Music on the Mat

I’ve had three primary yoga teachers, none of whom had ever promoted the use of music during class--with the occasional exception of savasana.  Although my teachers taught me much of what I know about guiding students through a practice, on this note, I have found my own path.

The first group I taught was a queer and trans community class.  For many of us, gathering as a group to do yoga was something new, and the music helped us to settle into a comfortable space together.  As I branched out into other studios and teaching venues, I was hesitant about sharing the mixes I had delighted in making for my regular class as my mixes were not traditionally considered “yoga music”. I moved forward despite that, concluding that the best practice was to just  be myself and draw together students who enjoy my teaching style.

I’ll never forget taking a powerful flow class accompanied by music that matched and built upon our energy.  At the end, we melted into our mats and quiet beats, but as we were cued to peel ourselves up and off the floor, the teacher put on the Muppet’s theme song.  Many of us shared grins and buoyed spirits as we gathered up our belongings and made our way back out into the world.

Being a nature lover, I love the sound of waves and wind, but I’ve never been one for a full soundtrack of nature sounds until recently.   I was doing a 2nd chakra practice at home, working with the element of water and “going with the flow”,  and decided to accompany my practice with a “watery” soundtrack that took me very deep into the yoga.  That night I tested it out again, this time on my Restorative class, and watched as my students dropped into themselves.  The feedback afterwards was incredible.  The sounds of nature, of rain and moving water,  had touched a universal cord in folks.  And after observing the stillness that blanketed the students during a good old-fashioned rainstorm recording, my water soundtrack has become a savasana top-ten (even the beginners don’t fidget!).

I love to start a class in silence, so that students may take the time to sink into their bodies, breath, and to establish themselves in the moment. As our breath starts to lead our movements, it is then that I press the play button. The music starts slowly while we stretch out our necks and shoulders, and then builds, as do our standing flows and energy building sequences. As we start to wind it down, the music follows, and when we come back to stillness for our final rest, I return us to some form of quiet.

Now I'm not saying music is right for all people, or at all times.  Some lineages support it, and some don't.  Choose the music or silence that supports you best in your connection to your breath, your body, your yoga.  To check out one of my favourite mixes for the mat, visit my blog at www.heatherdouglasyoga.blogspot.com.