Map Your Yoga Flow With Music Videos
There are many things to keep in mind when building a playlist for your yoga class. Nothing affects as many regions of your brain as music. Consider the intensity of the flow, whether the songs have words or are solely instrumental, and what stage of the class you are leading. It is common for flow classes to include traditional Indian or meditation music but pop, dance, reggae and rock are becoming increasingly more popular.
Beats increase our heart rate and pain threshold– they tell our bodies to move and to sync to a rhythm, which also releases dopamine in our brain. While some yoga teachers dismiss the music trend as a distraction, others see it as a tool for a stronger practice, for syncing your breath to the beat, or for naturally feeling liveliness during the time on your mat. Incorporating a visual element to your practice can be equally as valuable. Try using music videos with soothing, abstract visuals to relax and focus the minds of your students.
Just as there’s a yoga style for everyone, the style of music played can vary depending on the class. When planning your playlist for class, choose a lighter beat for the beginning of class as students warm up their bodies and begin to focus on their breath. As you move toward the peak of class, more upbeat songs can motivate and push yogis to new levels. Use videos with psychedelic, flowing visuals. The thrumming beats can help keep the breath flowing and guide your class into places they may not normally go. As you begin your cool-down stretch and move to shavasana, choose the most calming of all of the songs used throughout your practice. You want your students to have maximum relaxation after maximum effort and it can be distracting to have a beat bumping heavily in their ears while they are in corpse pose.
Listening to music, especially in a social setting surrounded by others, has also been proven to bring a healing dose of stress relief by lowering the hormone cortisol. Music and yoga can help your students connect to their instructor and their fellow yogis, as well as to the essentials of their own practice: their breath and their body.
If you would like more information about how to get licensed music and music videos for your studio, visit us at https://loop.tv/products/ or contact one of our team members at sales@loop.tv.
