Trip Hop is electronic music mixed with Trance, Techno & Hip Hop elements. It is perfect for people who like upbeat music but don't enjoy listening to the top 100 while they practice. If lyrics in music distract you or your class, you can find many trip hop artists who use very few words, if any, in their compositions. Here are a few of my favorites.
Group: Little People/ Album: Mickey Mouse Operation
Everybody has those days were they mentally want to practice yoga and know that they will feel great afterwords but the physical body is dragging a bit. Below are a few ways to give yourself a kick start.
Caffeine: There is a huge debate about coffee being a drug and a crutch and its effects on the adrenal glands. Okay. I get it. However, people have been drinking coffee for eons and they don't end up zombies, strung out prostitutes or in rehab because of it. Coffee gets the job done. Period.
Music: Instant mood lifter. Don't limit yourself to "yoga" music. Put on your favorite artist that make you wanna dance and bop your head and do your yoga practice to it.
Pranayama: Breathing oxygenates and energizes our cells while pushing out carbon dioxide and other toxins. Ujjayi, Kapalabhti, and Bhastrika pranayamas are fabulous breathing techniques for lifting energy in the body.
The need for speed: Faster paced asana practices like Power, Ashtanga, and other Vinyasa(flow) derivatives are sequenced to increase prana(energy and life force) in the body.
Just Move and Breathe:Don't give the mind time to spin the "I'm tired" story. Just breathe and move. Don't stop. Just flow and before you know it the hour or so is up.
Fuel: Even though eating and even drinking in some forms of yoga is prohibited before practice, sometimes the body just needs a little fuel to get over the slump. The fatigue may be the bodies cries for nutrients. A few glasses of water and a light nutritious snack just might do the trick.
Pick Me Ups w/ no Caffeine: Many people get a surge of energy from electrolytes, Vitamin C/B12 infused powders and waters, multi-vitamins, Kombucha etc
Just Get On Your Mat: Whatever you do, just get on your mat. Do something. If you are serious about having a dedicated, consistent yoga practice, you have to make it happen. Getting on the mat is the first step.
How Do You Power Up For Your Yoga Practice?
Video of the Day:The Effect of Ujjayi Pranayama On The "Lightness" of the body
The gifts below do double duty. They can help your yoga practice and help you and your partner have a wonderful Valentine's day as well.
1. Seamless Underwear-Yoga pants are super tight and show all your nooks and crannies. For those who don't want to go commando, seamless underwear are a comfortable and cute option and also can be used to kick up the sexy in the bedroom. Victoria's Secret has great options at many different price points.
2. Hot Yoga Shorts-Super cute and flattering. I always admire those people with the confidence to wear these in class. If you are not one of those, you can wear them in the bedroom. These are from Shakti Activewear
3. Music
Many genres of music can be used in yoga and for cuddles in bed after yoga. Trip Hop, R&B and Jazz usually fit the bill. Try Massive Attack, Melody Gardot and Jill Scott. If your lover doesn't have an MP3 player throw in an I-pod as well.
4. Aromatherapy- Aromatherapy uses essential oils to create health, healing and relaxation. Oils like Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood and Patchouli are sensual where as oils like lavender are calming. Frankincense is an essential oil associated with spirituality and centering. They smell great and can be mixed into massage oils, bath water and diffused into the air for date night and used in cool clothes for your eyes during Svasana or diffused in the air during practice or meditation.
5. Share a Yoga Package-Yoga increases stamina, focus, strength, flexibility and overall mental well being. All these are helpful in everyday life as well as the bedroom.
6. Massage- Since they both relax the mind and the muscles, yoga and massage are two therapies that go hand and hand and benefit each other. For a really intimate experience, you can use music and aromatherapy and give each other massages. Many yoga studios promote couples yoga and massage workshops and packages around Valentine's day that are affordable and fun as well.
Video of the Day: Another sexy yoga song. Set The Fire To the Thrid Bar by Snow
I learned the Mangala Mantra a few years back and I love its message of peace. After hearing Pattabhi Jois do it, I do realize my pronunciation needs a bit of work. It roughly translates into:
Gist: May the merits of my yoga practice [or other such action] benefit the entire world.
