What Makes Great Yoga Class Music (and What Quietly Ruins It)
Music in a yoga class does more than fill silence—it sets the energetic tone, supports transitions, and helps students stay connected to their breath and body.
When the music is right, it dissolves into the background of awareness, creating a container that feels both grounding and expansive. When it's wrong, it pulls students out of their practice, creates distraction, and can even subtly undermine the very states you're trying to cultivate.
Many yoga teachers spend hours curating the perfect playlist, only to discover mid-class that a song has jarring lyrics, an unexpected tempo shift, or a sudden volume spike that disrupts the flow they've worked so hard to build. Others rely on pre-made playlists or streaming services, only to have ads interrupt savasana or discover that their carefully chosen tracks have been replaced by the platform's algorithm.
The truth is that choosing music for yoga is more nuanced than most teachers realise. It's not just about finding "relaxing" or "uplifting" tracks—it's about understanding how tempo influences breath pacing, how transitions between songs can either support or disrupt flow states, and how the sonic texture of the music interacts with the physical and energetic arc of your sequence.
This guide breaks down what actually makes yoga class music effective, the common mistakes that quietly ruin the practice experience, and how to build playlists that serve your teaching rather than compete with it.
Why Yoga Music Is Different From Meditation or Workout Playlists
Yoga occupies a unique space between movement and stillness, between effort and surrender. That means the music needs to support both activation and softening, sometimes within the same class. A high-intensity vinyasa flow requires different sonic support than a slow yin practice, and both are different from what works in a guided meditation or breathwork session.
Research on music and physical practice shows that tempo directly influences movement speed, heart rate and perceived exertion. A 2020 study found that yoga students unconsciously adjusted their breath pacing and transition speed to match the BPM (beats per minute) of background music, even when they weren't consciously aware of doing so. This means your playlist isn't neutral—it's actively shaping how students move, breathe and experience the practice.
Unlike workout music, which is designed to motivate and energise, yoga music needs to support flow rather than push. It should feel like a river carrying students along, not a pump-up soundtrack driving them harder. And unlike meditation music, which is often very sparse and slow, yoga music needs enough rhythmic structure to support coordinated movement without becoming so driving that it overrides the internal rhythm students are trying to cultivate.
The best yoga music exists in a sweet spot: present enough to support the arc of the class, but transparent enough that students can still hear their own breath, feel their own rhythm, and drop into the internal experience you're inviting them toward.
Tempo and the Breath-Movement Connection
Tempo is the single most important factor in choosing yoga music, and it's the one teachers most often get wrong. Play music that's too fast, and students will rush through transitions, skip breaths, and end up in their heads trying to keep up. Play music that's too slow, and the class can feel sluggish, disconnected or even uncomfortable, especially during dynamic sequences.
Here's a rough framework for matching tempo to practice style:
Slow flow, yin, restorative (60–80 BPM): Music in this range supports long holds, deep breathing and parasympathetic activation. It creates a sense of spaciousness and allows students to soften into poses without any pressure to move quickly.
Moderate vinyasa, hatha, slow power yoga (80–100 BPM): This is the sweet spot for most contemporary yoga classes—active enough to support fluid transitions but not so fast that it pushes students out of breath awareness. A comfortable walking pace translated into sound.
Dynamic vinyasa, power yoga, faster flows (100–120 BPM): Music at this tempo can support more vigorous sequences, but it needs to be used carefully. If students are already breathing hard, music above 110 BPM can tip them into sympathetic overdrive and make it difficult to maintain the meditative quality that distinguishes yoga from pure fitness.
The key is to think about tempo not as a fixed number for your entire class, but as something that evolves with the arc of your sequence. Many teachers structure their playlists to gradually build in tempo during the warm-up and standing poses, peak during the most dynamic section, and then slowly descend through seated work and into savasana.
This mirrors the natural energetic arc of most yoga classes and helps students' nervous systems follow the journey you're guiding them through, rather than staying stuck at one intensity level for 60 or 90 minutes.
Transitions Between Songs: The Invisible Disruptor
Even if every individual song in your playlist is perfect, the transitions between tracks can quietly sabotage the flow state you're trying to cultivate. A sudden shift in key, tempo, volume or sonic texture can pull students out of their bodies and back into their thinking minds, even if they can't consciously articulate why the practice suddenly feels less cohesive.
This is why pre-made Spotify or Apple Music playlists—even ones labelled "yoga flow" or "meditation"—often don't work well in actual classes. They're usually compiled from unrelated tracks that weren't designed to work together, so you get jarring transitions: a gentle acoustic piece followed by electronic beats, a song in C major suddenly shifting to E minor, or worst of all, 2–3 seconds of complete silence between tracks while students are mid-transition.
Professional yoga teachers who've been at this for years often describe their playlists as "seamless"—meaning there are no abrupt shifts that break the container. This doesn't mean every song has to be in the same key or style, but it does mean you need to think about how one track leads into the next.
Some practical strategies for smoother transitions:
Use crossfade settings in your playback software (Spotify, Apple Music, and most DJ apps have this feature). A 5–10 second crossfade means the next song starts to fade in while the previous one is fading out, eliminating the jarring silence or hard cut.
