Music - Does it enhance the practice or is it a distraction?

When I was little I watched a lot of movies and I would get lost in their soundtracks. Two in particular that stick out to me are Terminator and Back to the Future. I guess you can figure out how old I am now... Music invokes emotion and when you're empathetic, it brings those characters to life!

I also loved to sing. Give me a ballad or a good pop song in my range, and I'll be on fire! This might sound weird but I would think if I had to choose between loosing my hearing or loosing my sight, I would rather loose my sight. I never want to give up music.

I remember one of the first CDs I bought. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Deja Vu". It was $18 which felt like so much money. When MP3s came around and then the iPod, I felt like I was in heaven. You could buy a single song for $1. $1 didn't seem so bad because I was making a lot more money than I was making when I bought the CSNY album. You could also download CDs to iTunes and upload to the iPod and take them anywhere! I had a contraption in my car because I had a tape deck that allowed me to put in a tape that was connected to an AUX cable and play my iPod. I could listen to anything I wanted without having to carry a huge library of CDs. I soon added the iPod Shuffle to my collection that allowed me to take music on my long runs. There's nothing like running ten miles and listening to the BEST PLAYLIST EVER! I still will, from time to time, here a song and have a fond memory of where a was on a run listening to it. I love music!

When I started teaching Yoga, my priority was to create the playlist. Not the sequence. Not Sanskrit. The playlist. Those early classes had a lot of lyrics and were really loud! Bob Marley, Imagine Dragons, The Who, Chris Cornell, etc. If I tried to teach to those playlists now, I don't think I could do it! I remember one Tuesday night during a hot class, we were transitioning from a vigorous flow on the ground to a standing posture and it came to completion the moment Baba O'Riley began. It was so intense yet unintentional. This happens a lot when I teach. I seem to have a knack for it.

At this time I was still working with iTunes and my options were limited. I had to either use my own library or continue to buy songs. And then... Spotify came along. My world opened up! I started to play with music without lyrics so it would sound more like a soundtrack and less like an exercise class. One of the best features of Spotify is the community component. We can share playlists. My good friend and fellow teacher, Brandi had a gift for making Yoga playlists. She sent me a couple.

When I transitioned to Down Dog Yoga, it was a whole-nother world when it came to the playlists. There was a class titled "Core Beats" that was specific to a curated playlist for Hot Power Yoga. I played what I made and was told by a fellow teacher "Your playlist is too slow." Ouch. Honestly, I liked my playlist but I took his advice and used my friend Brandi's playlists, a lot. While I was employed at DDY, I taught many classes. Most of them to those two playlists. "Beach 2.0 & Maybe Yoga". I know them so well that when I used them, the practice turns into a dance.

Over the years I've added playlists to my rotation. I've been lucky to have someone make me a few that I have not just been used to teach with but I've run many miles to as well. I found myself really leaning on them as a crutch and if the speaker were to ever go out, as it does, it would be detrimental to my teaching. Why? Why do I need music? Why is it so important? It didn't take too long to realize I was hiding behind it. I was afraid that people would see me. What if they saw me?! Soon enough the studio speaker became so unreliable that I had to learn to be seen.

I got to point in my teaching where I wanted to teach without music. It opened my eyes to how much less energy it took to teach when I wasn't competing with the music. I slowed down because I wasn't connected to the beat. I even felt moved to offer some hands on assists. There was a balance to be found. I also enjoy teaching with just drum beats. I've learned that the beat of the music determines the class plan. I don't walk into the class with much of a plan. I have my Baptiste Power Yoga foundation. You know will begin with integration and sun salutations. From there, the music will lead us.

Today I toggle between 10 or so playlists. Each one has it's on intention. It's a feeling more than a description. You can find them on Spotify here