Picture this: mountain pose. Feet planted firmly on the mat
feeling, rooted. Gaze either focused or eyes closed. Deep breathing. Arms begin
to raise above the head stretching towards the heavens.
Panda by Desiigner plays in the background.
Most believe that doing yoga involves a “zen” environment,
which includes the type of music that is played. Maybe in the studio the focus
is on sounds of nature or melodic instruments, but it’s important to remember
each yogi has a different practice, and each practice can come with a different
playlist. Each of us have songs with
which our bodies want to move. What I’ve most commonly see is the rise in the number
of yogis doing a flow to trap music, indicating that there is no universal
sound that yogis move to.
There are days when I need to quiet my mind; these are days
when to focus on my breathing and muscles I switch to my “instrumentals”
playlist where no words can distract me. Other days when my emotions feel
chaotic and I have no way to express them I use rock music as a filter while in
High Lunge and Warrior II. Or maybe, as I have now seen quite often with others
on Instagram, while in frog I want to incorporate a little booty poppin and Fi
Di Jockey by Aidonia happens to work perfectly for me. Yoga not only involves
the body and mind, but can hone in on the mentality of the yogi and music
accompanies that mentality.
“But isn’t any other kind of music distracting?” I believe
that when our bodies and minds are connected to the music that we can feel flow
through us, it syncs with our being more than distracts us. One yogi loves
playing Gangster by Kehlani while practicing her headstands because the song
makes her feel empowered and badass and capable of doing many variations of the
pose. And of course, with deviation from the “norm” comes controversy. Some
people believe that individual having yoga classes with this different music
are just trying to “get publicity” or “seek attention.” Others don’t understand
how one could feel at ease or concentrate with any other type of music playing.
But, the point of these “trap yoga” classes or “BeyonSLAY” workshops are to
connect with others who share the same tastes and mindsets and practice. In the
end, it builds on a community that you want to feel part of and in turn offers
support and comradery for others.
Written by Anjé McLish
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