Sequence songs with compatible keys and tempos. You don't need to know music theory to do this—just listen carefully. If two songs "clash" when you play them back-to-back, they probably don't belong next to each other in your sequence.
Use purpose-built yoga music that's designed as extended mixes or continuous sets rather than individual songs. Many tracks designed for yoga classes are composed as 20–40 minute soundscapes with intentional arcs, so there are no transitions to manage.
Test your playlist all the way through before class. What sounds good in your living room might feel completely different in a studio space with 15 people breathing and moving. Always do a full run-through to catch any transitions that don't land.
Lyrics: When Words Help and When They Hijack
One of the most debated questions in the yoga teaching community is whether to use music with lyrics or stick to instrumental tracks. There's no universal right answer, but there are some important considerations.
Lyrics pull attention outward. When students hear words, their brains instinctively start processing language—following the narrative, connecting to memories, analyzing meaning. This can be beautiful if the lyrics are intentionally chosen to support the theme or energy of your class, but it can also pull students out of the somatic, embodied experience you're inviting them into.
Familiar songs trigger associations. If you play a track students know from their everyday life—a pop song, a well-known chant, anything with strong cultural associations—they'll bring all of that context into the practice space with them. Sometimes that's powerful (playing a meaningful chant during a restorative class can deepen devotional feeling). Sometimes it's distracting (hearing a song they associate with driving to work or a breakup can completely derail their focus).
Language choice matters. Many yoga teachers gravitate toward Sanskrit chants, mantras or songs in languages their students don't speak. This can create a sense of the sacred and the unfamiliar, which supports dropping out of the thinking mind. But it can also feel culturally appropriative or alienating if it's not integrated thoughtfully into your teaching and lineage.
Instrumental music keeps attention internal. When there are no lyrics, students have nothing external to "follow"—the music becomes pure texture, rhythm and emotional tone. This generally supports a more meditative, embodied experience, especially during the peak of the practice or during savasana.
A good middle path: use instrumental music for the majority of your class, and if you do include lyrics, choose them intentionally for specific moments—perhaps during the opening to set a theme, or during a peak pose sequence where you want to create a sense of uplift or devotion. Avoid lyrics during savasana almost entirely, unless you're teaching a very specific style where spoken word or mantra is central to the practice.
Savasana Music: Why Less Is Almost Always More
Savasana is the most sonically sensitive part of any yoga class. Students have just moved through a full practice, their nervous systems are shifting from activation to rest, and they're lying completely still with heightened awareness of every sound in the room. This is not the time for busy, melodic or emotionally complex music.
The biggest mistake teachers make in savasana is choosing music that's too interesting. Beautiful piano melodies, evocative nature soundscapes with bird calls, tracks with dynamic builds—all of these can prevent students from truly letting go. Their brains keep engaging with the music, following the melody, waiting for the next shift, instead of dissolving into stillness.
The best savasana music is almost forgettable—drones, soft pads, very simple harmonic textures that create a gentle sonic bed without demanding any attention. Some teachers use no music at all during savasana, which can be powerful, though it does leave students more vulnerable to external sounds (footsteps in the hallway, traffic outside, other students shifting).
If you do use music for savasana, here's what works:
Very slow tempo (40–60 BPM) that supports parasympathetic activation and mirrors the slowing breath and heart rate of deep rest.
Predictable, unchanging texture. The music should feel like one continuous sound rather than a series of musical events.
Lower frequencies that support grounding and embodiment. High, bright tones can feel activating or even jarring when someone is in a deeply relaxed state.
Long tracks (at least 10–15 minutes) so you're not scrambling to change music mid-savasana or worrying about an awkward ending.
Many experienced teachers invest in dedicated music for rest and integration that's specifically designed for these final, fragile moments of practice—music that knows when to disappear.
Common Playlist Mistakes That Undermine Your Teaching
Even well-intentioned teachers fall into these traps:
Playing the same playlist for every class. Your students will start to anticipate transitions, mentally prepare for what's coming next, and lose the sense of presence and discovery. Rotate your playlists or build a large enough library that repetition isn't obvious.
Relying on streaming platforms with ads. Nothing destroys a flow state faster than a Spotify ad interrupting savasana. If you're using streaming services, pay for the ad-free version or, better yet, use downloaded music you own so you're not dependent on internet connectivity or platform changes.
Choosing music you love, not music that serves the practice. Your personal taste matters less than what supports your students' experience. That song you find beautiful might be too emotionally charged, too familiar, or too distracting for a yoga class.
Not adjusting volume for different phases of class. Music that's an appropriate volume during active standing sequences can feel overwhelmingly loud during savasana when everyone is still and hypersensitive to sound. Use volume automation or manually adjust as you move through the class.
Ignoring the acoustics of your teaching space. Music that sounds great in your home studio might be completely different in a large, echoey gym space or a small room with carpeting. Always test your playlist in the actual space where you'll teach.
