Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher

42. How to Use Music in Yoga Classes: Legal, Practical, and Energetic Tips

• Sage Rountree • Episode 42

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Whether you love crafting playlists or prefer teaching in silence, this episode helps you make thoughtful, legally sound, and energetically aware choices about music in yoga classes. I walk you through:

  • the legal requirements most teachers overlook
  • nuts-and-bolts tech tips to avoid disruption
  • and the nuanced ways sound shapes student experience.

You’ll also get guiding principles and practical options for building your confidence and versatility—so your class can thrive with or without music.

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Can I tell you something? I once spent hours crafting what I thought was the perfect playlist for a special workshop. I carefully selected songs to match the energy arc of the practice, tested the volume levels, and made sure the transitions were seamless. Then halfway through the workshop, the Bluetooth connection failed. My phone started ringing loudly through the speakers, and I ended up teaching the rest of the workshop in complete silence. That technological disaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The second half of class had a completely different quality, more internal, more focused, and for many students, more profound. It made me seriously reconsider my assumptions about the role of music in yoga teaching.

Welcome to Yoga Teacher Confidential:

Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher. I am Sage Rountree, and today we are exploring the complex world of music in yoga classes. We'll talk about the legal considerations that many teachers unknowingly overlook, the practical aspects of integrating music effectively and the energetic impact that sound has on the practice environment. Whether you're a teacher who can't imagine teaching without a carefully curated playlist, or someone who prefers the simplicity of silence, this episode will help you make more informed choices about using music in your teaching. Let's start with what might seem like the least exciting aspect of this topic, but it's actually critically important, the legal considerations of playing music in your yoga classes. When you play recorded music in a public setting, like a yoga class, you are engaging in what us copyright law calls a public performance of that music. This isn't like playing music in your living room. It's a commercial use that requires proper licensing. Paying for Spotify premium or for Apple Music does not give you the license you need. In the United States, three major performing rights organizations manage these rights, ascap, BMI, and csac. These organizations collect licensing fees and distribute royalties to the songwriters, composers, and publishers they represent. Each organization represents different artists, which means that in order to be fully compliant, venues and teachers technically need licenses from all three organizations to cover the full spectrum of popular music. The uncomfortable truth is that many yoga studios and individual teachers are not properly licensed to play the music they use in classes. This isn't just a technical violation, although the three agencies will certainly let you know that it is and be very persistent in proving that it represents lost income for musicians and composers who created the work being used. So who's responsible for obtaining these licenses? If you teach it in an established studio, the studio itself should have the appropriate music licenses in place. These are typically annual agreements with fees based on factors like the studio size and the frequency of music use. If you're uncertain whether your studio has these licenses, it's worth asking both to protect yourself and to advocate for proper compensation for artists. If you teach outside the US, it's useful to check with your local laws regarding music licensing. If you teach independent of a studio, perhaps renting space or teaching in community venues, the responsibility for licensing falls to you. Individual licenses from both ASCAP and BMI and CSAC can cost several hundred dollars annually, which may not be feasible for many teachers. Happily, there are alternative approaches that keep you legally compliant without breaking the bank. One option I've used is Yogi Tunes a subscription service specifically designed for yoga teachers for a monthly fee. Yogi Tunes provides access to music that's pre-licensed for use in yoga classes. This eliminates the need for separate performing rights licenses. They're even organized into playlists for you, and you can curate your own playlists. If you're registered with the Yoga Alliance in the US, you'll have a discount for Yogi Tunes. Another approach is using royalty free or Creative commons licensed music. These are works where the creators have specifically granted permission for certain types of public use, like yoga classes. When I needed music for some guided meditations and yoga nras, I recorded, I purchased Creative Commons music that explicitly allowed for commercial use. These tracks came with clear documentation of the licensing terms, which is essential if you're using this approach. Some teachers opt to create their own music or commission original compositions, which gives them full control over the licensing. That's what I did when I recorded my yoga for athletes DVD back in the late two thousands. While this requires an upfront investment, it does eliminate ongoing licensing concerns, and it can create a signature sound for your teaching. Side note, I commissioned the theme song for this show from a wonderful musician in Argentina, and she sold me the rights to use it as my podcast theme music. Finally, there's the option of live music. Collaborating with local musicians to provide live musical accompaniment for your classes creates a really unique experience for your students and sidesteps the recorded music licensing issues. Of course, you'll need to compensate the musicians appropriately, but this arrangement can be really mutually beneficial, especially for special workshops or live events. The bottom line is this, using music without proper licensing isn't just a legal risk. It's also an ethical question about fairly compensating creative work. As yoga teachers who abide by the principle of asaya non stealing and who value integrity, it's worth giving this aspect of our teaching practice serious consideration. Beyond the legal considerations, there are numerous practical aspects to consider when