened to other teachers’ music for inspiration. I tend to feel that instrumental or light smooth jazz (a fav) is great for warm up, cool down and savasna. Soft rock is accessible during flow sequences and often helps newer students relate to the environment.

The beautiful thing about online music technologies and an iPod is the ability to create a playlist and practice the sequencing with the music well in advance of actually teaching it.

I’m looking forward to working with music as part of my teaching. It is probably once of the aspects that inspires me and makes me feel more comfortable within the role of teacher.

• This reply was modified 7 years ago by KHuttsell.

[dooley]

I enjoy music very much. Music is big part of what I do on a daily basis. I love music. Music gives people the optportunity to reflect on things or to focus on the moment. When I began doing yoga at a studio, they always played meditative music, which I believed helped you get into the mood of doing yoga. It did have a calming effect on how I stayed focused in the moment and the posses. I believed at that point in my yoga journey that was the only music acceptable in a yoga class.

I have learned from going to different studios and classes that any kind of music can be played in a class as long as the teacher made the music fit the class. A teacher also has to understand the students in their classes. Some my be distracted by the music but some my be inspired by it.

I always believed music needed to be part of a yoga, until I had a conversation with a teacher on the subject of music and he gave some good points on playing music in class. The one point he stated was teachers can use that music to not use cues as often and let the music lead the students. He did suggest for new teachers that not having music gives the teacher a chance to focus on their cues as well as get comfortable with cueing. He also suggested playing the music on low volume so it doesn’t distract you from your students or cueing. This advise gave me a new perspective on playing music.

[LAD92761]

I plan to use music in my classes and have started working on difference playlists. Spotify is my music choice and to get organized I have created buckets to put songs into so when I’m planning a class, I can go to the buckets to pick songs.

For example, I have a bucket called calm, this includes my opening and closing music, I have a bucket called flow for my flow music, a men’s bucket in case I create a deep stretch men’s class, etc.

I’m finding Indie music is more my style with some old classics added in. If there are any bad words, I delete the song. If I don’t personslly like the song, I don’t include it.

As I create playlist, I play it all day to see how flow is. Now I’m putting it with my sequencing. I’m planning to have music play before and after class as well. The vibe is what I’m After in my classes.

[lisaclick48]

Lisa Click –

I love music and I believe I will always include it in my yoga classes. All types of music and music that is fitting based on the poses or class theme. I feel that students can really be moved by the music chosen and help them get into the present moment faster with soothing music. I know from my personal experience in Pilates that music really pushed me to do my best and challenged me. I really love all types of music, so it will be very fun to incorporate different types of music based on the goal of class. I have loved some of the music attending various classes at Balancing Owl and other places around town. I have enjoyed those classes with no music which I didn’t think I would like but I did. I do believe that music will help me remain focused in the teaching mind set. From classical, to Irish melodies, to the 80’s music to folklore, jazz, instrumental, several piano movements, 70’s, and various favorite artists. I’m trying to learn how to change the music quickly if I ever need to do that and I also want to feel good about teaching if my music is not there for whatever reason. Lots to do to be prepared and ready for the unknown….

[melross1]

I love music with yoga, I think the type of music depends on the audience. For my Karma yoga I will use 60’s and Disney music because I know the students I will be teaching and they love 60’s music and Disney music to get ready to go. Classical, sea sounds, or very southing music I enjoy when I’m in class, the teach doesn’t have to speak over the music much, its not offensive.
I was recently in a class where the teacher just asked the class (it was a small class) what kind of music mood are you in and someone said Motown, everyone when that sounds fun. So she went on Spotify and played some Motown, whatever Spotify played. It was a fun class, shavasana was interesting when “I heard it through the grapevine” was playing. But I might even try that approach sometime just for fun.

[Abby Rogowski]

I also enjoy music with yoga, but do find it distracting if it’s music I love or grew up with! I lose my breath only because I find myself wanting to sing along, which takes me back to my childhood. In my classes I plan to us either yoga music or instrumental music so I can focus on teaching and giving my 100% to each student.

[Author]

Posts