When it comes to yoga and music, the yogis have spoken. After surveying over ten thousand people, DOYOU reveals the most popular types of music that yogis listen to while practicing.
According to our data, more than 3 out of 4 people enjoy practicing yoga with music (at times). Interestingly, the vast majority surveyed (85%) practice at home—the perfect setting for crafting and practicing to your own playlist. In addition, most of the responders (70%) also said that they practice between 30-60 minutes.
Given that the average length of a song is around 3.5 minutes, that’s enough time for 8-17 songs! Below are the most favored genres of music that yogis enjoy practicing to, ranked from most to least popular.
1. Meditation Music (70%)
Calming and rejuvenating, meditative music is by far the most popular music choice for yogis near and far. Check out the artists Liquid Mind and Deuter for earthy instrumental tunes.
2. Traditional Indian/Devotional (36%)
With yogic-rooted attributes, Meditation as well as Traditional Indian music rank the highest on the yogi preference chart. Many varieties of these pleasant genres can be found on streaming services like Pandora.
3. Indie/Alt (26%)
A runner up, Indie/Alternative music, is so known for its contrast to mainstream music. Indie/Alt usually provides a flowy beat, making the music a wonderful compliment to a flowy style class like Vinyasa yoga.
In fact, according to our sample, over half (57%) of yogis practice Vinyasa flow. Some great Indie/Alt band recommendations to add to your faster-paced yoga practice include: twenty one pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, and Grouplove.
4. Classical (15%)
It’s fascinating to find that 15% of people enjoy listening to classical music while practicing yoga. Classical music is known for positively stimulating the brain, and producing a calming effect. One big reason that people practice yoga is for the mind benefits and to reduce stress, so perhaps yoga in combination with classical music produces a magnified soothing effect.
5. Pop (9%)
Pop music from stars like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga rank in the not as popular “Pop” category. With a slew of modernized and upbeat yoga studios opting to salute the sun while blaring “I woke up like this” lyrics, pop music is definitely an energizing, youthful, and vibrant choice.
6. Folk (8.7%)
Folk music can feel moody and twistedly inspirational. A couple of top folk artists are Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen—you won’t regret trying a Hatha or Restorative yoga class to the sound of their music.
7. Other (8.5%)
Although we aren’t certain what ‘Other’ music is out there that yogis listen to when practicing, we wouldn’t be surprised if creative yogis are making and listening to their own beats.
8. R&B/Soul (8.3%)
Soulful, feel-good music from the likes of Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, or Alicia Keys make for an expressive and deep, slow-flow yoga practice.
9. Electronic (7.5%)
Popular in many fitness studios, electronic music brings a dance floor vibe to the yoga floor. Calvin Harris, The Chainsmokers, and Robin Schulz are a few favorites among cheery yogis.
10. Reggae (7.2%)
Never out of style, Bob Marley is always a go-to for a guaranteed funky-flowy practice.
11. Jazz (7.1%)
With less than 7% response, music that was least likely to be accompanied with a yoga practice included: Blues, Christian/Gospel, Country, Dance/EDM, Drum/Bass, Grunge/Punk, Hip-Hop/Rap, Latin, Metal, and Rock music.
In addition, almost 1 out of 4 people noted that do not enjoy listening to music while practicing; they perhaps favor the natural sounds around them and audibly connecting with their breath.
Are these findings consistent with your yoga practice? Let us know in the comments what kind of music you like to listen to while practicing yoga.
Image Credit: Odette Hughes
