To Rock or Not To Rock: That is the Yoga Question by Kelly Kamm


T


hese days most yoga instructors consider their iPod one of their most important possessions. Many


teachers panic when their iPod breaks and they are faced with the prospect of teaching an entire class with no music. But some of my favorite classes that I have both taken and taught were without music. So what’s the right answer? Certainly Krishnamacharya (the great pioneer


of Vinyasa yoga) was not blasting Jay-Z and Aeros- mith when he taught sun salutations. I can’t even imagine what he would think of us doing that now. But we have to take into consideration that we, as Americans of the 21st century, are not the same as Indians of the 1930s. They came from a culture that was much more entrenched in spirituality and religion than most of us and many of them were familiar with meditation from a very young age. For many of us, it’s not easy to face ourselves in silence, so the music in yoga class can help to make people more comfortable with the practice and maybe invite a wider audience than there would be without music. Besides that, the musical phrasing and flow can help many students to focus.


Music also has the power to unite and inspire people


as a group. When we’re doing challenging sun salutations, a little Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen can fire us up in a way that the teacher’s directions cannot. To see a whole class of people rolling through their warrior poses singing “Born to Run” in unison...that’s a beautiful thing. In the same way, coming into a back-bending sequence while something gor- geous and classical is building to crescendo can open your heart in ways that you never thought possible. There are few things in this world that can as effectively bring you into the present moment like music can. The other side of the coin is that the music can also take


your attention away from your body and your breath. All day long we are bombarded with noise and stimulation, and here we are in yoga class getting more of the same. You’re enjoying your ujayii breath and a song suddenly comes on that you just can’t stand. There goes your mind, thinking about that awful ex-boyfriend or that dreadfully rainy tropi- cal vacation. Perhaps as we become more skilled at our yoga practice, when we no longer need the music to coax us into quiet, it is a good idea to turn off the stereo once in a while and come face-to-face with the contents of our mind. The bottom line is that teaching yoga is like creating a


work of art, and it is up to the teacher how to do that and best get their message across. Teachers that choose to use music are undertaking quite a task. Just setting the iPod to


natural awakenings October 2011 21


“shuffle” and letting it play will not suffice. The teachers with the best playlists are the ones who treat them with as much respect as they do the asa- nas (poses). They understand that music sets a mood and can stir up different emotions, so they craft their music in a way that honors their own intention as the teacher. They know when to turn it up, when to turn


it down, and when to turn it off altogether. Most importantly, they know that you can’t please every-


body all the time, so they follow their heart and choose tunes that resonate with and inspire them personally. If you have never practiced (or taught) without music, I challenge you to try it. Yoga is all about shaking things up and letting go of the habits and ideas that keep us ‘stuck’.


Kelly Kamm is the owner and director of Happy Buddha Yoga at 2 North Church Street,


Goshen. She teaches creative and challenging vinyasa flow yoga, both with rock n’ roll and without. For more informa- tion, go to happybuddhayoga.com.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48