Searching for new healing yoga music? Your practice has the potential to reach deeper levels when you find the perfect song. This roundup of top healing songs will give your plenty of options to find the best music for yoga that heals, transcends, and relaxes your entire body. I invite you to explore the songs below!
How Music Deepens Your Yoga Practice
Music is much more than something you sing along to in your car. For many of us, it’s a way to express and navigate through emotions without directly speaking about them. This is similar to your yoga practice. Combining the two can provide a more profound class that takes you to deeper levels of relaxation you otherwise couldn’t have reached.
There’s also wonderful news for trauma survivors. This review explores how music has been used to reduce stress and treat PTSD through music therapy. It also discusses music’s impact on you while you listen, with benefits that include:
- Activating the part of your brain involved in reward, pleasure, and emotional processing
- Reduces production of cortisol (stress hormone)
I invite you to only include music in your practice if you find it beneficial to your healing journey.
To combine the benefits of yoga with the benefits of music can transform a class, but only if it promotes relaxation. Certain instruments and nature sounds may be triggering for trauma survivors, so trauma-informed yoga excludes music from classes.
Why Trauma-Informed Yoga Excludes Music In Classes
Trauma- informed yoga does not include music.
Certain noises from instruments, animals, and nature can be triggering for certain individuals. This way of teaching takes extra precautions to avoid unnecessary triggers to create more safety and relaxation on your mat.
Related Post: Trauma-Informed Yoga: Exactly How These 6 Pillars Support Sexual Trauma Survivors
Does this mean you can’t include music in your yoga class?
The ultimate takeaway of trauma-informed yoga is: It’s your practice. If you like music, then I welcome you to include it. If you don’t, then no worries. I invite you to respect the space of others if you take a live online or in-person class. You can mute yourself online, and you can always add music if you prefer to practice on your own.
Why would I create a list of music and songs if I teach trauma-informed yoga?
In short: I wanted to provide the opportunity for students who love music and find it beneficial to their practice to have options. I still exclude music from my online classes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add some in the background. It’s always your practice and your choices.
Who Are These Yoga Songs For?
These songs and artists are perfect for students and teachers to include in classes. You can also use these for more than yoga and include them for:
- Post workout stretch routines
- Meditations
- Any time you crave a relaxing, mindfulness break
Best Music For Yoga: Top 10 Healing Songs
This list includes my favorite songs that I’ve researched and compiled over the years to craft the best music for yoga. I’ve used these in yoga classes before teaching trauma-informed yoga and during my personal practice and meditations.
A few of these come from podcasts because they are longer, meaning you can set your music without worrying about an abrupt end to your song.
I’ve listed the best song for each type of practice, and I welcome you to explore as many as you choose.
Top 10 Best Songs For Your Yoga Practice
1. Song: Weightless – Marconi Union
- Length: 8 minutes
- Song Qualities: Slow, ambient, gentle
- Best for: Savasana, reducing anxiety
They say to save the best for last, but if there’s one song I’d recommend above all others, it’s this one. This eight minute song is scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. This study found Weightless to be more relaxing than receiving a massage.
If you find it difficult to settle into your trauma-informed savasana, this song may be the hidden gem to soften your body.
2. Song/Podcast Episode: Soft Piano & Guitar Music For Stress Relief Calm Music, Beautiful Relaxing Music – Meditation Self
- Length: 1 hour, 24 minutes
- Song Qualities: Slow, repetitive guitar and string instruments to accompany a slightly energetic flow.
- Best for: Hatha yoga classes
I love the soft guitar and strings in this song. This was my go-to when I taught in-person, non trauma-informed classes because of the length and how it worked with energetic and gentle flows.
3. Song: Restfulness – Zion Llama
- Length: 2 minutes, 55 seconds
- Song Qualities: Deep aura with gentle, slow piano.
- Best for: Yin Yoga Classes
I find this song allows me to settle into each pose a little deeper. Yin yoga is a practice where you slowly settle into the posture and discover more space over time. A song like this encourages deeper relaxation into your yin yoga practice.
4. Song: Happy – Owen Phillips
- Length: 2 minutes, 57 Seconds
- Song Qualities: Upbeat, energizing and a steady, faster drumming beat
- Best for: Peak of Vinyasa Classes
This song is best used during the peak of your vinyasa class, right before settling into your cooldown to motivate and uplift your mood when you’re deep into your flow. It’s the most high energy song of this list.
5. Song: Recovery – Inner purpose
- Time: 3 minutes, 12 seconds
- Qualities: Blend of water and subtle instruments for a truly zen experience
- Best for: Any practice you need gentle ambiance with hints of nature
I love a good nature-infused song (but without loud birds). If you love the sound of water (think of a gentle river or light rain more than a waterfall), then this song is definitely for you. I’d highly recommend this if you love meditating or relaxing in a warm bath.
6. Your Preference of Color Noise – Any Artist
- Best For: Meditations (If you’re easily distracted by outside noises or want less external distractions)
What is color noise? You may have heard of white noise, that static sound to blend out outside noise. There are other colors of noise, including green, brown, pink, and blue.
Each color produces a slightly different effect, but it mainly comes down to what you prefer best (I like green.) I invite you to explore different versions and see which one you like best.
There are loads of places to find your version of color noise that are free to listen to. Any artist for this works.
7. Song/Podcast Episode: Spiritual Reset, Deep Healing Meditation For Increasing Concentration – Meditation Self
- Length: 1 hour, 24 minutes
- Song Qualities: This song keeps the same level of calm, meaning you won’t have any large peaks that could distract your practice. It includes soft wind instruments and a low hum in the background.
- Best for: Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga uses lots of props and promotes complete relaxation with little to no muscular effort. This song matches that energy, allowing you to settle deeper into your gentle sequence.
8. Song: Spa Relaxation – Hang Drum Music, the Hang Drum Project, Spa
- Length: 2 minutes, 28 seconds
- Song Qualities: Light, soft drumming with smooth transitions. It’s subtle enough to create a perfectly calm atmosphere.
- Best For: Subtle background music for beginning or ending a yoga class.
I welcome you to add this to the beginning or end of class because of the soft, slightly energetic sound. You won’t settle too deep into your practice too quickly, but it’s still calming enough to bring more ease and relaxation.
9. Song: 396 Hz (Muladhara) – Restwaves: Sounds For Sleep
- Time: 1 min, 0 seconds
- Song Qualities: Steady with one background wave-like, noise and no additional instruments.
- Best For: Grounding Practices
This one minute song is all you need for a quick check-in to bring focus to your grounding, root chakra. Your practices don’t need to be an hour long to discover a more grounded, rested state.
10. Song: Slowly Homeward – Owen Phillips
- Time: 2 minutes, 35 seconds
- Song Qualities: Even tempo and slow with light background instruments.
- Best For: Breathwork with counting breaths
The tempo of this song is perfect for counting breathwork. I welcome you to explore inhaling to a count of your choosing with the beat, and exhale the same number (I prefer a count of four for this song). Tip: Inhale for longer than your exhale to energize. Exhale for longer than your inhale to calm. These two and a half minutes are all you need for a quick breathwork practice.
Related Post: Breathwork To Release Trauma: 3 Healing Trauma-Informed Practices You Can Do Anywhere
Overview
What ultimately determines the best yoga class playlist for your practice is what makes you feel best. These songs are a perfect starting point whether you wish to explore more concentration, focus, and relaxation.
I welcome you to pair your new playlist with the absolute best yoga props in the blog post below.
Related Post: 6 Best Yoga Props For Beginners: Ultimate Guide
