Until recently, there were three choices for practicing yoga—in dead silence, or accompanied with chanting or Tibetan singing bowls. That was it. There was no reverse warrior to ragtime music in the 20’s or rocking out to Cyndi Lauper in child’s pose in the 80’s. But as yoga moves into the 21st century, practitioners have started to think outside the box when it comes to yoga soundtracks. Realising that you can still keep the tradition of yoga alive while practicing to modern music, a growing number of yogis are opting to tune in while they bliss out.
Data from Spotify shows there’s been an 11% increase in yoga playlist streams year-over-year—and why not? Not only can accompanying yoga with music help keep it fun and interesting, it can also improve your performance.“There is a growing interest globally on the impact certain music has on performance,” says Dr. Amanda Krause, a psychologist and Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne, Australia, who specializes in the social and applied psychology of music.
“We refer to it in the industry as ‘musical fit,’ where the type of music you feel ‘fits’ an activity creates an impact on the way you physically react,” Amanda continues. “A person’s judgment of musical fit relates to their listening preferences, environment, and goal for certain practices,” Amanda continues “For example, with yoga, the variety of music is chosen with regard to how it helps timing, focus, and motivation, which in turn enhances your overall performance.”
So, what exactly are people listening to while they practice yoga? Well, in collaboration with Stylerunner, Spotify has crunched the numbers—and some of the songs may surprise you! Keep scrolling for 20 of the most common tracks on yoga playlists across the world.
1. Kendrick Lamar – LOVE. FEAT. ZACARI.
2. Halsey – Now Or Never
3. Post Malone – I Fall Apart
4. Khalid – Location
5. Bob Marley and The Wailers – Is This Love
6. Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton – Say Something
7. Future ft. Rihanna – Selfish
8. The xx – Intro
9. Coldplay – Fix You
10. José González – Heartbeats
11. Sia – Breathe Me
12. ODESZA – Kusanagi
13. Leon Bridges – River
14. Rae Sremmurd – Do Yoga
15. Florence and the Machine – Shake It Out
16. Van Morrison – Into The Mystic
17. Ryan Adams – Wonderwall
18. Andra Day – Rise Up
19. Pearl Jam – Just Breathe
20. The Lumineers – Stubborn Love