incorporating music into your yoga classes. Let's explore these nuts and bolts considerations that can make the difference between music enhancing your class or becoming a distraction. First sound, quality and volume deserve really careful attention. Even the most beautiful playlist will detract from the experience if it's played through tinny speakers or at an inconsistent volume. Invest in decent speakers if you'll be using music regularly, especially if you teach in spaces with variable acoustics, which describes many yoga studios. Volume is particularly tricky to get right. What sounds perfect to you at the front of the room might be inaudible to students in the back or too loud for those near the speakers. I recommend doing a sound check before class, walking around the room to experience the volume from different positions in it. As a general guideline, music should be loud enough to be clearly heard during movement, so it's not a distraction or straining to hear it, but quiet enough that you don't need to raise your voice to be heard over it. Technology is another critical factor. My opening story illustrated this all too well. Technology failures always seem to happen at the worst possible moments. If music feels essential to your class, have backup plans in place. This might mean having music downloaded rather than streaming, carrying a backup device as a speaker, or being prepared to teach without music if necessary. The practicalities of playlist management also matter. How will you transition between songs? Is there cross fade or not? Will you need to adjust volume between more energetic and quieter portions of class? Are there specific points where you need particular songs to begin? Some teachers use specialized apps that allow for smooth cross fades and really precise timing, and others prefer the simplicity of a basic playlist and manual adjustments. Consider two, the practical impact of music on your students' experience. Some may have hearing impairments that make it difficult to distinguish your voice over background music. Others might find certain types of music triggering or distracting based on personal associations, like it was your song with your boyfriend who just dumped you. Instrumental music generally creates fewer potential issues than vocal tracks, which can pull attention away from internal experience. The physical space where you teach influences your music decisions as well. In a small room sound reverberates differently than in a large one. In spaces with poor acoustics, music can help create a sonic buffer between your class and external noise. If you've ever taught at a gym, you know this is true. In shared spaces where sound might disturb others, you'll need to be particularly mindful of volume and base levels. Then there's the practical question of music's role in different parts of your class. Many teachers find that music serves different functions throughout a class, perhaps more rhythmic during warming sequences, more ambient during health poses, and then minimal or absent during final relaxation. Thinking through these transitions avoids jarring shifts that might disrupt the class flow. Now let's explore perhaps the most interesting dimension of music in yoga classes. The energetic impact it has on the practice environment and your students' experience. Sound has profound effects on our nervous system, our emotional state, and our ability to focus. This makes music a powerful tool for guiding the energetic arc of a yoga class, but also something to use with awareness and intention rather than as default background noise. Different styles of music create distinctly different practice environments. Rhythmic, beat driven music tends to synchronize movement and breath, which can be helpful for building heat and establishing flow in vinyasa classes. Ambient, spacious music can create a sense of expansiveness that supports deeper work in yin or restorative practices. And having music playing is a cue to you to stop talking, go silent, and let your students have their own inner experience. Traditional Indian instruments like sitar, tabla, or harmonium connect the practice to its cultural roots, while silence itself has a quality that encourages internal focus, pratyahara, sensory withdrawal. Music creates what psychologists call state dependent learning, where what we learn becomes associated with the conditions present during learning. If students always practice with music, they may struggle to access the same quality of presence without that auditory support, this is why you might try varying your approach sometimes using music and sometimes embracing silence to help students develop versatility in their practice. The energetic implications of lyrics deserve some special consideration. When songs include words, these words become de facto part of your teaching, whether or not they align with your intended message. I've witnessed unintentionally comical moments when random lyrics about heartbreak or party life suddenly punctuate and otherwise serene practice. If you use music with lyrics, take time to really listen to the words and consider whether they compliment your teaching intention. And as you collate your playlist, make sure that you aren't choosing explicit versions of the songs unless your students are expecting them. Cultural appropriation concerns also come up when you use music from spiritual or indigenous traditions. Chance mantras and ceremonial music from various cultures can carry deep significance for the communities they come from. And using these without understanding or respect for their context can be problematic. If you are drawn to incorporate such elements, please take the time to learn about their origins, their meanings, and the appropriate context for their use. And if you teach veterans who have been deployed in the Middle East, be aware that certain scales in Eastern music may act as triggers. The relationship between music and breath work is particularly interesting. Some teachers find that music with a consistent rhythm can support breath regulation. While others feel it interferes with students finding their natural breath patterns. I found that for beginners, rhythmic guidance can be helpful, but more experienced practitioners often benefit from the challenge of maintaining consistent breath without external pacing. Perhaps the most valuable approach is developing sensitivity to the moment to moment energy in the room. Sometimes a class needs the inspiration and the motivation that music can provide, and other times the same group might benefit from the undistracted awareness that silence