Perhaps you have seen one of my philosophy talks where I start by saying “The Universe exists in vibration”… or if not, I will repeat myself: The Universe exists in vibration! Our bodies, the planet, the stars, light and sound and everything in between, vibrating at unique and intersecting frequencies. Music is a ‘tangible’ form of vibration that enters our ears and triggers a response.
Just as words spoken have an effect, words sung have a different one. Dogs barking have one vibration and chords of a guitar or keyboard have another. Music is a trigger point for many emotions and, combined with yoga poses and sequences, makes two comparable flavours… or not!
Music is a trigger point for many emotions and, combined with yoga poses and sequences, makes two comparable flavours… or not!
Practising and teaching yoga with music has been with me for my entire yogic path (since 1995!) and has seen as many changes as a symphony. When I use music in my practice or classes it is for a specific purpose and ambience I want to create. When I don’t use music, I have a different purpose. To me, neither is right or wrong, just situational.
For example, my class Riding the Restorative River is set to music that has healing and relaxation as the primary purpose. But take that music and put it to The Rocket and you’ll notice a real ‘disharmony’. My music classes on EkhartYoga are always special to me as I only use my own recordings or those of friends who have given me permission to use them online. So, for me, each playlist is like a reunion with the artists … where their music fits the flow in a mostly spontaneous way.
In full disclosure, I rarely plan my ‘music flow’ sequences, but I have the playlists ready to guide me. For example, I already had the playlist prepared for my Mindful Mellow Flow 6…but then an election in the USA happened and I was in a very special emotional state. The music supported Sandra and me in our vibrational state, just as the poses did.
So off to the mat we go…sometimes with the vibrations of music to steer us in a certain direction. But always guiding us to listen to the inner sounds of truth in our heart.
10 yoga classes with music
Here are 10 yoga classes to try out, either with live music or soundtracks from our musician friends. If you regularly stream tracks for your own yoga playlists, please consider supporting the artists you enjoy by buying tracks directly from them, or from websites like Bandcamp.
1. Music flow – Level 2-3, 60+ mins, David Lurey
2. Move with groove music flow – level 2-3, 60+ mins, David Lurey
3. Riding the restorative river – all levels, 60 mins, David Lurey
4. Go with the flow – music Vinyasa – level 2-3, 60+ mins, David Lurey
5. Mindful mellow flow 5 with music – all levels, 60 mins, David Lurey
6. Mindful mellow flow 6 with music – all levels, 60 mins, David Lurey
7. Diamond Dog 1 with music – all levels, 30 mins, Julie Martin
8. 15 minute anytime flow with music – all levels, 15 mins, Julie Martin
9. 108 Sun Salutations – all levels, 60+ mins, Esther Ekhart
10. Hand pan flow 1 – all levels, 45 mins, Nichi Green (part of a series of 3 classes)
You can find more music, kirtan and mantra classes using the Music/Mantra filter under Specific Uses on the videos page. Or click here!
Download our EkhartYoga app!
EkhartYoga members can download these classes to our free offline viewing app. The app lets you download up to 10 classes to your phone or tablet to either watch offline or stream to a bigger screen. So if you’re going away or don’t have great internet access in your home, you’ll have uninterrupted access to them!
Download the free app for iOs on the App Store and Android app on the Google Play Store
Download tip
Add this list of 10 videos to your Favourites before logging on to your app so you can easily download the classes to your mobile phone or tablet.