Literal: May the leaders of this earth Protect the welfare of all generations By keeping to the path of virtue. May the religious, and all peoples be forever blessed, May the whole of all the worlds be happy.
Jai Uttal has a new album out called Thunder Love which I have purchased and so far so good. The album is a mix of old and new school yoga sounds. Many of the songs mix chanting and traditional Indian instruments with English lyrics and modern soft rock elements. Great for a yoga class that enjoys mid-tempo music. Also good for transitioning from between fast ans slow elements of a power yoga class.
Here is a video from his newest album. For more info on Jai Uttal, read my post on yoga music.
Many people use music in their yoga practice. How about Hip Hop? Below are my favorite Hip Hop Songs for yoga. If you use these to teach a class, make sure you get the clean versions.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I know allot of people get new I-pods for christmas so I wanted to suggest some great music for yoga. Granted, I listen to this stuff all the time but everyone knows I am a yoga geek.
Traditional Influence
These artists use sounds,lyrics and voice intonations that are influenced from more traditional eastern music. If you are a teacher, you may have to educate your students so they are comfortable with the terminologies that are taken from hinduism. Just as many parents pick names for their children based on their meanings, many words used in traditional music invoke the attributes of the name and not necessarily the deity.
Jai Utal
While he has done albums that are non-traditional, my favorites are these below.
Whenever I play Asa in my yoga classes, people always come up to me and ask me about her music. She is a Nigerian singer with a beautiful unique voice and positive lyrics.
You will not see her all over MTV or hear her on your radio because she is not talking about cars,sex, clothes and jewels and she doesn't use an auto tune. She isn't half naked with a long weave, big breasts or a huge butt. So if you like this, support her by buying her albums on I-Tunes, Amazon or wherever you buy your music.
Okay, so I know you probably don't want to hear anymore about songs but I had to write about this one. It is another one that I listen to when I get down. It is called We Made It by Busta Rymes and Linkin Park.
It is like the modern day version of the Jefferson's theme song, "We Move'n On Up. Well okay, maybe that is a stretch but it talks about Busta's and Linkin Park's struggle to meet there goal and the chorus is so victorious when they both exclaim that they made it.
I always talk about being in the present moment and being happy where you are now but I realize that is a hard pill to swallow. Sometimes you look around and everything that could have went wrong, has gone wrong. It is a delicate balance to have hopes and dreams but yet to stay rooted in the moment.
The best way to deal with this is to act as if you have it right now. When you say , "I made it" picture it right now. Feel the emotions of it now. The mistake is to always frame things in the future. "One day it will happen" or "one day I will make it". You want to visualize yourself having it right now and slowly you start to be more aware of things in your environment that take you closer to your vision.
Okay, so back to the song. Here are my favorite lyrics:
When it all got started we was steadily just getting rejected And it seemed like nothing we could do would ever get us respected At best we were stressed and the worst they probably said we're pathetic Had all the pieces to that puzzle just no way to connect it And I was fighting through every rhyme tightening up every line Never resting the question if I was out of my mind And it finally came time to do it or let it die So put the chips on the table and told 'em to let it ride Sing it!
Together we made it (you see we did it did it) We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall (c'mon) Forever we waited (haha!) And they told us we were never going to get it but we took it on the road (to the riches) on the road (to the ghetto) on the roooooad (in the projects to this bangin instrumental) on the road (ride with me) on the road (you come and get it) on the roooooooad
My favorite part of this is where he talks about having all the pieces of the puzzles just no way to connect it. I have felt this way plenty of times. Have you?
Also he mentioned that "forever he waited". I do believe that sometimes it just isn't the right time for certain things to happen and we have to be patient. It is like saying you want to be a brain surgeon but you haven't graduated from high school yet. Sometimes there are a set of skills or events that need to happen and you have to be patient. That is one of the things that I struggle with. I want everything now and I don't like waiting. However, it doesn't matter if I like it because I still have to wait and I have to figure out how to be in the present moment and deal with it. Anyway, below is the video:
