Happy Friday! Is it just me or did it seem like a long week? Michael and I are heading to NY this weekend to spend time with my family and go to my cousins graduation party. I’m looking forward to the trip home! It will be nice to spend time with my parents. I love their house in the summer…lots of places to sit outside and tons of flowers and gardens. It’s always been my Mom’s passion to garden. I don’t mind gardening myself and even planted some herbs this summer!
I’m not really in to music in all honesty. I usually prefer to sit in peace and quiet and listening to music in the car mostly just gives me a headache. I don’t even run with music. I’ve always thought that it’s because I have an active brain and it is too much stimulation for me. So I never really joined in to the whole music craze. I don’t search out new artists or get overly excited about concerts. I have my favorites and I stick to what works. But lately I’ve been really stressed out with my job and my commute. I’ve had a TON of jaw pain and tension as a result of my stress. I tend to clench my jaw while I’m driving and since my commute totals over 2 hours a day this is really not good. So I’ve started to listen to more music in the car to help relieve my stress and make me relax. I figure if I turn my car into a peaceful, fun place I might feel better. I am not going to lie a “Call Me Maybe” dance party when you are stuck in traffic can really brighten your mood!
There is one place though where I do love music. That place is the mat. I absolutely LOVE a good yoga mix and just flowing and grooving to the music. It allows me to shut off my mind, relax and just feel and move with my body.
Love Music When I’m on The Mat!
I’m recently obsessed with ashtanga (more on that next week) and have been practicing at home by myself a bit more. I wanted to share the playlist that I listen to…
Yoga Playlist!
One of the things I love about this mix is that it does include some chanting. South Boston Yoga, where I’ll be taking my teacher training, uses chanting at the beginning and end of their classes and I find it incredibly peaceful and soothing. Something about it really moves me. I was really excited to find an album that had many of those chants. The “Love Reigns” CD by Diana Rogers is filled with kirtan chants and many of my favorites. Since I’m not very musically inclined and won’t be singing and chanting on my own this was the perfect way to add in one of my favorite class elements to my at home routine. The bonus? The whole CD is soothing and I’ve been listening to it during my commute. It is definitely helping me relax more and my jaw is thanking me. My body instantly goes into “yoga mode” and my breathing deepens and my stress melts away.
I’m excited to share some of the chants off this CD with Michael during our drive to NY! He really enjoys the chants in yoga and unlike me he absolutely loves music. He listens to Pandora, Rhapsody and his iTunes library and knows everything from Madonna lyrics to My Morning Jacket. He’s kind of savant when it comes to music. He knows all the lyrics to millions of songs and let me tell you, that man has rhythm.
