Since the dawn of civilization, humans have used music as a way of connecting to their spirit and community. Music has been a central part of our civilization and has always had the power to move — and even change — us.
Often we can put on a piece of music and find that it changes our emotional feeling. So what is it that is changed? Some are more tuned in to these changes than others. I grew up with music. My grandmother was a classical pianist and she would often visit and play for hours. I was also classically trained.
There was something so connective about growing up with various forms of music and dance for me. Something about music with a strong primal drum beat moves me. Now I play songs in my yoga class and create a specific class called “Fire” which is a mashup of classical yoga and high-intensity training. The music is a central part of this class.
All my classes have music that is crafted to the experience of the participants. It’s essential to the movement experience. However, just creating a playlist of music that you like for a yoga class doesn’t necessarily work. I find the music used with a yoga class needs to be a blend of instrumental and those with vocals. This helps the music act as a guide for how the yoga movement will feel.
For ideas on the type of music that works, go to my Spotify playlist.
Music also plays an important role in hiking, though the songs are usually upbeat. One song I love, particularly when I’m fatigued is by Snap, “The Power”. Others are “It’s Tricky” by Run DMC, “I Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas and “A Little Respect” by Erasure.
It’s important to have your own playlist that you can pull out when you feel less than stellar. Remember music is a fundamental part of spirit expression.
Resources:
- Check out: movementbylara.com
- Instagram: @lara.heimann
- Facebook: facebook.com/movementbylara
