Music arguably has been an indispensable part of yoga practice. For most people music works as an energy booster while they are doing other workouts, such as gym practice, running, etc. That is why including music in yoga practice seems useful.
However, yoga practice and music have old ties. Yoga in India has always been practiced along with mantras and chanting. And whether you include mantra and chanting in your practice or not, the prolonged utterance of the “Om” sound is inevitable in every yoga class. In addition, instruments such as Indian flute and sitar also have been part of yoga practice for centuries.
The goal of yoga practice is to teach a person how to switch off the voices outside and listen to the voice within. How then music being an external source of sound be helpful in yoga practice? Let’s find out.
Whether you should include music in your yoga practice or not firstly depends upon your purpose of doing yoga, and secondly, which form of yoga are you practicing.
When Music Can be Helpful
If your purpose of doing yoga is primarily to build a better physique and you have opted for a vigorous form or style of yoga, then it will be helpful to go along with the music. Music has the power of stimulating our movements and can help us is achieving momentum when we are required to do poses in a flow. In this way, music also helps us in learning challenging poses rather easily.
However, the music you play should be soothing or have mild beats. At different places people prefer different styles of music, so there is no standard for it. For instance, music played at a yoga retreat in Rishikesh can be quite different from what people listen to at your local studio in the United States. You can try out a CD of yoga music or simply play your favorite instrumentals. And try not to include any music that has lyrics to it, even if they are in foreign language.
When Music Can be Distracting
If you are doing yoga for its spiritual aspect and want to improve your awareness of the mind-body-soul connection within, then it is better not have any music during the practice. Silence is required in more intense practice of yoga, such as meditation, since the primary purpose of such practice is to listen to the voice inside and external sounds can be distracting. Besides, since music can stimulate our emotional state, it can change the way we perceive our practice, and therefore can be a distraction.
However, some yoga practitioners find music helpful in building concentration during meditation practice, because according to them there cannot be absolute silence in the environment, since there are always sounds around.
In conclusion, while performing the physical poses music is usually helpful, in meditative practice it depends upon individuals’ taste. During your personal yoga practice, you can choose to do things your way but in a class you should make sure that everyone is comfortable with music during practice before plugging-in anything.
However, yoga practice and music have old ties. Yoga in India has always been practiced along with mantras and chanting. And whether you include mantra and chanting in your practice or not, the prolonged utterance of the “Om” sound is inevitable in every yoga class. In addition, instruments such as Indian flute and sitar also have been part of yoga practice for centuries.
The goal of yoga practice is to teach a person how to switch off the voices outside and listen to the voice within. How then music being an external source of sound be helpful in yoga practice? Let’s find out.
Whether you should include music in your yoga practice or not firstly depends upon your purpose of doing yoga, and secondly, which form of yoga are you practicing.
When Music Can be Helpful
If your purpose of doing yoga is primarily to build a better physique and you have opted for a vigorous form or style of yoga, then it will be helpful to go along with the music. Music has the power of stimulating our movements and can help us is achieving momentum when we are required to do poses in a flow. In this way, music also helps us in learning challenging poses rather easily.
However, the music you play should be soothing or have mild beats. At different places people prefer different styles of music, so there is no standard for it. For instance, music played at a yoga retreat in Rishikesh can be quite different from what people listen to at your local studio in the United States. You can try out a CD of yoga music or simply play your favorite instrumentals. And try not to include any music that has lyrics to it, even if they are in foreign language.
When Music Can be Distracting
If you are doing yoga for its spiritual aspect and want to improve your awareness of the mind-body-soul connection within, then it is better not have any music during the practice. Silence is required in more intense practice of yoga, such as meditation, since the primary purpose of such practice is to listen to the voice inside and external sounds can be distracting. Besides, since music can stimulate our emotional state, it can change the way we perceive our practice, and therefore can be a distraction.
However, some yoga practitioners find music helpful in building concentration during meditation practice, because according to them there cannot be absolute silence in the environment, since there are always sounds around.
In conclusion, while performing the physical poses music is usually helpful, in meditative practice it depends upon individuals’ taste. During your personal yoga practice, you can choose to do things your way but in a class you should make sure that everyone is comfortable with music during practice before plugging-in anything.
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