One of my favorite things to do at places like Whole Foods (sometimes the CD listening station is tucked away so you have to look for it), Kripalu, Omega or the retail in a yoga studio is to put on headphones and listen to some of the music they are selling. One of my main tasks when I am at Kripalu is to plunk myself down and go through dozens of CDs and then only let my self buy my favorite 10%.
Just so you understand part of my leanings, if a CD has a lot of slow-moving and then fast tempo songs I tend to discard those, even if I really dig them since I want to have one consistent mood when I am teaching and don't have to get up and change the music....I just find that disruptive for myself. I tend to stay away from stuff that has loud bells or chimes in the middle of a long tranquil spell since it breaks the mood. It's hard to hold half-moon pose when all of a sudden you hear a clanging, "GONG". I also stay away from music that is heavy on spoken vocals, since that can also be distracting. Ambient music with a consistent tone tends to work best. Often, my students come up to me after class and ask what the music was, so I know I am on track with finding the right tunes.
Most of the music works well for other things like massage and other spiritual activities and some of them are just slow and sensual and great for just chilling and romancing. if you don't like hearing someone chant Oooooommmmm for a full hour when you are practicing then you can check these out. I don't tend to do a lot of ooooommmming in my classes. I teach a lot of beginners and worried this might be scary for them. I once had a co-worker a few years ago was that she liked doing yoga but stopped going to classes since she hated oooommmmming. I like oooommmmming myself, but can appreciate the non-hippy that is wierded out by this ritual in class. I wonder why they never play music in a Bikram class?
So here is my list, in no particular order.
Deva Premal and Miten. For long-time yogis they will come as no surprise. For those newer to yoga, they have a soulful and sensual way of chanting ancient mantras. I have played this for lots of non-yogis when I was just chilling at home and they commented on how beautiful and soothing the music is. I think my favorite song is "There is so Much Magnificence".....I contemplated playing this at our wedding reception. There is a deep healing quality to their songs and they seem to be very therapeutic whenever I am going through "stuff".
The Gift of Love. Deepak Chopra. I worked at the Chopra Center for a year and was exposed to some really great stuff. There are actually a few different sets. I like them all. A lot of this music is fairly sensual as well and most of it is in English. Nice, modern beats to it. This CD works better for just chill hang out music since there are some spoken vocals on it that can be distracting.
Ekova - This usually would not come up in a Yoga class. These beats are faster moving and funkier...they feel almost african at times since there are some deep rhythmic beats in some songs. I wouldn't recommend this for massage but for a a more vigorous yoga class.
Spa Sonique - Don't let the overly feminine cover with purple flowers scare you (for men). This has some very beautiful beats, great for massage or a romantic night as well.
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Throughout her 15 year yoga practice and teachings, Jasmine Kaloudis has experienced how yoga is a tool which allows us to experience our selves more fully and more richly.
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