Playin’ The Edge

I got Zero 7’s latest, Simple Things and it is so awesome for yoga.  It’s good lush chill-out background music with enough beat that’s never too in your face.  It’s smooth without being schmaltzy.  I used almost all the album, there’s a mix of vocals so you don’t feel like it’s all the same stuff.  Here’s how I remixed it for my 85 minute yoga class:

1. Destiny - sexy vocals and a nice groove for 5+ minute warm up
2. Give it away - a good smooth beat for starting sun salutations and standing poses
3. Out of town
4. Simple Things
5. Red Dust
6. Likufanele
7. Polaris
8. In The Waiting Line - here’s where it starts to slow down for some nice easy stretching
9. This World
10. Spinning

And I finished it with 10 minutes of crystal bowl sounds I got from itunes for Savasana.

I’ve been working on an R&B CD for Power Yoga class - you know, some good groove tunes.  I’ve been getting tired of all that drumming in some of the other music I’ve been using.  I’ve had the urge for something more soulful.  Here are a few I’ve added that work well:

- “Til it happens to you” and “Like a Star” - Corinne Bailey Rae

- The karaoke version of “Sexual Healing” (the song has a great groove, but no one needs to hear those come-on lyrics during yoga) - Marvin Gaye

- “Come Home” - Angie Stone

- “I’ll fly away” - Kanye West

- “Flow” - Sade

I purchased all from iTunes, except Corinne Bailey Rae, I have on CD.

We all have songs that we could listen to over and over again. My current one is “Offering Chant”, the unplugged version from Jean-Philippe Rykiel and Lama Gyurme on Rain of Blessings. It’s simple and lovely and speaks to me.

I’ve been using it as a pre-Savasana tune, and then using more hummy tracks from these guys for the relaxation itself. It makes the room subtly vibrate.

I can really obsess about the music I play for yoga classes. I’ll get really pumped about a song, mix it into a CD and then as the class is happening *and* i’m talking through a pose think “gyawd what was I thinking, this soulful guitar sounds like some high school garage band is warming up next door” etc. etc.

My tastes often change too which is why I don’t suggest music more often but here’s one I’m keyed up about. Yoga Lounge by Chinmaya Dunster & Niladri Kumar. They use Indian instruments and influences and make some great sounds. And the best part is that the CD has a perfect groove. The songs are interesting and build really well without getting overwrought (I hate that). I used every tune for the CD I put together, which is too rare. The songs are all over 5:58 minutes too, which I think helps build a mood in class. My fave tune, which I’ve listened to alot is “Jhinjhoti “. It has a nice melody that just makes me happy. Check it out.

Here’s a follow-on from yesterday’s post about music. Having the ability to remotely control your music is pretty important in a class. It’s a bit disruptive to pad around the class fiddling with music while your class is trying to focus. And realizing while you’re teaching a pose that you’re competing with the music can be discombobulating - do you stop to change the volume or just holler over the chanting? You need a remote control you can use to tweak the sound right at your mat. But what if your music equipment isn’t close enough to point a remote at?

It’s easy - you need the sexy-named RF Remote Control Extender. I have a studio at home where I teach and this baby works to control the music *throughout* the house. You replace one of the batteries in your remote control with a special one that sends the wireless signal, so you don’t need extra clunky equipment. The replacement battery even recharges itself so it’s really low-maintenance. The little round base station thingy sits in front of your equipment so it can pass your signal to the components, you don’t even need to point the remote in it’s direction. It works like a charm. Last night I was able to start the music, move to the next track, and adjust the volume without moving from my mat - no disruption, no discombobulation.

I’ll also add that ordering from Parts Express was easy and shipping was fast (even to Canada). Here’s an opportunity to focus on playing yoga teacher not DJ.

I mix my own CDs for yoga classes. I mix from a huge range of music and then choose a CD for class based on the weather, the mood I’m trying to create, the poses I’m doing and more. But the most important music is what gets played for Savasana. Anyone who has felt an emotional pull from music knows the power of just the right selection to help you enjoy a good yoga glow and melt into the floor.