Building a Yoga Playlist Library That Evolves With Your Teaching
Rather than creating one or two playlists and using them endlessly, consider building a rotating library organised by class style, time of day, season or energy. This keeps your teaching fresh and gives you flexibility to respond to the actual energy in the room rather than forcing students into a pre-determined sonic container.
A basic yoga music library might include:
A dynamic flow playlist (60–75 minutes) with a clear arc from warm-up through peak intensity and back down to savasana.
A slow flow or yin playlist (60–90 minutes) with lower tempos, spacious pacing and music that supports long holds and parasympathetic states.
A short morning energiser playlist (30–45 minutes) with slightly brighter tones and a moderate tempo that supports waking up the body without overstimulating.
A restorative or evening wind-down playlist (60 minutes) with very slow, grounding music that supports deep rest and nervous system recovery.
A dedicated savasana library with several long-form, drone-based tracks you can rotate through so savasana never feels repetitive.
Once you have this foundation, you can start to build more nuanced playlists—music for hot yoga, for outdoor classes, for workshops, for themed practices around the seasons or moon cycles. The key is that the music serves the practice, not the other way around.
Many teachers who also guide meditations or Nidra end up using the same long‑form tracks across both contexts, which is where planning for a handful of track lengths that reliably cover your class formats saves you from running out of music halfway through savasana or a longer restorative hold.
Licensing for Yoga Teachers: What You Need to Know
If you're teaching yoga in studios, gyms or community spaces and playing music during class, you're technically required to ensure that the venue has the appropriate public performance licences (usually through organisations like PRS for Music in the UK or ASCAP/BMI in the US). Most established studios handle this, but if you're teaching independently, it's your responsibility to check.
If you're recording yoga classes—whether for YouTube, a membership site, an online course or client resources—you need music with a clear commercial-use licence. This is the same requirement as for guided meditations and therapy recordings: you must be able to prove you have the legal right to use the music in distributed content.
If you’re planning to sell those recorded classes as replays or put them on YouTube, the licensing rules are essentially the same as for guided meditations, which we unpack in detail in our plain‑English licensing guide for meditation and class music so you’re not guessing what “commercial use” really covers.
Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are licensed for personal listening, not for commercial use in yoga classes or recordings. Even if you're paying for a premium subscription, those services don't grant you the right to use the music in your professional teaching.
The safest approach is to build your library from music that's explicitly licensed for yoga teachers, with clear commercial-use terms that cover live classes, recordings and online distribution. That way you're never in a grey zone, and you can focus on teaching rather than worrying about copyright compliance.
When Silence Is the Most Powerful Choice
Not every yoga class needs music. Some of the most profound, connected classes happen in complete silence, where students can hear their own breath, the sound of their body moving, and the collective energy of the room.
Silence is particularly powerful for:
Advanced students who have an established practice and don't need external cues to stay present.
Pranayama-focused classes where the breath is the primary focus and music would be a distraction.
Workshops or teacher trainings where you want students to develop internal awareness rather than relying on external anchors.
Moments of teaching where you want to create space for students to notice what's actually happening in their bodies rather than staying on autopilot.
Some teachers alternate between music and silence within the same class—using music during the more dynamic sections and then dropping into silence for key poses, transitions or moments of introspection. This creates variety and keeps students' awareness sharp.
There's no hierarchy here. Music isn't "less yogic" than silence, and silence isn't inherently more advanced or authentic. Both are tools, and the question is always: what serves this practice, these students, this moment?
FAQ: Music for Yoga Classes
What tempo should yoga music be?
It depends on the style. Slow flow and restorative work well at 60–80 BPM. Moderate vinyasa flows suit 80–100 BPM. Dynamic power yoga can go up to 100–120 BPM. Always match the tempo to the breath and movement pace you're teaching, not the other way around.
Should I use music with lyrics or instrumental only?
Instrumental music generally supports a more internal, embodied experience. Lyrics can be powerful if intentionally chosen, but they pull attention outward and can distract from the practice. If you use lyrics, avoid them during savasana.
Can I use Spotify or Apple Music playlists in my yoga classes?
For live in-person classes in venues with proper public performance licences, yes. For recorded classes, online content or any distribution, no—you need music with a commercial-use licence. Streaming platforms don't cover professional use in recordings.
What's the best music for savasana?
Very slow (40–60 BPM), predictable, drone-based or soft pad textures with minimal melodic movement. The music should be almost forgettable—present enough to create a container but not interesting enough to pull attention. Many teachers use no music at all for savasana.
How do I avoid jarring transitions between songs?
Use crossfade settings in your playback software, sequence songs with compatible keys and tempos, or use purpose-built yoga music that's composed as continuous sets rather than individual tracks. Always test your full playlist before teaching.
How loud should the music be during class?
Loud enough to create atmosphere and mask minor external sounds, but never so loud that students can't hear your cues or their own breath. Adjust volume down significantly for savasana. Test in your actual teaching space, not just at home.
Do I need a licence to play music in yoga classes?
For live classes: the venue usually handles public performance licences (PRS, ASCAP, BMI). For recorded classes or online content: yes, you need commercial-use licensing for any music you include. Streaming services don't cover this.