offers. Learning to read the room and to adapt accordingly is way more valuable than rigidly adhering to your pre-planned music choices. Given all these considerations, legal, practical, and energetic, how do you determine the right approach to music for your teaching? Here are some guiding principles that can help you navigate these decisions that fully first, get clear on your primary teaching intention. If your focus is on precision and alignment, music might be a distraction from the detailed cues you're offering. I. If you're aiming to create an emotionally evocative experience, thoughtfully chosen music might be an essential part of that. Let your core teaching purpose guide your decision about whether and how to incorporate music. I. Next, consider the specific population you're teaching. Different demographics tend to have different expectations and preferences around music and yoga classes. Younger students often expect and enjoy music as part of the experience, and older practitioners might prefer a quieter environment. Corporate classes might need more neutral and broadly appealing selections, or they may not have the setup for any music at all. While private clients might appreciate personalized playlists that you tailor to their taste, that's one great way to add value to a private lesson. Your own authentic teaching style should also factor into this decision. If music is an integral part of how you experience and share yoga teaching without it might feel stilted or incomplete. But on the other hand, if music doesn't resonate with your teaching approach, please don't feel pressured to include it, just because it's common in certain yoga contexts. The most important thing is congruence between your values and your choices. I encourage all teachers to experiment with teaching both with and without music regardless of your usual preference. Even if you ultimately return to your original approach, the experience of trying something different inevitably deepens your understanding of how sound or the absence of sound can shape the practice environment. If you do decide to use music, take time to develop thoughtful curation skills. Creating effective yoga playlists is an art form that involves more than just collecting songs you enjoy. Consider factors like the energetic arc of your class, the BPM or beats per minute that supports different practice intensities. The cultural connotations of various musical styles and the seamlessness of transitions between tracks. Back when I taught spinning, I had a plugin for my iTunes that would categorize songs according to their BPM. Boy, I used to put a lot of thought into music and a lot of time into music and a lot of work into accommodating my students loudly stated preferences about music and now I go without music. When I do use music that I have the rights to in class, it's generally only in yin yoga, and there I follow what I call the restaurant principle. Good background music in a restaurant enhances the dining experience without becoming the focus of attention. Similarly, yoga class music ideally supports the practice without becoming its centerpiece. If students are commenting more on your playlist than on their experience of the practice, it might be worth reconsidering your approach to center the practice over the playlist. Whatever choice you make about music, implement it with professionalism and integrity. If you use music, ensure you're doing so legally and respectfully. And if you choose not to use music, be confident in that decision rather than apologetic. Either approach, When you execute it thoughtfully can create a powerful container for practice. Let me share a few specific music approaches that work well in different teaching contexts based on my, admittedly now long ago experience and on conversations with other yoga teachers. For vinyasa or flow classes, instrumental music with a moderate and consistent beat can support the rhythm of the practice without being distracting. Yogi Tunes has tracks that work well for this purpose. If you use this approach. Gradually reduce the tempo as the class progresses toward more restorative poses and into final relaxation. For yin or restorative practices, or gentle yoga, ambient soundscapes without distinct rhythmic elements, without drums, without sharp, high tones. These allow students to settle into poses without an external pulse influencing their experience. Another option for those low to the ground classes is nature sounds, ocean waves, or gentle rain can create a soothing backdrop. For classes focused on precise alignment or detailed instruction, or for workshops, then you're workshopping something. Consider using music only during portions where students are holding poses or working independently. This creates periods where your voice is the only sound, making it easier for students to absorb your verbal cues, followed by musical interludes that provide a mental break from concentrated listening. For meditation focused classes, traditional instruments like singing bowls, gongs, or the Indian harmonium can create a bridge between movement and stillness. These sounds have been used in contemplative practices for centuries, and they can help signal the transition into a more inward focused state of awareness. You might even learn to play the bowls so you can layer them into your class or offer standalone sound baths for classes where you're uncertain about musical preferences, but want or need to have music as a sonic buffer. Neutral instrumental pieces tend to be the safest choice. Classical guitar, solo, piano, or gentle jazz can. Provide a background texture without any strong stylistic associations that might appeal to some students and alienate others. And for teachers who prefer not to use music at all, silence itself becomes a teaching tool. Calling attention to the natural soundscape of the room, to the sounds of people breathing to subtle movements to ambient noise. This can develop your students' capacity for presence and attention. That's what the heart of the practice offers. Some of us find that occasionally using a singing bowl or a chime provides just enough auditory punctuation without requiring a full musical backdrop. For those who decide that music is an important element of their teaching, let's talk about some practical steps for ensuring you're using it legally and effectively. First, have a conversation with your studio owner or manager about music licensing if you teach at the studio, ask what performing rights licenses they hold and what their policies are regarding teacher playlists. Many studios have clear guidelines about