Yoga With Music or in Silence? Erin's Spotify Playlists

If you’ve taken a few of my classes, you’ve probably noticed there’s no music in them. That’s not a philosophy. It’s YouTube. There are a lot of restrictions on music there, which is why you never hear any in my classes.

But I love practicing with music, and I know a lot of you do too. So instead of putting music inside the classes, we put it right next to them, as Spotify playlists you can play in the background while you practice with me.

Woman in a seated yoga pose on a wooden deck above a jungle valley

Where the playlists live

Everything is on our music page. The playlists are mostly designed around class length, so you can pick one that matches the class you’re about to take and press play when we start. They’re grouped like this:

60 minute yoga class playlists
75 minute yoga class playlists
90 minute yoga class playlists
Meditation and mindfulness playlists

On our website the songs play in preview mode until you open them in Spotify, so it’s worth following Five Parks Yoga on Spotify. That way the newest playlists are right there when you roll out your mat.

Some classes also have a playlist made just for them. For my Strength & Balance class, which is all about the balance between effort and ease, I made one called Strength, Steadiness and Ease. The link is in the class description and on a QR code at the start of class, and I tell you when to hit play. I did the same for Soaring & Expanding, the class we filmed to celebrate ten years of Five Parks Yoga. That playlist was built to flow with the movement in that specific class.

When music helps

Music is wonderful when you need a little push. In my Yoga Cardio Sculpt class I tell you right at the start that if you have fun music that makes you want to dance, you should turn it on and turn it up loud. Then halfway through a set of low boat holds I admit that I didn’t have any playing while we filmed, and I wished I did. Learn from me.

It helps on the quiet end too. At the beginning of my Deep Relaxation class I suggest you make your space as relaxing as you can. Maybe that’s some soothing music in the background or a candle. Maybe it’s just clearing the distractions away from your mat. Whatever lets you soften.

And once, a long time ago, we had live music. Back in 2015 we filmed a handful of classes with an acoustic guitar. In the 30 minute Six String Yoga class Matt is sitting just off my mat with his guitar, and the howler monkeys in the tree above us chime in whenever they feel like it. It’s still one of my favorite things we’ve ever filmed.

When silence helps

I don’t want you to think silence is the boring option, though. Some of my favorite practices are almost entirely quiet.

Sun salutations are a good example. Once you learn them, you can practice them in silence, just listening to your breath. In my Sun Salutations class I guide you through them first and then let you practice with me without any cues at all. I’ve practiced them for so long that they have an almost meditative quality for me now, and I think a lot of that comes from doing them quietly.

In my Deep Stretch Flow, filmed in Costa Rica, I’m mostly silent during the holds. I invite you to enjoy the sound of the ocean in the background and let your ujjayi breath match it. That’s the thing silence gives you that music can’t. You can actually hear your breath, and in my classes your breath is the thing I’m always asking you to come back to.

Nature sounds are a nice middle ground. In Planks on the River I tell you to enjoy the sound of the Crystal River in Colorado as you move, and in the same breath I remind you that the playlists are there if you’d rather have music. Both are good answers.

How I’d choose

Here’s my honest take. If you’re having a heavy day and you need help getting out of your head, put on a playlist and let it carry you a little. If you’re working on your breath, or you’re in a slow practice where the point is to notice things, try it in silence first. You can always add music later.

Two practical things. Keep the volume low enough that you can still hear my cues (and your breath). And start the playlist when class starts, because the playlists are built to match the length of a class, not to rush you or leave you hanging.

Practice it with me

Strength & Balance Yoga, Steady and Calm Flow (1h 4m 59s). Comes with its own playlist, Strength, Steadiness and Ease.
Soaring & Expanding, Air Animal Yoga (1h 0m 57s). Our ten year anniversary class, with a custom playlist.
Yoga Cardio Sculpt (45m 46s). Turn the music up loud for this one.
Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class with Live Acoustic Guitar (34m 42s). Matt on guitar, monkeys on backup.
Sun Salutations Yoga (25m 25s). Learn them, then practice them in silence.
Deep Stretch Flow Yoga Class (44m 20s). Mostly quiet holds with the ocean in the background.
Deep Relaxation Yoga Class (32m 44s). Soothing music optional, softness required.

If the playlists and the classes are part of your week, thank you. Five Parks Yoga is supported by people who practice with us, and if you’d like to help keep everything free you can support us here. Now go find a playlist (or don’t) and I’ll see you on your mat.