GoYOcean #1: The Through Coil --- Music for Yoga

I introduced myself in my last post and mentioned that I am a yoga teacher and musician. One thing I am passionate about is finding the right music to teach a class to. Music is incredibly subjective and contextual, so finding music that I feel is worth teaching to is something I love doing.

I have recently started a project called "GoYOcean" as a result of several years of heavy music curation for yoga classes. It has become my side obsession.

Here is a link to the first mix that I put on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/GoYOcean/goyoocean-1-the-thru-coil/

Each mix is constructed with a 60-90 minute class in mind. In this case, it is 75 minutes (give or take a few). It starts with a 17 minute ambient track (I love it!) and then progresses through more groovy level music and then back into the deep/ambient vibe. (For you music heads, I included a track listing at the bottom).

With each mix I post in this space, I will also include a yoga posture that I like to include during a session that would have this music as its soundtrack.

In this particular episode I want highlight an under used posture known as Ardha Pincha Mayurasana or more popularly, "Dolphin Pose". The sanskrit breakdown of the words are: "Ardha" (half) - "Pincha" (feathers) - 'Mayura" (Peacock). This pose is also sometimes referred to as "Half Feathered Peacock Pose" and "Puppy Pose". (Yes, yoga is an ancient and very oral as a tradition, so there has been quite a few hands in the mix for transferring information over the years!)

Here is a link to a video showing the pose:

In my classes I teach that the Dolphin Pose is halfway between a downward facing dog and a head stand. This posture benefits your shoulders in preparation for a headstand, strengthens the core as well as your arms. It is close to the ground, so it is a fantastic way to build "from the ground up" in your practice.

If you are interested in a deeper dive, here are a few links about this posture:

http://www.sarvyoga.com/ardha-pincha-mayurasana-dolphin-pose-steps-and-benefits/
http://www.yogamagazine.com/anatomy-of-dolphin-pose/

I highly recommend this posture, as it is great for beginners and more advanced practitioners.

Ok, back to the music.

As promised here is a track list for this mix:

Don Li: 17 Minutes of 17 Hours
Gaussian Curve: Red Light
Julian Calor: Walphin
ASC: Mute
Embee: Moons
ODESZA: Kusanagi
Kate Simko, London Electronic Orchestra: The XX Intro Original Mix
Pig&Dan: I Feel Love
Sasha: Channel deq
amiina: Leather and Lace
Midst: Wake Up, O Sleeper
Bill Ferngren: Sussurations
Benny Bernstein: Conscious Journey
@MoStFeAr: Fall Asleep My Love
Buddhist Chants: Robbins Island Music Group

My guess is that many or most of these artists are not familiar to you. This is a GOOD thing if true. Part of my gig is to try and turn people onto enriching and tasty music in different contexts.

GoYOcean is dedicated to the ideas of transformation through music.

I will try and give snippets on occasion about an artist I have chosen. In this particular mix, I want to highlisht "Pig&Dan". who are are incredible producers in the deep dance music genre. In this case, they have done some very cool downtempo tracks. I also love the name!

You can find out about Pig&Dan here: http://www.piganddan.com/

Until next time, I am signing off with another sunset picture.