10 Favorite Yoga Playlist Songs

Sometimes the music can make or break a good yoga class. And let's be honest, we've all got that easy playlist that we go to when we are having a creative slump, but it's really refreshing and can be pretty inspiring to your practice to being some fresh music with you to the mat.

Here's a few of my current favorite songs to play during my classes:

"Keep Your Head Up" - Ben Howard
A great medium between a calming acoustic song with an upbeat tempo. I like to play this toward the beginning of class after meditation because of its message. I just love the chorus -- Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. 

"Let Me Be" - Xavier Rudd
Pretty much every one of my yoga playlists includes an Xavier Rudd song because he's just that amazing. This is a fun, upbeat song that I like to play toward the middle of class.

"Love is My Religion" (Acoustic Version) - Ziggy Marley
This is a really sweet song to play toward the end of class. It has that great reggae sound without all of the business of being too instrumental.

"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster The People
Great for the middle of class, or even the climax of a more yin class. It's wonderfully upbeat without being too distracting.

"Feel It All Around" - Washed Out
Okay, so I never would have thought to use the Portlandia theme song in a yoga playlist UNTIL I heard Mackenzie Miller play it during an inversion workshop. It was the coolest thing, and fits so perfectly into a class.

"Your Hand in Mine" - Explosions in the Sky
Great instrumental song for opening meditation.

"One Day" - Matisyahu
Great for a climax song or leading up to it. I just love the beat, it fits really nicely.

"Shake It Out" - Florence + the Machine
I really like how this song is powerful without being overpowering. Plus, what an amazing voice.

"Stubborn Love" - The Lumineers
I've used this song for both Vinyasa and Yin classes, it's very versatile. Plus I love playing it during challenging poses when the lyrics say, it's better to feel pain than to feel nothing at all. Yep. I did that.

"Untitled (Grasses Grow)" - A Fine Frenzy
I couldn't think of a more perfect song for savasana. Not only is it perfect length - about 7 and a half minutes - but the combination of the piano, the soft voice, and the amazing lyrics literally make it the perfect song. Let your breath fill the empty space, where you used to keep the dead, dead weight.