music use, or they should, and your asking might prompt them to institute these guidelines, including rules around volume levels and appropriate content. Explicit or not explicit versions of songs, For example. Some may even have pre-approved playlists or streaming services. They prefer you to use. At my studio, we make it clear that every teacher must have performance rights for music they use, and most of our classes don't use music at all. My regular class hasn't for the last 15 years or so. If you teach independently, research the licensing options that best fit your teaching budget and your context. Yogi Tunes, as I mentioned earlier, offers a subscription model specifically designed for yoga teachers. There are other services like Epidemic Sound that provide royalty free music libraries for a monthly fee. For occasional special events. Single use licenses might be the most economical approach. Familiarize yourself with Creative Commons licensing, which allows creators to specify how their work can be used. The Creative Commons website at creativecommons.org and in the show notes offers search tools to find music with appropriate licensing for your needs. Be sure to look specifically for licenses that permit commercial use. As yoga teaching generally falls into this category, consider building relationships with local musicians who might be interested in collaborating on live music for special events or workshops. This creates unique experiences for your students while supporting the artists in your community. I found that these collaborations often lead to really beautiful organic teaching moments that wouldn't have emerged with recorded music. They're unique. Years ago, I taught a workshop at Yoga Tree in San Francisco. The owner invited me to meet him for class when I arrived fresh off the plane and kind of. Jet lagged from getting up for the super early cross country flight. It was in a warm room in the Castro at 4:30 PM on a Friday. I'll never forget how many gorgeous, half clad men were in that room During Shavasana. I thought I might be getting faint from my jet lag or dehydration as the music seemed to move around the room. So I cracked an eye open to realize one of those gorgeous half clad men was wandering through the room playing the pan flute. That's a memory I cherish. Live music can really elevate the experience. If you use recorded music, develop a system for organizing your music that works with your teaching style. This will help simplify your setup for class. Some teachers create playlists for specific class types, and others like to select music in the moment based on the energy in the room. Whatever approach you choose, having your music well organized can prevent you from technological fumbling during class. Be sure your plane is on airplane or do not disturb mode. Don't want it ringing in the middle of your workshop and be sure that shuffle mode is turned off. And it's smart to create contingency plans for the inevitable tech failures. What will you do if your speaker doesn't connect? If your device runs outta battery, or if your carefully crafted playlist suddenly stops having a mental backup plan, whether that's an alternative device, a simplified playlist stored in multiple locations, or comfort with teaching in silence ensures that music issues don't derail your entire class. I went through a personal evolution that might resonate with some of you. When I first began teaching, I relied really heavily on music. I spent hours crafting playlists, timing songs to align with specific sequences and using music to create the mood I wanted for each class. I think music felt like a safety net. It was something to fill the space and create atmosphere when I wasn't yet confident in my teaching voice. But as I developed as a teacher, my relationship with music shifted. For one thing, I began teaching athletic teams and doing more teaching in the community in situations where carrying music with me was pretty impractical. And I realized no one seemed to miss it, so I stopped using it at all. About six months after that, one of my regulars noticed there was no music tonight. Right? And there hadn't been for months. The world is loud. Silence can be really hard to come by, and as we know, silence is golden. So today my approach varies depending on the context. For my regular weekly classes, like I said, I teach without music and I use the air purifier as white noise. During final relaxation for workshops or special events, I might incorporate carefully selective and licensed music to support specific themes or practice qualities. And for my own practice, I move fluidly between silence and sound, depending on what serves my intention in the moment. This evolution wasn't about deciding that one approach was superior to the other. It was about building a sense of discernment about when and how music serves a yoga practice. I share this not to suggest that my current no music preference is the right choice, but to illustrate that our relationship with music and teaching can mature over time as we gain confidence and clarity in our teaching voices. I. Let me leave you with this thought. The question of music and yoga classes is not simply about personal preference or what your students expect. It's about creating the conditions that best support your students' journey toward presence, awareness, connection, yoga. Whether these conditions include carefully curated soundtracks or the subtle ambient noises of a quiet room or something in between. What matters most is that your choice is intentional, legally respectful, and aligned with your core teaching purpose. The most powerful approach is one where you have the versatility to employ music when it serves your teaching intention, and to embrace silence when that better supports the practice. This flexibility allows you to respond to the unique needs of each class, each student group, and each teaching context you encounter. Here's an affirmation to help you remember. I make conscious choices about sound that serve my students' practice. I make conscious choices about sound that serve my students' Practice. If you have experience or insights about using music in your teaching that you'd like to share, or if you have questions about the legal or the practical aspects we've discussed here, I would love to hear from you. Come on into The Zone at comfortzoneyoga.com. It's our free community for teachers. The link is in the show notes. Thank you for listening to Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'm Sage Rountree and I'll see you next time.

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