Here are my current favourites:

Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports - there are only 4 tracks on the album and they’re all good in a non-linear sorta way. I especially like the vocals in 2/1.

Yoga: Music for the Mind Body & Soul - it’s all good mellow yoga music, but I particularly like “Mountain” and it’s a good length for Savasana.

Yoga Rythms - a must-have. It’s lotsa fun for a spirited Vinyasa session and I hope Shiva Rea produces many more. The Peter Kater tune is great.

Hannibal Soundtrack. “Vide Cor Meum” is my absolute favorite classical tune. It builds so beautifully that I just let it play for the last 5 minutes of Savasana without saying a word. Edit out the final sound (what were they smoking?) before you burn it to CD.

Agnes Dei. This is an amazing choral album, and “Miserere” is 14 minutes of wonderfulness that will take you through some slow stretching right into Savasana. On a technical note - this album plays at a very low volume, so either use burning software that will adjust the levels, or avoid mixing it in with alot of other selections that will have you jumping for the volume button.

I downloaded some Tibetan Singing Bowl music from iTunes and used it for Savasana in this week’s classes. I highly recommend giving it a try.

I’ve read stuff about chakra CDs and the like and they say using certain tones can help certain chakras open. The idea is that the sound waves actually absorb into your body and can rearrange your molecules. I put that on my I’ll-have-to-try-that-cause-I’m-not-buying-it-until-I-experience-it-myself list.

But I noticed as we were listening to the singing bowls that I could feel the tones. So I had the class do a couple 3 part breaths and fully relax with each exhale. I got them to focus on their bodies and be open to any sensations they could notice. I asked them to lay as still as possible and notice if they feel the sound waves in their body.

Afterwards they said they could feel the sound. I don’t know if anyone’s molecules were rearranged, but they sure seemed relaxed. It’s worth trying, they’re beautiful.

So let me just step into the confessional here and say - I’m a closet bluegrass fan. My first formative Bluegrass moment happened on a sunny Sunday a.m. at the Vancouver Folk Festival where buddy from Kentucky drawled “We’re not havin’ church, we’ve havin’ bluegrass”. It made no logical sense, but I was with him in spirit.

And then there was the time drinking beer in the funky Adams Morgan area of DC where i looked up, and realized I was listening to dudes play things like the mandolin. It was Bluegrass and I was really liking it. But taking the step to purchase that sweet genre of music was another thing entirely. Where do you start? What if a friend sees you at the till?

But then I heard good things about a trio of Vancouver homegirls called the Be Good Tanyas . I got their Chinatown album and wore it out. There’s nothing better than bittersweet tunes about neighbourhoods you’ve lived in. And then a fave of mine, Sarah Harmer, came out with her bluegrass album, The Mountain and it rocks (figuratively of course).

I’ve used “In Spite of All The Damage” from the Chinatown album to wind down at the end of the yoga class. I wasn’t sure about it, because I always try to find positive music for yoga, and this song is all about relationship trouble. When someone in class said they really liked the song I confessed I’d had doubts about using it for yoga.

But the class decided that it’s ok, it’s not sad, it’s Bluegrass.

Good yoga music is so important right? In my yoga teacher training my teacher said “be really careful with the music” which meant, play some safe chanting during Savasana but otherwise skip it. I’m more of a music person though, to me, if it’s the *right* music it adds and doesn’t distract. And of course a decent sound system is important too

I discovered a great yoga CD at the last yoga conference - Rasa: Mello. It’s perfect forVinyasa, it has some nice beats. It’s nice soulful interesting diverse music. There’s a great track with Demi Moore doing some spoken word that got lots of replays when I had the CD in the car.

I noticed on Amazon that someone wrote that the album didn’t have enough edge to it - but that’s what makes it perfect for yoga. It’s just interesting enough to stand out but when you’re focusing on something else it just flows over you.

I notice there’s a whole series of ‘Rasa’, here’s hoping they hold to the same standard!