Music Love

For many, music is a big part of their yoga practice. In our previous issue, we interviewed NYC yoga teacher Sheri Celentano about creating playlists for her classes, and her love of music. In this issue we invited Sheri to share with us three teachers who inspire her, and share what music means to them. You can also check out the playlists they have shared on our website yogalovemagazine.com.

J Miles 

• Mahavirarva.com
• Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes?
I was trained at Integral, and they didn’t use music in class at the time. I started using music while teaching yoga at a fitness center. You needed something to drown out the noise from the other parts of the building, like the music from the group exercise classes, and all the random conversations going on right outside the door. So reason number one was out of necessity. Reason number two is the right music creates the bhav, the right mood, and the right mood makes for a great class. Number three: I just like exposing folks to good music. I choose to continue using music because we are in contemporary times, and folks come to asana class not just to connect to their bodies, but to be uplifted as well. Good music does that.

House music and dance is a part of who you are. How do you think this genre (which I love love love too) lends a hand to yoga class? As a teacher and a student?
House music is universal. House is a spiritual thing, and so to me, it lends itself to a spiritual practice. The “Jack Ya Body” moves from the heart, and so it is a heart-based movement. A deep groove will put anyone who hears it into a deeper state of mind. As a student who loves good music with his asana, the beat of house music puts me in rhythm. As a teacher, I wanna love the music I play. And I’m a house head through and through.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
I have a playlist dedicated to love. Each song either has love in the title, or love in the lyrics. I’m not talking about dating app love. I’m talking about something you feel in your soul, and makes you shake your head and smile with your eyes closed.

Tell us about your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this plays into your musical choices.
I’m a country boy at heart, a true southerner with big city vibes. I am a hippie at my core. I am a truth seeker, and holder of Grandmama wisdom. I grew up in an era where the afro gave way to the geri curl, to boxes and fades, to gumbies, to caesar’s. I grew up listening to gospel, soul, and hip hop, but also rock and roll, and most importantly, my mother singing. My journey, in life and in yoga, started when I realized that I had potential. The music I play is simply a reflection of my life-journey.

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?
DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, El Buho, Osunlade. You could create a pretty good playlist using these artists.

Do you put any boundaries on what you will or will not play in a class? 
No excessive use of the n-word, the f-word, the p-word, the b-word or the d-word. No over or overtly sexualized lyrics. No violence or killing. Sometimes the curse words are artistic, or reflect how people who love each other speak when the guards are down. I don’t play anything that’s too distracting. I don’t ever want to lose sight of why we showed up to a “yoga” class to begin with.

If you have any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes, what would it be? 
Know your audience. My Ayurveda teacher Anjali Sunita has this saying: “For who and when”. The genres do matter. Otherwise, find music you love that makes you feel something, and share that. Also, make your playlist a little shorter than the actual class length. This will give you space for any dharma talk, and allow you to begin and end in silence.

Ashish Arora 

• Ashish.yoga
• Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes?                                                                                                                                                                I find most people take the poses (just like their life) a little too seriously. Nothing wrong with being serious, but I want them to realize that it is a choice they make. Taking classes with music makes me want to dance—sometimes even do. I want to open my classes to people in a similar way; it can help build a rhythm to the flow. I love classes that slowly lift you up, feel alive and then start to draw you back inwards towards the end, to reflect.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
Self-love is very much an aspect of seeking a connection within. I would bring in a little more upbeat music leading into some which might lead them towards finding a light within.

Share with us your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this plays into your musical choices.
The music I grew up to definitely influences the music I choose to play in my classes now. I usually play more Sanskrit music or classical with a few Bollywood songs thrown in, and I rarely play contemporary English songs. I grew up in India with Hindi as my mother tongue, and I grew up listening to Bollywood and Indian classical music. I grew up to yogic philosophies and the scriptures, and I had 5 years of schooling in Sanskrit. I only ever did a limited amount of asana in elementary school. I moved to the US when I was 24, and worked as an engineer in the tech world.  and my very sedentary job brought me to Austin, Texas. After having my second child, I realized that I needed to start taking better care of my health if I wanted to be a supportive dad. I worked at Nintendo at the time, and they had just built a new building with a gym. Once I started power yoga classes there, I felt really connected back to my culture, and I did a YTT in the same year. I quit tech completely in 2016, and have been a full-time yoga teacher since.

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?

DJ Drez
Anoushka Shankar
Krishna Das

Any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes?
Start by thinking about why you want to use music. Think about why you like practicing to music, and remember that it is a yoga class. Consider spaces for silence at times, with a focus on breath. New teachers can feel the need to “choreograph” their sequence exactly to a playlist. Don’t forget that

Julia Karp

• yo-bk.com
• Link to playlist on Spotify

Can you give me 3 reasons why you use music in your yoga classes? 
I use music to help support my class theme and create a perceptible mood. Some days I’ll focus on a particular genre (usually funk, jazz, r&b, house) and other days it’s a mix of whatever I’m vibing to! In a vinyasa class, I use the playlist to evoke a feeling that can transcend the physical practice— – this is what yoga is all about. Music has the ability to shift energy, draw awareness to certain feelings, and create a collective experience. Yoga and music are cathartic, and together they can create a significant emotional release! 

You teach different movement modalities. Do they each influence what your musical choices are like for each class?
I mostly teach power vinyasa, restorative vinyasa, and HIIT Pilates. When I’m planning a class, I typically start with the playlist and let it determine the movement. For yoga, I’ll choose mostly ambient, beat-based tracks to induce a state of trance, and for fitness classes I go all out hip-hop, Latin trap, soca, dance pop, you name it! Anything to stay moving and stay motivated. 

The theme of this issue is LOVE. How does love play a part in your musical choices? If you were to base a class with an intention around love, how would that influence your playlist?
If I am teaching a class with lots of heart opening postures, I’ll usually throw in a couple of ‘80s classics (think Foreigner “I Wanna Know What Love Is”) or something recognizable. There is no harm in getting a little corny, especially during fiery moments of class! Normally, I’m not so heavy on the lyrics, but there are too many great love songs out there that can really embellish the theme. 

Tell us about your background, your journey into yoga teaching, and how this pays into your musical choices.
I started practicing the Sivananda style (no music, go figure) on a stay in South India. My first 200-hour teacher training was in bhakti vinyasa, which focused on the Yoga Sutras, followed by power vinyasa which is more fitness-based. I live in Brooklyn, New York, but have traveled all over for training and teaching gigs, picking up new artists and genres along the way. My music library is primarily NOT in English, and I find that suitable for most yoga playlists. While most western practitioners will not connect with chanting Kirtan, I think the right music (powerful, melodic, instrumental) can produce the same “high”. 

Three artists you would love to shout out that you use often for class?
Sault, Mo Horizons, Manu Dibango – I’ll play any song they’ve ever recorded. Some music was meant for yoga. 

Any advice for a new teacher who wants to use music in their classes?
Play what you love! Students will notice when a song is chosen with love and intention. My music choices have led to so many post-class conversations with students who share the same passion for great tunes, and I will always throw in an ‘Easter egg’ of a song or two for those I know are listening. Music is one of the best ways to connect with others, so don’t be afraid to show who you are.