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I occasionally play music during some of my classes, and often prefer to do my own practice with music, but I'm getting a little jaded with my current yoga cd collection.

anyone have any ideas for new suitable background or inspiring music for me? I usually prefer fairly chilled out amospheric stuff which is not too distracting, but please....NO pan-pipes or whale songs or Enya! (Enough already!!!)

I also love chanting or mantra ones set to music, again not too intrusive, but calm and meditative.

Share your top 10 if you can, and I'l dig out some of my faves too if people are interested.
Tantraboy

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I like your question, Tantraboy!! I am really interested to see other people's favorites. I like Lama Gyurme's chanting, Karunesh - 'Heart Chakra meditation', Krishna Das - 'Door of Faith', Osho, Oliver Shanti and Yanni - 'In my time'. And Deva Premal, of course!

I love Kausthub Desikachar chanting Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. I find the pace great to practice to and it's not intrusive.

This is very apt thread as I was having a conversation with some yogie friends about just this on Monday . They recommended the following (I've not heard them all so don't quote me on this...)

Sacred Earth (as good to practice to)
Devine Devotion
Shamanic Dreaming 1& 2 by Anugama (good for savasana/relaxation)
The Essence - Deva Primal

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Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports is about 45 minutues of sparse piano arpeggios sometimes with soothing synthesised sighing. I play this for very slow, deep yogging. But beware: it's so relaxing you may sleep or space out instead.

Akira Rabelais' Benediction is a whole cd of ethereal, pulsing, jingle-jangling. Again this may either electrify you or send you into a mind-massaging trance. Or both. In any case, I can't recommend this too highly.

These albums are not specifically yoga-designated, and may be more personal than the generic Enya/pipes/whales experience, so I suggest trying them out at home before letting loose on a class.

Hi Diddiddiddle, I like where you are coming from, and I must get the Brain Eno one. I also recommend "Apollo" by him. Good to see some different stuff from the hackneyed "classics"

Yogatea: Shamanic Dream 1 is SOooo much better than No.2 which just sounds like an inferior remix.

some of my faves:
David Darling: "Cello" slow, mystical; flowing solo 'cello. A couple of tracks are a bit doscordant (no. 3 and 7) but the rest complement a soulful practice, earthy to help you dig deep and feel your roots.

El Hadra, the Mystik dance: by Klaus Wiese (one long sufi-like pulse chord. Hypnotic but rhythmic.) you will be so focused with this,

Savasana by Wah! (music to swoon to!)
Dakshina by Deva Premal is also lovely (track 1 flute solo would make anyone weep.)
Matriarch (iriquois women's songs) by Joanne Shenandoah is gorgeous a capella woman chants and (red) indian songs
Krishna Das "Door of Faith" always gets me, especially last track (God is real/Hare Ram)

Richard Freeman: Yoga chants. Great for purists and non-purists alike.
Mantras from Tibet by Sarva-Antah Sooth the soul, free the heart.
I often practice to some gregorian chant CD's too. Feels nice to mix up the cultures, but it's all singing your love of God, isn't it?!

2 great ones form Ben Leinbach (who works a lot with Shiva Rea.)
"The Spirit of Yoga" is slow and great practice music.
also "Yoga Trance Dance" is wonderful by him. Varied but keeps you moving until the final Om Namaha shavaya

To get your Shakti flowing, I like Shiva Rea's "Nataraja" (that invocation could go on for ever) and also "Jala". Both good, varied CD's and more upbeat.

Elysian Vibes have some great tracks across their 4 compile albums, but the classic in the series is on album 1, track 5..."Tilang Tantra" by Prem Joshua. It ought to be on any yoga compile to inspire you and keep you moving.

Well, as Maria once said in song: "these are a few of my favourite things!..." and not a pan pipe or bloody whale amongst them either.

Yours in harmony
T/boy

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Hi Tantra. well, i don't know, i think Eno's Airports might be a hackneyed classic already.

thanks for all your recommendations. I know some Darling and Premal. I'll be looking out for those others. I can never have too many different musics. here's a couple more from my collection...

Arvo Pärt's Alina is really just about the most beautiful music you'll ever hear. As soon as you hear Spiegel im Spiegel the first time, you'll swear you've always known it. The whole cd is basically two very simple, minimalist themes played painfully slow on piano and violin. It's as much about the silences between notes as the notes themselves. Primal stuff. Try it for slow, deep posturing and breathing. The warning for this one is, you'll almost definitely be in tears. -- There are other things you may prefer to do to this music, but i'll leave that with you.

And for contrast:

Plastikman's Consumed sounds like lying in a room on a submarine listening to a chill-out rave going on a few rooms down the corridor. Awakening and relaxing.

Good call. I bought paTala Purify based on what I heard in a class. Nice..but sounds kind of weird at home..

Looking at these recommendations too..especially ones like Plastikman..I'm all for checking out music you'd listen to in other areas of your life, rather than cowbells and whales.

I'm loving Roysopp's latest album The Understanding at the moment, v. chilled.

hi Tiny. yes, i have the Understanding. do you know the Remind Me video, from their first cd? watching it in the morning will set you up for the day.

copy-paste link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBvaHZIrt0o

Hey there,

I just found this great CD last week. The only thing is it gets the feet tapping which is not great for focus during your practice. But, I have to share it with you:
"Yoga Rhythms" compiled by Shiva Rea (music to energize the flow of yoga).

Track 3 is particularly fun.

Enjoy!