Gayatri Mantra by Denise Leicester and Tabla Tom Simenauer.Let’s Go Out Tonight by Craig Armstrong.Opening Prayers by Hari Pyari and the Natural Mystics.Menla Mantra Part II by Jonathan Goldman.The Nest That Sailed The Sky by Peter Gabriel.Closing Prayers by Hari Pyari and the Natural Mystics.The Journey by Denise Leicester and Tabla Tom Simenauer.Sri Argala Stotram / Show Me Love by Krishna Das.Departing the Sacred by Jonathan Goldman.Durge Durge by Hari Pyari and the Natural Mystics.Jai Ananda Maya Ma Jai Amma by Narayani and Jason Kalidas.Entering The Sacred by Jonathan Goldman.The Great Peace Part 1 by Rafael Szaban.Aham by Hari Pyari and the Natural Mystics.Devi Puja by Baird Hersey & Prana with Krishna Das.But there are themes – each playlist is chosen to be appropriate for a different ‘term’ or time of year. There are few recognisable beats, dramatic changes in tone or obvious lyrics, because the music has to adapt to whatever I am teaching and how the class feels on a given day. Playlists here are about 90 minutes long, and build from a gentle beginning to more rousing pieces, down to relaxation tracks at the end. Finally, I wouldn’t even know about half of this music if it wasn’t for Phil, who casts an eye over each one when it’s done, with helpful suggestions born of a lifetime’s love of music.
If you already follow me on 8tracks, you might not have noticed that I uploaded 5 new playlists this week for home practice – as my gift to you. They come in three kinds – music for teaching general yoga, music for specific teaching purposes, and music for home practice. You’ll also see who my favourite musicians are – which are the albums or tracks I use again and again.
And if you want to know what the full playlist is, you have to make a note as you go.įor your interest and personal joy today, I wanted to share some of those playlists here, and how I make them. It does mean there are restrictions on what can be uploaded, and what you can do as you’re listening – you can’t skip a lot of tracks, for example. You can listen to my 8tracks playlists even if you don’t own the music yourself – it’s like internet radio with each user being a DJ. When I discovered, it became so much easier to share those playlists with others. And different aims makes for very different playlists. So the playlists I use are carefully chosen, evolving over the years of my personal practice and my teaching. Her ‘ 5 rhythms’ of flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness, have flowered into the many different forms of ecstatic dance practice we enjoy today. All are influenced by the remarkable work of Gabrielle Roth, who sadly died last year. Over the years, I’ve danced with skilled teachers such as Dawn Morgan and Sue Kuhn, Anjali Kaur and Hari Pyari, who use the pace and feel of music to take a group on a journey through ways of moving.
And at times, my ‘yoga’ practice has more in common with the free movement of dance. But I love music, and love the way music can take me into a different place – a different way of moving with my body. When I do my physical practice, the relationship between the two fundamental rhythms of breath and heart set the pace.