subject: Should you Jazz up your yoga workout with music ? [print this page] Should you Jazz up your yoga workout with music ?
You may remember exercise programs from the 1980s that featured aerobic workouts accompanied by upbeat music. The idea was for the music to motivate you to exercise harder and to help you keep a tempo. These programs introduced many people to the concept of exercising to music. Thanks to modern portable music players, you can take your music with you when you exercise. It seems that half of all joggers have portable music players attached to their arms or waists. Half of all gym goers are also wired for sound.
It's up to you to decide whether you want to listen to music as you do your yoga-with-weights workouts. As the saying goes, music calms the wild beast. It can relax you, inspire you, motivate you, empower you, or rev you up, depending on your state of mind and what type of music you're listening to. In terms of yoga with weights, music can
Help you set a pace for your workout
Inspire you to keep going
Comfort you when you're struggling with a difficult exercise
However, music can also be a distraction. Throughout the exercises in this book, we ask you to "listen to your body" to feel your muscles and ligaments as they stretch or contract so you can exert just the right amount of pressure and effort. If you introduce music into your yoga-with-weights workout, it can
Prevent you from hearing your body and the sound of your breath
Speed up the tempo of an exercise so you move too quickly
Keep you from focusing and working out safely
If you prefer to exercise to musical accompaniment, ask yourself from time to time in the middle of a workout whether the music is a distraction. If it isn't a distraction, enjoy it for all its worth. Experiment with different kinds of music to find recordings that help you work out. We know people who listen to sounds from nature ocean waves and babbling brooks when they exercise; others love a good rhythm and beat. Any recording that deepens your yoga-with-weights workout is okay with us.
